§ 6. The Sermon on the Mount (According to Matthew)

It's a fundamental principle that God requires pure and complete devotion. The basic teaching is that money has to take a lower priority in our lives than God. The language Jesus uses here emphasizes the contrast between two and one: "No one can two lords serve." The contrast points at our own loyalty, which cannot be divided.

Exodus 20:3

"You shall have no other gods before me."

Deuteronomy 6:5

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

Joshua 24:14–15

"Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."

What may seem to be a new concept in Jesus's teaching is how money can separate us from God. The disciples at that time, as people generally do, thought wealth was a sign of God's favor and poverity was a punishment (Matthew 19:24-25; John 9:2). No wonder Paul classifies the love of money as idolatry!

Colossians 3:5

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

In truth, money is just a tool, and there are no guarantees associated with it:

Ecclesiastes 10:19

Bread is made for laughter,
and wine gladdens life,
and money answers everything.

Ecclesiastes 9:11

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all.

Nevertheless, we must heed Paul's warning:

1 Timothy 6:9–10

Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

The service being rendered here (δουλεύω) is that of a bondservant, a voluntary or willing kind of service. Compare Ephesians 6:7, "…rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man…." This means we are not slaves—it is up to us to decide whom we will serve.

Romans 6:16

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

The word "money" in this translation is literally "mammon," which we are told is from the Aramaic for "riches, wealth." The use of Hebrew and Aramaic words in the New Testament highlights both the Judean origin of the first-century Scriptures specifically and our dependence on ancient Israel to teach the nations in general.

Zechariah 8:23

Thus says the LORD of hosts: "In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"

Jesus uses the terms "hate" and "love" to show the contrast between the importance of each master, not necessarily to indicate any hostility or outright animosity. The same idea characterizes His teaching in Luke 14:26, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." In the same way that family must be less important than God, money must be less important than God.

This part of the verse focuses on which lord's will is actually being done. Obeying God means establishing His boundaries in our own lives and in the local church. The work of God takes endurance, and it must be made a priority if we are to succeed in the spirit.

The word for "devotion" here (ἀντέχω) indicates holding out against or withstanding hostilities. The meaning for us is staunch faithfulness to the commandments of God. This kind of service is unwavering, even defensive in resisting the devil and evil influences that would deter the faithful.

Titus 1:9

[An elder] must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

Nehemiah 4:16

From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail.

Isaiah 56:1–2

Thus says the LORD:
"Keep justice, and do righteousness,
for soon my salvation will come,
and my righteousness be revealed.
Blessed is the man who does this,
and the son of man who holds it fast,
who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil."

On the other hand, the word here for "despise" (καταφρονέω) indicates looking down on someone. Even if we have good intentions for the money, prioritizing money amounts to disrespecting God. Other places in the New Testament that use this word help point out the severity of this sin:

Romans 2:3–4

Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

2 Peter 2:9–11

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord.

This verse in Luke is almost identical to Matthew 6:24 except that Luke specifically mentions a servant.

The Old Testament uses the fact that a servant specifically belongs to one master to illustrate how Israel was freed from slavery to Egypt to come into the service of God:

Leviticus 25:55

It is to me that the people of Israel are servants. They are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

The Old Testament also encompasses Matthew's idea of the bondservant, offering a willing service, prefering his own master:

Deuteronomy 15:12, 16–17

If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you….
But if he says to you, 'I will not go out from you,' because he loves you and your household, since he is well-off with you, then you shall take an awl, and put it through his ear into the door, and he shall be your slave forever.

However, the word in Luke 16:13 for "servant" (οἰκέτης) literally means "a household slave," a servant who lives in the same house with the master. The effect of Luke employing this term is to illustrate clearly how out of place it would be for one family's household servant to be working for another family in another house at the same time!

The illustration of the household servant has ancient roots in Scripture. Moses calls the patriarchs God's household servants in Exodus 32:13 when he implores the LORD, "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self…, 'All this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.'" In Moses's words there is a reminder of God's graciousness dealing with these servants as sons, which also serves to foretell His graciousness to us in Christ:

Proverbs 17:2

A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully
and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.

Proverbs 29:21

Whoever pampers his servant from childhood
will in the end find him his heir.

Romans 8:15–17

You did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Finally, it's important to note that putting God first, above family, money, and self, does have its reward in the end:

Matthew 24:45–47

"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions."