What did Jesus teach about money?
BREAKDOWN
Jesus' teachings on money are comprehensive and often counter-cultural, challenging conventional attitudes towards wealth and possessions. He consistently emphasized that one's ultimate allegiance must be to God, not to material riches. This is vividly articulated in Matthew 6:24, where Jesus states, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve God and Mammon." Here, 'Mammon' (μαμμωνᾶς) is personified as an opposing deity, representing the corrupting influence of wealth when it becomes an object of worship or ultimate trust. Jesus did not condemn wealth itself but the love of it and the trust placed in it above God. He taught that true treasure is found in heavenly, not earthly, pursuits, as indicated in Matthew 6:19-21: "Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." This highlights a fundamental reorientation of values. Furthermore, Jesus frequently addressed the dangers of greed and the spiritual pitfalls associated with wealth, particularly in parables like the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21) and the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). In the parable of the Rich Fool, the man's focus on accumulating more for himself, without considering his mortality or God's will, leads to his sudden demise and condemnation. The Rich Man and Lazarus illustrates the moral failure of neglecting the poor and marginalized while living in opulence. Jesus also challenged the wealthy to share their resources, as seen in his interaction with the Rich Young Ruler (Matthew 19:16-22), whom he instructed to "Sell that which you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." While this was a specific command tailored to one individual's spiritual barrier, it underscores Jesus' call for radical generosity and detachment from material possessions as a means of discipleship. Ultimately, Jesus' teaching posits money as a tool for good, to be stewarded for God's purposes and used to bless others, rather than an end in itself or a source of security.
KEY TERMS
Mammon
A term of Aramaic origin for wealth or money, often personified as an idol or false god by Jesus.
Stewardship
The ethical responsibility of managing resources, including money, entrusted to one's care by God.
Heavenly treasures
Spiritual and eternal rewards, contrasting with fleeting earthly possessions, emphasized by Jesus as the true object of pursuit.
Radical generosity
A call by Jesus for followers to share their resources, potentially even giving away all possessions, to serve God and help the poor.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve God and Mammon.”
Matthew 6:19-21
“Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Luke 12:16-21
He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’ He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. I will tell my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Luke 16:19-31
“Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, feasting sumptuously every day. A certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs came and licked his sores. It happened that the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried. In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom. He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in the same way evil things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and no one can cross from there to us.’ He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you would send him to my father’s house; for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so that they won’t also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them.’ He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’ ”
Matthew 19:16-22
Behold, one came to him and said, “Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” He said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder.’ ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ‘You shall not steal.’ ‘You shall not give false testimony.’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ And, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” The young man said to him, “All these things I have observed from my youth. What still do I lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell that which you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he was one who had great possessions.
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE ANALYSIS
μαμμωνᾶς
Mammon
Definitionriches, material wealth, money
θησαυρός
treasure
Definitiona storage place; treasure; a rich store, a hoard
δουλεύω
serve
Definitionto be a slave, serve
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
In the 1st century Roman province of Judea and Galilee, the economic landscape was highly stratified. Society was largely agrarian, with a small elite controlling vast amounts of land and resources, while the majority lived in poverty, often struggling as tenant farmers or day laborers. Roman taxation, both direct and indirect, was a significant burden, exacerbating economic hardship for many. The temple in Jerusalem also played a crucial economic role, accumulating wealth through tithes and offerings. Money, typically in the form of Roman, Greek, and local coinage, was essential for transactions, but bartering was also common. Charitable giving (tzedakah) was an important aspect of Jewish communal life, rooted in Old Testament law, but the socio-economic disparities highlighted a need for a deeper ethical engagement with wealth. Jesus' teachings directly challenged the prevailing values, where accumulation of wealth was often seen as a sign of divine favor, and instead called for a radical redistribution of priorities and resources, advocating for the poor and condemning exploitation, contrasting sharply with the Hellenistic and Roman emphasis on status and personal enrichment.
THEOLOGICAL INSIGHT
Jesus' teachings on money pivot on the concept of stewardship and ultimate allegiance. He repositioned wealth from being an indicator of divine favor or a source of security to being a moral responsibility and a potential spiritual hazard. The core theological insight is that God's kingdom values prioritize spiritual riches, radical generosity, care for the poor, and a heart unburdened by materialism. True security and lasting satisfaction are found not in what one possesses, but in one's relationship with God and one's obedience to His commands, particularly those related to loving one's neighbor.
COMMENTARY SYNTHESIS
Matthew Henry (Christian)
Henry notes that Jesus' statement about serving two masters (Matthew 6:24) is a fundamental truth, teaching that the heart cannot be divided between God and the world. He argues that true service to God requires the whole heart, making it impossible to genuinely serve both God and 'Mammon' as competing lords over one's life and affections.
Rashi (on Exodus 20:3, 'You shall have no other gods before me') (Jewish)
While not directly commenting on the New Testament, Rashi's commentary on the First Commandment underscores the Jewish principle of monotheism and the prohibition of idolatry. This principle, that nothing should stand 'before' God, forms the Old Testament ethical foundation for Jesus' warnings against serving Mammon, which is implicitly treated as a competing god by those who prioritize it.
Augustine of Hippo (Christian)
Augustine frequently discussed the distinction between 'use' and 'enjoyment.' He would suggest that earthly goods, including money, are meant to be 'used' to serve God and neighbor, not to be 'enjoyed' as an ultimate end. Enjoyment should be reserved for God alone, as the supreme good. This aligns with Jesus' teaching to lay up treasures in heaven.
Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) (Early Christian)
The Didache, an early church manual, advises believers to give generously to the needy, stating, 'You shall not hesitate to give, nor grumble when giving; for you know who is the good paymaster of the reward.' This echoes Jesus' call for generosity and connects it to divine recompense, emphasizing practical charity within the Christian community.
John Calvin (Christian)
Calvin emphasized that all possessions are gifts from God, and therefore, humans are merely stewards. He taught that the rich have a responsibility to use their wealth for the glory of God and the good of humanity, especially the poor. He would see avarice and the hoarding of wealth as a betrayal of this stewardship and a lack of trust in divine providence.