There are more than 2300 Bible passages that speak about money. Why? Money is a master Satan frequently tempts us to serve. And that evil foe knows how successful his efforts with money can be. Money provides us with a false comfort and a sense of security. It serves as a source of pride. It serves as a wonderful tool for a favorite pastime: justifying ourselves in our own eyes and the eyes of others. Jesus knows that serving money makes it impossible to serve God. The human heart is not big enough for both. As a result, Jesus does all he can to expose the futility of serving money. He also helps us see that the only one truly worth serving is our gracious, loving God. When we serve God, money is put in its proper place. Instead of money being a lord to serve, it becomes a resource for serving the Lord. This is the hard truth. There is no way for us to serve both God and money. But we can serve God with our money.
As Jesus teaches truth, he often challenges conventional wisdom. He reverses the normal and natural order of things. What he has to say may upset and even offend us. This should not surprise us, considering this Teacher’s life and work are the opposite of what one would expect. When the truth is unconventional, the first temptation is to deny it. The second temptation is to simply ignore it. But, Listen and take to heart what Jesus says! For his Word, though often unconventional, gives eternal life.