Jesus’ Teaching On Material Wealth

God gives us direct instructions regarding how we should view and handle money. These instructions include investing in eternity, being content, and being on guard against the alluring power of money. But the Bible doesn’t stop there. Jesus has a lot to say about the human heart and how we can find ourselves being enticed away from the faith and service to God in exchange for the temporal things that money can provide us. Let’s begin with this brief but profound truth from the Lord Himself:

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

      Matthew 6:24

As much as people may try to pull off the impossible (serving God and wealth at the same time), Jesus reminds us that this is indeed an absolute impossibility. When it comes to the decision to either surrender our lives to Christ and serve Him or to live for ourselves, serving our own desires, wants, and dreams, we will inevitably choose one or the other. In fact, it’s the nature of the decision that makes serving God and money at the same time an impossibility. Salvation comes to those who deny themselves, admit their depravity and need for a Savior, and surrender their entire lives over to God and to His direction and control. It is our spiritual depravity that causes us to reject God’s offer of salvation and it is our depravity that drives us to want control our own lives, something completely incompatible with repentance, surrender, and salvation. So Jesus reminds us that serving Him and serving money at the same time cannot be done. He explains this by using two sets of opposite attitudes that we can see demonstrated in our lives: love vs hate and being devoted vs despising. Notice the “polar opposite” nature of these words. It would be impossible to say that we love someone and hate them at the same time (although there may be a few love songs that try to make that argument). Likewise, devotion and despising are complete opposites. So, Jesus isn’t talking in terms of a 50/50, 80/20, or even a 99/1% split between God and money. He is saying that love and devotion to Him requires everything that we have. And that’s what God desires from us, no distractions, division in loyalty, or chasing after the things of the world. We have to choose and choose we will. That is why there is such a stark difference between the people of God, investing in eternity, and those who are completely sold out to the world, investing everything they have in the here and now. “No one can serve two masters…you cannot serve God and wealth.” 

Let’s take a look at a situation in which Jesus tells us about the futility of the human heart, spending our lives pursuing things that cannot satisfy (in the long run), cannot bring fulfillment (in the long run), cannot impart spiritual life, and are temporal in nature, meaning that we cannot even keep them.  

Someone in the crowd said to Him (Jesus), “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” But He (Jesus) said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.”

  Luke 12:13-15

This individual was focused on the inheritance that he must have felt was his right to receive. Jesus dismisses his request by saying, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you.” And, as Jesus so often did, He used the situation as a teaching moment. “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” We’ve seen this before. “Be on guard.” Don’t let yourself get wrapped up in finances, inheritances, and money that you feel is owed to you. Jesus says that even when we have an abundance, our life does not consist of our possessions. What we have materially is not even what life is about. If our possessions, success in business, or accumulation of massive amounts of material wealth is our “claim to fame,” we’re in serious spiritual trouble. 

It’s always amazed me that our fallen world reveres those who make massive amounts of wealth. In the face of what Jesus is telling us, this is misguided at best. When we hear someone say, “He came from nothing but he has really made something of himself,” they are almost always referring to one thing…money. The “coming from nothing” means that they grew up poor. The “making something of himself” means that he has made a lot of money. We should’t elevate anyone. Christ is the only One worthy of our reverence, devotion, and worship but even if we were going to recognize someone for living well, how can money alone be the criteria for such acknowledgment?  If we are going to praise someone, shouldn’t it be for their godly character and love for Christ? But our depravity does the opposite. We revere those who make money while Jesus continues to say, “for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” 

And after these declarations, Jesus tells a parable:

And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 

    Luke 12:16-19

It’s easy to see what is going on here. In fact, this is a portrait of how many people live their lives in our modern world. This man had done very well for himself. His barns (an agrarian measure of wealth) were so full that he had to build new ones to hold all of his wealth. He had worked, earned, and is now ready to store away for his future. He would then enjoy life by eating, drinking, and being merry. He could take ease for all of his efforts had truly paid off and he was a wealthy man indeed, with enough proceeds to last him for the rest of his life. 

This is not an indictment on retirement planning rather Jesus is revealing the futility and shortsightedness of those who would prioritize and focus only on their lives here on earth without even the slightest concern or planning for eternity. This man had a plan and he executed it to perfection. He certainly was one to admire…right? Look at God’s response to this man:

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

        Luke 12:20-21

We might call this person a hard worker, good planner, and someone “living their best life.” God calls him a fool! Why? He had stored up for himself plenty of material goods, assets, and wealth, designed to carry him throughout his earthly life, yet he had not even considered what happens after that. Perhaps he wasn’t aware of Jesus’ instruction of “do not store up for yourself treasures on earth.” He was singularly focused on his earthly life and the lifestyle that he wanted to establish for himself…and he pulled it off! But God still calls him a fool. “This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?” After the stellar career, all of the hard work, and all of the financial planning, this man was going to die and what would be required of him, money could not buy. The foolish thing to do is to follow in this man’s footsteps. The wise thing to do is to invest in eternity, in the things of God, and in the things that bring spiritual, eternal life to our souls (Ephesians 5:14-16). 

Jesus also speaks of the deceitful nature of material wealth in the Parable of the Sower. Consider the following:

And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

      Matthew 13:22

Described as “sown among thorns” is the man who hears the Word of God yet his heart is wrapped up in the things of the world…worry, a pursuit of pleasure, and the deceitfulness of wealth (Luke 8:14). Any opportunity for this man to grow spiritually and truly thrive, spiritually and eternally, is choked out by the “thorns.” And what happens to the person whose focus in primarily on the things of the world, they become unfruitful. Simply put, you will not see spiritual fruit coming forth from a life dedicated to and sold out to pursuing material wealth. 

We would do well to take Jesus’ teaching, on money, to heart; believing it and applying it to our lives. The difference between spiritual life and death is at stake as we prioritize exactly what we revere, admire, pursue, and build our lifestyle around.