Jesus says, “You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matthew 6:24b) He does not say that it is evil to have material possessions. On the contrary, God made the material world. In the Incarnation, God’s Son became a part of the material world and began the process of redeeming the creation from the Fall. Material things are good. God intends for us to enjoy them.
And yet, money and material possessions can assume a role in our lives that leads to anxiety, sorrow and even destruction. We can be tempted to “serve” them.
Jesus would not have made a point of teaching about the seductive power of money if it were not a common problem in our lives. He does not think that we are all disciples of Ebenezer Scrooge or King Midas. Instead, money’s ability to usurp the place of God in our lives is very subtle and happens only very gradually.
At this point we might fruitfully reflect on Matthew 6:19-34. In this passage, Jesus frames the question of money and material possessions for us in the context of our worry.
Anxiety is common. We worry about all sorts of things. It indicates our deep desire for enduring security. Jesus teaches us to ask ourselves this: Where do I look to find the security I desire?
This is where money most often works its destructive power. Many of us believe that money and material wealth will provide the security we seek. When we begin to believe this we have taken the first steps toward serving money.
Jesus is clear. Only God provides true security, and pursuing anything else for our ultimate security is to begin serving something other than God.
Putting money and material things in their proper place requires a spiritual discipline about our finances. That discipline begins with God’s own teaching about the tithe. The tithe teaches us to start our relationship with money by giving it away. Return the first ten percent to the Lord who provides our true security.
If we do not seek first to hold on to money, it cannot get a hold on us. When we begin by devoting our money to Godly purposes, money cannot seduce us into devoting ourselves to it.
