Matthew 6:24

Thursday, 16 January 2025

 

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24

 

“None, he is able, to serve two lords. Or – for he will detest the one and he will love the other. Or – he will enclasp one, and the other he will disesteem. Not you are able to serve God and mammon” (CG).

 

In the previous verse, Jesus noted that when your eye is bad, your whole body will be filled with darkness. He further exclaimed how great that darkness will be. Continuing on, He next says, “None, he is able, to serve two lords.”

 

The word is douleuó. It signifies bondage or slavery. It refers to the service of such a person. To think that one slave could have two masters whom he served is out of the question. This is both from a standpoint of practicality as well as fealty. In such a case, Jesus next says, “Or – for he will detest the one and he will love the other.”

 

His words again explain the matter of storing up treasures, whether on earth or in heaven. A slave will adhere to one master and reject the other. But if they are both his master, it would cause a real conflict for him, one that would come with insurmountable problems.

 

Such is the case with storing up wealth. If one is trying to store up treasures both on earth and in heaven, he will place his affections on one over the other. It is the inevitable result of divided allegiances. To reconfirm what He just said, Jesus next restates the matter, this time placing the positive first, followed by the negative, saying, “Or – he will enclasp one, and the other he will disesteem.”

 

The first word, antechó, translated as enclasp, means to cling to, hold firmly, or hold against. One can see someone embracing his favored master. The second word kataphroneó, translated as disesteem gives the sense of despising or scorning. He will look down on the unfavored master and even actively insult him. It is the word the author of Hebrews uses when describing Jesus’ attitude towards the trial He faced in His passion –

 

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising [kataphroneó] the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1, 2

 

Jesus embraced doing His Father’s will, despising the shame that He had to face in order to do as the Father sent Him to do. Jesus says that not having this attitude is what it is like when one tries to serve two masters. To fully confirm this as a precept He next says, “Not you are able to serve God and mammon.”

 

HELPS Word Studies defines mammon as a Semitic term for “the treasure a person trusts in.” Thayer’s Lexicon associates it with the Hebrew word aman, to trust. When one places his trust in wealth, that is where his allegiance will be. As such, when serving mammon, a person will not trust God. Likewise, when one trusts the eternal God, the riches of this life will be understood for what they truly are, meaning temporary and fleeting.

 

Life application: As has been noted before, there is nothing wrong with having wealth. In fact, when one possesses wealth, it should be considered a blessing from God. However, the opposite is not to be considered true. When someone is not wealthy, it does not mean that God doesn’t favor them.

 

That attitude is a trap that too many fall into. Just because someone receives a blessing, such as finding a large gold nugget on the side of the road, it doesn’t mean God loves him more than the person walking with him who found nothing. It was simply a blessing that God laid out in His creation and the person to the right happened to be there to find it.

 

Suppose two people started roofing businesses. They both start on a similar level with the same existing conditions. However, when one of them gets his first job, the home owner happens to be a very influential person. The roofer does a good job and the house owner uses his influence to recommend this new roofer to many people. He becomes successful and wealthy.

 

On the other hand, the second roofer gets his first job with a plumber. He does a job just as well as the first roofer, but the plumber doesn’t have any real influence. Likewise, all the others who hire him over the years are just regular Joe’s. He never gets the big contracts or recognition of the other roofer even though he has faithfully done comparable work.

 

The first roofer received a blessing in life that changed the course of his company. Was it really his business prowess or just a grace that came upon him apart from himself? The answer is obvious. Who will each give their credit to for what they have? Seeing how people respond to the incidents in life that happen to them will show where their true loyalties lie.

 

In the end, no matter how little or much we are blessed in this life, we should give honor, thanks, credit, and glory to God for what we do have. This is how we will earn our rewards in heaven. Faith is the key. When we demonstrate faith, God will be pleased to reward us accordingly.

 

Lord God Almighty, our days are numbered and You have seen them all before the first came to pass. But we are living in the stream of time, unknowing of what lies ahead. Help us to have faith in You during this walk, understanding that You are always there with us, carrying us along until the day we stand before You for our rewards because of trust in what Jesus has done. Amen.