“In his classic book on art, The Gift, Lewis Hyde distinguishes between a gift, which is something of value that continues to circulate among givers and recipients, and a commodity, which is held and hoarded. He goes so far to say that even cash—effectively “given” to us from above—should continue to circulate and was never meant to be commodified in early human society. Gifts and cash “perish” for the temporary holders of them (we’d call them stewards) as they circulate, but in Hyde’s notion of a “gift economy,” copious circulation ensures everyone has enough.
Alternatively, when people keep and hold onto what has been given to them—when they hoard out of fear or selfish desire—what was a “gift” to them becomes a commodity that creates value only for the holder, who becomes a false owner. The risk, of course, is that this commodity might suddenly lose value. Consider the man who hoarded a large amount of Bear Stearns stock. One day he’s a multi-millionaire, the next day his hoarded pile is worth ten cents on the dollar. The commodity perishes to all—holder and everyone else—and never fulfills its true purpose of adding value to the economy.
And then we look at Jesus, who described himself in John 12:24 when he said, “unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” Were he to have “hoarded” his life, which was a gift as life is a gift to each of us, he would have denied the Father’s will and not effected our salvation. A gift must “die” to the “owner” of it and circulate in order for it to grow and produce fruit. In circulating the gift, then, the owner becomes a sower.”
Howard Freeman, Senior Campaign Director, Young Life, Greater NY Division, personal correspondence on April 4, 2013.
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