What did Jesus teach about money?
BREAKDOWN
Jesus' teachings on money consistently reveal it not as inherently evil, but as a potent spiritual barometer and a powerful competitor for ultimate loyalty. His central message was that one cannot serve both God and wealth, a concept encapsulated 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 cannot serve God and Mammon." Here, 'Mammon' is personified as an idol, representing the allure and demands of material possessions. Jesus repeatedly warned against the dangers of accumulating wealth for its own sake, illustrating this with the rich young ruler who could not part with his possessions (Matthew 19:21-24) and the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:16-21) whose life was cut short, rendering his earthly treasures useless. These narratives underscore that the heart's attachment to wealth can prevent entry into the Kingdom of God, making it "easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:24). Conversely, Jesus advocated for radical generosity, stewardship, and the use of money for righteous purposes. He instructed his disciples to "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 12:33-34). This teaching emphasizes an eternal perspective, shifting focus from temporal accumulation to heavenly investment. The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) highlights the responsibility of stewardship, where resources are entrusted by God and are expected to be managed wisely and productively. Furthermore, Jesus praised the widow's mite (Mark 12:41-44), not for the amount given, but for the sacrificial nature of her offering, revealing a heart fully devoted to God. Ultimately, Jesus teaches that money is a test of one's allegiance, a means to express love for God and neighbor, and a temporary tool whose true value lies in its potential for eternal impact when surrendered to God's purposes.
KEY TERMS
Mammon
A term for material wealth, often personified as an idol or a competing master to God.
rich young ruler
An individual in the Gospels who sought eternal life but was unwilling to give up his great possessions, illustrating the danger of wealth.
stewardship
The concept of responsible oversight and management of resources entrusted by God.
Kingdom of God
The reign and rule of God, both present and future, encompassing spiritual, ethical, and eschatological dimensions.
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 cannot 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.
Matthew 19:21-24
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. Jesus said to his disciples, “Most certainly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.”
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 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.”
Luke 16:1-13
He also said to his disciples, “There was a certain rich man who had a manager. An accusation was made 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, ‘A hundred measures 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, ‘A 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 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 also faithful in much. He who is unrighteous in a very little is also unrighteous 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 to 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 cannot serve God and Mammon.”
Matthew 25:14-30
“For it is like a man, 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 the same way, he who got 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 settled 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 also who had received the one talent 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 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 brass coins, which make 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 putting money 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.”
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE ANALYSIS
μαμμωνᾶς
Mammon
DefinitionWealth, money, property, personified as a false god.
θησαυρός
treasure
DefinitionA storage place for valuables; accumulated riches, store.
πλούσιος
rich
DefinitionWealthy, abounding in material possessions.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The economic landscape during Jesus' ministry in 1st-century Judea and Galilee was characterized by significant disparities in wealth, Roman taxation, and religious obligations. Roman rule brought various forms of taxation, including land taxes, poll taxes, and customs duties, often collected by local tax collectors (publicans) who were frequently reviled for their perceived greed and collaboration. This system placed a heavy burden on the populace, particularly the rural poor and tenant farmers. Temple tithes and offerings were also a significant part of Jewish life, required by Mosaic Law for the upkeep of the priesthood and the sanctuary. The wealthy elite, often Sadducees and Herodians, controlled much of the land and commerce, living in relative luxury while the vast majority experienced subsistence living, poverty, or even debt slavery. Almsgiving (Tzedakah) was a central religious and social obligation in Jewish tradition, seen as an act of righteousness and justice, and was widely practiced. Jesus' teachings on money must be understood against this backdrop of economic tension, social stratification, and established religious practices regarding charity and wealth.
THEOLOGICAL INSIGHT
Jesus' theology concerning money is fundamentally relational and teleological. It asserts that material possessions are never neutral; they are either a tool to advance God's Kingdom and demonstrate love, or they become an idol that competes with God for ultimate affection and loyalty. The true richness is not in what one possesses, but in one's disposition towards God and others. Money acts as a primary test of one's spiritual priorities, revealing where one's heart truly resides—either focused on transient earthly security or on eternal divine treasure.
COMMENTARY SYNTHESIS
Rashi (Jewish)
While Rashi primarily commented on the Hebrew Bible, his exposition on passages related to Tzedakah (charity, righteousness) in the Torah, such as the command to open one's hand to the poor (Deuteronomy 15:7-8), provides a foundational Jewish understanding of wealth. Rashi often emphasizes that giving is not merely an act of kindness but a fulfillment of divine law and a means of establishing justice and communal responsibility, reflecting a principle of stewardship that predates Jesus' specific teachings but forms part of their cultural context.
Matthew Henry (Christian)
Matthew Henry, commenting on passages like Matthew 6:24, emphasizes that the human heart is too small to contain two supreme affections. He states that 'we cannot love God and mammon; we cannot cleave to God and mammon; we cannot serve God and mammon. What service we do for God must be done with the heart, and how can the heart be on God and the world too?' He stresses the exclusivity of devotion required by God and views wealth as a spiritual rival.
John Calvin (Christian)
John Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion and commentaries, frequently discusses wealth in the context of Christian liberty and stewardship. He argues that earthly goods are given by God for our use, but we must use them with temperance, moderation, and for the glory of God and the good of our neighbor. He warns against avarice and luxury, asserting that attachment to riches alienates the heart from God and hinders spiritual growth, echoing Jesus' warnings against laying up earthly treasures.
Clement of Alexandria (Early Church Father)
In his treatise 'Who is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved?', Clement of Alexandria, an early Church Father, interprets Jesus' command to the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:21) not as a universal call to abandon all possessions literally, but to divest oneself of the 'lusts of the soul.' He argued that what saves is not external poverty but a detachment of the heart from wealth, using one's possessions for good works while keeping one's spirit free from their dominion.