What did Jesus teach about money?
BREAKDOWN
Jesus' teachings on money were revolutionary, challenging the prevailing socio-economic norms of His time and establishing a spiritual framework for wealth and possessions. Fundamentally, Jesus taught that one cannot serve two masters, stating in 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." This declaration positions 'Mammon'—worldly wealth or material possessions—as a competing deity to God, highlighting the inherent conflict between ultimate trust in God and ultimate trust in riches. He consistently warned against the dangers of accumulating wealth for its own sake, as seen in the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21) and His interaction with the rich young ruler, whom He instructed to sell his possessions and give to the poor (Matthew 19:21). Beyond warning against the love of money, Jesus emphasized principles of stewardship, generosity, and seeking spiritual treasures. He taught His disciples to store up "treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal" (Matthew 6:20), contrasting fleeting earthly wealth with eternal spiritual riches. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) illustrates the expectation of faithful stewardship and wise investment of resources, not just financial, but all gifts entrusted by God. Jesus praised the poor widow who gave all she had—two small copper coins—into the temple treasury, noting that her sacrifice was greater than all the large sums given by the rich (Mark 12:41-44). This story underscores that the value of giving is measured by the heart and sacrifice, rather than the amount. Ultimately, Jesus consistently redirected His followers from an idolatrous pursuit of wealth to a life of dependence on God, generosity towards others, and a focus on the kingdom of heaven.
KEY TERMS
Mammon
A term personifying wealth or material possessions, often implying an idolatrous devotion to them.
Stewardship
The concept that all resources and gifts belong to God and are entrusted to humans to manage responsibly for His glory and the good of others.
Rich Young Ruler
An individual in the Gospels whom Jesus challenged to sell his possessions and follow Him, illustrating the spiritual obstacle of wealth when it becomes an idol.
Treasures in Heaven
Spiritual rewards and eternal blessings that result from devotion to God and generous, righteous living, contrasting with perishable earthly wealth.
Widow's Mite
An account in the Gospels where Jesus commends a poor widow for giving two small coins, emphasizing that the value of giving is measured by the sacrificially generous heart, not the monetary amount.
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.
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 fruits?’ 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.”
Matthew 19:21
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Matthew 6:20
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal;
Matthew 25:14-30
“For it is like a man who was going into another country, who called his own servants and entrusted his goods to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. Immediately he who received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. In like manner, he who received the two gained another two. But he who received the one went away and dug in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. Now after a long time the lord of those servants came and balanced accounts with them. He who received the five talents came and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents. Behold, I have gained another five talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He also who received the two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents. Behold, I have gained another two talents besides them.’ His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ He who had received the one talent also came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you didn’t sow, and gathering where you didn’t scatter. I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.’ But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant, you knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and gather where I didn’t scatter? You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. Take away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away. Throw out the worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Mark 12:41-44
Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and saw how the multitude cast money into the treasury. Many who were rich cast in much. A poor widow came, and she cast in two small copper coins, which amount to a Quadrans. He called his disciples to himself, and said to them, “Most certainly I tell you, this poor widow gave more than all those who are casting into the treasury, for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.”
Luke 12:15
He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from all covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”
Luke 12:33-34
Sell that which you have, and give alms. Make for yourselves purses which don’t grow old, a treasure in the heavens that doesn’t fail, where no thief approaches, neither moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Luke 16:1-13
He also said to the disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager. An accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. He called him, and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ The manager said within himself, ‘What will I do, since my lord is taking away the management position from me? I don’t have strength to dig. I am ashamed to beg. I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from management, they may receive me into their houses.’ Calling each one of his lord’s debtors to him, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe to my lord?’ He said, ‘One hundred barrels of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ He said, ‘One hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ His lord commended the unrighteous manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the children of the light. I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal tents. He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much. If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? If you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? No servant 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.”
Luke 19:8
Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor. If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.”
Matthew 22:21
They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE ANALYSIS
μαμωνᾶς
Mammon
Definitionriches, wealth, material possessions
θησαυρούς
treasures
Definitiona place for keeping valuables, treasure, storehouse
οἰκονόμος
stewardship
Definitiona manager of a household or estate, a steward
πλοῦτος
riches
Definitionwealth, abundance, riches
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
In 1st-century Judea under Roman rule, the economic landscape was characterized by significant social stratification and complex taxation systems. The Roman Empire levied various taxes, including land tax (tributum soli), poll tax (tributum capitis), and customs duties (portoria), often collected by local tax collectors, or 'publicans,' who were reviled for their perceived greed and collaboration with the occupying power. The Jewish temple also collected its own taxes, such as the half-shekel temple tax, and relied on voluntary offerings. Wealth was concentrated among a small elite, including aristocratic families, some Sadducees, and Herodians, while the majority of the population, particularly in Galilee and rural areas, lived at subsistence level, frequently facing debt and poverty. Land ownership was central to status and economic security. Jesus' teachings on money, almsgiving (tzedakah), and concern for the poor were delivered within this context, directly challenging the prevailing values that often prioritized material accumulation and social status. His critiques of greed and exploitation resonated deeply with the common people who experienced economic hardship and injustice.
THEOLOGICAL INSIGHT
Jesus' teachings on money are fundamentally about the redirection of the human heart from self-serving accumulation to God-centered stewardship and generosity. He does not condemn wealth itself, but the idolatrous love of it (covetousness) and the false sense of security it provides. Money is portrayed as a tool, a test, and a testimony. As a tool, it can be used for good, particularly in caring for the poor and advancing God's kingdom. As a test, it reveals where one's ultimate allegiance lies—with God or 'Mammon.' As a testimony, a believer's use of money should reflect their trust in God's provision and their commitment to eternal values over temporal gains. The overarching theological message is that true security, meaning, and treasure are found only in God, and generosity is a spiritual discipline that aligns the heart with His kingdom.
COMMENTARY SYNTHESIS
Rashi (on Deuteronomy 15:7-11) (Jewish)
Rashi, in commenting on the Torah's commandments regarding giving to the poor, emphasizes the importance of open-handed generosity, stating that one should 'not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your poor brother.' This aligns with Jesus' later teachings by establishing the divine expectation for compassion and material support for the needy, forming the bedrock of Jewish ethical monetary practices that Jesus elevated to a matter of the heart.
John Calvin (Institutes of the Christian Religion) (Christian)
Calvin stressed that all possessions belong to God and believers are merely stewards. He taught that wealth, if used responsibly for God's glory and the good of one's neighbor, is a blessing, but if hoarded or used for selfish pleasure, it becomes a curse. He highlighted that the love of money is the 'root of all evils,' echoing Jesus' warnings about Mammon.
Clement of Alexandria (Who is the Rich Man that Shall be Saved?) (Early Church Father)
Clement argued that Jesus' command to the rich young ruler was not a universal requirement to renounce all wealth, but a specific spiritual remedy for that individual whose heart was enslaved by his possessions. He proposed that it is not the possession of wealth, but the attachment to it and the passions it engenders, that prevents one from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. True 'selling' means casting off the spiritual burdens associated with riches, allowing one to use wealth for virtuous ends.
Matthew Henry (Commentary on the Whole Bible) (Christian)
Henry consistently underscores Jesus' teachings on contentment and heavenly-mindedness. He explains that earthly wealth is uncertain and unsatisfying, while 'treasures in heaven' are secure and eternal. He interprets Jesus' warnings against serving Mammon as a call to prioritize God above all worldly concerns, recognizing that God alone can truly provide and satisfy.