What did Jesus teach about money?
BREAKDOWN
Jesus' teachings regarding money consistently emphasize its secondary role in life, advocating for a radical reorientation of priorities towards God and His Kingdom. He portrayed money not as inherently evil, but as a dangerous potential idol, a rival to God for human devotion, as famously stated 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." The term 'Mammon' itself is personified as a false god representing material wealth. Jesus taught that true security and lasting treasures are not found in earthly possessions, but in heavenly investments, urging His followers 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 instruction highlights the transient nature of material wealth compared to eternal realities.
KEY TERMS
Mammon
A personification of material wealth, often depicted as a false god or master that competes with God for human devotion.
heavenly investments
Spiritual deeds, acts of generosity, and devotion to God that yield eternal rewards, in contrast to transient earthly possessions.
stewardship
The responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving, especially resources entrusted by God.
Kingdom of God
God's sovereign rule and reign, both present and future, encompassing His will and values, which believers are called to prioritize above worldly concerns.
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 12:15
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.”
Mark 10:23-25
Jesus looked around, and said to his disciples, “With what difficulty will those who have riches enter into God’s Kingdom!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus answered again, “Children, how hard is it for those who trust in riches to enter into God’s Kingdom! It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.”
Luke 21:1-4
He looked up, and saw the rich people who were putting their gifts into the treasury. He saw a certain poor widow casting in two small brass coins. He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them, for all of these have put in gifts from their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in all the living that she had.”
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.
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 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 also who got the two talents gained another two. But he who received the one talent 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 got 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 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 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 unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Luke 16:1-13
He also said to his 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 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 cors 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 faithful also in much, and 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 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 in 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 like manner 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, so that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and no one can cross from there to us.’ He said, ‘I beg you therefore, 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.’”
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE ANALYSIS
μαμμωνᾶς
Mammon
Definitionriches, material possessions, wealth often personified as a god
θησαυρός
treasure
Definitiona storage place, a repository, hence, things stored up, treasure
πλούσιος
rich
Definitionwealthy, abundant in means
πλεονεξία
covetousness
Definitiongreedy desire to have more, avarice, covetousness
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
During the time of Jesus, Judea and Galilee were provinces under Roman occupation, which significantly shaped the economic landscape. The economy was primarily agrarian, with a large peasant class often struggling under heavy taxation imposed by both Roman authorities and local Herodians, as well as Temple taxes. Wealth was concentrated among a small elite, including Roman officials, tax collectors (publicans), Herodian aristocrats, and Temple authorities. Trade routes, particularly those passing through Galilee, brought some prosperity, but also led to increased disparities. Roman currency circulated alongside local coinage, and the Temple itself was a major economic hub, facilitating sacrifices and money exchange. Poverty was widespread, and debt was a common burden, often leading to enslavement. This context of pronounced wealth disparity and economic pressure informs many of Jesus' parables and teachings, such as the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), the widow's mite (Luke 21:1-4), and the frequent mentions of tax collectors and debtors, underscoring the social realities of His audience.
THEOLOGICAL INSIGHT
Jesus' teachings on money reveal a profound theological principle: true life and security are found in a relationship with God, not in material possessions. Money, or 'Mammon', is presented as a competing master that demands allegiance, diverting the heart from God. The Kingdom of God is a spiritual economy where generosity, stewardship of resources for divine purposes, and a focus on eternal rewards supersede the accumulation of earthly wealth. This perspective transforms money from an object of ultimate desire into a tool for service and a test of one's allegiance.
COMMENTARY SYNTHESIS
Rashi (on Exodus 30:11-16, regarding the Half-Shekel Tax) (Jewish)
The purpose of the half-shekel was to atone for sin and to ensure the people were numbered for a righteous cause. Even in the Old Testament, wealth was not solely for personal gain but carried communal and spiritual obligations, emphasizing responsibility to God and community over individual accumulation.
Augustine of Hippo (Sermon on Matthew 6:24) (Christian (Early Church Father))
Augustine argued that 'Mammon' is not a name but a Punic word for 'riches', and Jesus used it to signify that riches are a master that demands service, just like God. He emphasizes that the heart cannot be divided; one must ultimately choose between the love of God and the love of worldly possessions.
John Calvin (Commentary on Matthew 6:19-21) (Christian (Reformation))
Calvin highlights that Jesus does not condemn riches themselves, but rather the 'laying up' of treasures on earth, which implies a desire for security and satisfaction outside of God. He underscores that true faith trusts God alone for sustenance and security, channeling resources towards spiritual, eternal ends.
Clement of Alexandria (Who Is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved?) (Christian (Early Church Father))
Clement interprets Jesus' challenge to the rich young ruler (Mark 10:21) not as a universal command to discard all wealth, but to strip oneself of the 'passions of the soul' associated with wealth, such as pride, avarice, and worldly attachment. He argues that it is the love of money, not money itself, that is the root of evil, and that wealth, properly used, can be a means for good and aiding the poor.