The Trouble with Money: How Pursuing Wealth Prevents Us from Loving Well
We all need money to live. The problem is: The pursuit of wealth is not only addictive, it stands in opposition to pursuing love.
Hi Beautiful Being!
In the afterglow of the lengthy and indulgent spa experiences we’d just enjoyed, I told Lisa: “Wow, I never saw myself being able to afford something like that.” Then I paused—wondering if the fact that we could purchase this luxury means we should—took a deep breath, and listened to the best part of me. He encouraged me to add: “You know, it reminds me how important it is for us to keep giving. Perhaps even more than we currently do.”
Isn’t money a massively complicated matter?
I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that two words of wisdom were already working on my heart and mind at that point. For weeks I’ve found myself marinating on Jesus’ warning in Matthew 6:24, and how incredibly relevant it us to us today. Then, during an excursion Lisa and I took from the cruise ship we went to the spa on, our tour guide said something from her lived experience of The Croatian War of Independence that pierced my soul.
If I had to sum up what my True Self, Jesus, and Elena are teaching me, I’d put it like this:
When our individual and collective focus, direction, and love, doesn’t begin and end with “life”—as in caring deeply for people, animals, plants, and the world—we end up going astray. Sometimes in horrible ways. And the way we most frequently travel the trail of death, instead of walking the path of life, is by—often without knowing it—putting wealth, money, and the like first.
With that in mind, let’s dig into what Jesus says in Matthew 6:24:
“No one can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
What the Christ is getting in the first part, is that us humans, whether consciously or unconsciously, follow the lead of some spirit. As much as we’d like to think we are totally independent individuals choosing and forging our own way through life—spoiler alert—we are not. To varying degrees, we focus our time and energy—and thus lives—on things like family, career, success, safety, helping others, community forming, fighting injustice, acquiring wealth, education, and so on. Each of these is a “spirit”, as in an attitude or way of life, which we center ourselves on.
Yet, you might find yourself wondering why Jesus uses such strong language. Especially, when one can easily be a family person who fights injustice, while forming healing communities—with no conflict between these beautiful endeavors. This is where the last part of the verse comes into play. While this translation renders the last word as “wealth”, and others have it as “money”, what Jesus literally said is “mammon”. This is key because he’s characterizing wealth, money, etc. as something with personality and power—a false god. And this isn’t the only time he does so.
Jesus frequently warns us—in varying ways—to be aware of how financial prosperity has a godlike way of winning our hearts and minds, and to flee from it! For instance, in Matthew 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-31, and Luke 18:18-30 a rich young ruler approaches the Christ to ask how he can “have the life of the Age” (scholar Dr. David Bentley Hart’s translation). In short, he’s asking: How can I experience the bliss and beauty of heaven on earth? After the ruler and Jesus chat a bit about what a good Jew the young man is, Jesus tells him there’s one thing he’s lacking: Freedom from the rule of mammon. That is what the Christ means by telling him to “sell your possessions and give to the poor”. Yet, instead of choosing the life of flourishing he asked Jesus about, the rich young ruler goes away sad. Why? Because “money” mattered to him more than people.
This is why Jesus’ warning won’t leave me alone. I see that pull within myself. Clear as day I am aware how I can either choose life and love, aka “God”, or wealth and money, aka “mammon”—because the latter is antithetical to the former. The pursuit of love and the pursuit of wealth are like oil and vinegar, they don’t mix. To whatever degree I make this moment, hour, task, day, week, etc. about accumulation, I am subtracting from my lovingkindness. It really is that simple. And, as a doctor of leadership and spiritual formation, I honestly think this issue is at the root of the polarization, division, violence, and general unkindness that riddles our society.
The capitalism and consumerism at the center of American culture, aka mammon, sucks the love right out of our hearts.
This brings me to what our tour guide, Elena, said that moves me so. She’s my age, so was in high school during the Croatian War of Independence (1991-95), and was trapped in Dubrovnik for two or three months while it was under siege. “The news said the war was because of religion and race,” she said to us as she gave us an insider’s understanding of what transpired. “It was not,” she continued. She went on to say how—not only during her time stuck in the city, but throughout her life in that region—Muslims, Christians, Bosnians, Croatians, etc. all got along just fine, because they saw one another as all members of one human family.
“What caused our war,” she concluded, “is what causes every war: Money.” Elena went on to tell us she has made it her life mission to help people serve not wealth and money, but life and love. She certainly inspired me! How about you?
Before you go, beloved reader: If you enjoyed this, please click the “like” button 🤍 and subscribe, as kindness is happiness. Also, your thoughts matter—so, we’d love to hear from you in the comments! And, if you know anyone this could bless or benefit, please consider sharing this offering with them. Finally: YOU are amazing, and I hope you have a beautiful day!
Hugs & Love,
Lang (aka “Dr. Love”)