Request your free, three-month trial to Tabletalk magazine. You’ll receive the print issue monthly and gain immediate digital access to decades of archives. This trial is risk-free. No credit card required.
Try Tabletalk NowAlready receive Tabletalk magazine every month?
Verify your email address to gain unlimited access.
Luke 16:14–15
“The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed [Jesus]. And he said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.’”
In stating that one cannot serve both God and money (Luke 16:13), Jesus once again impressed on His hearers that discipleship has a cost and is possible only if we show allegiance to Him above all else (see 14:25–33). As we have said many times before, our Lord did not issue a blanket condemnation of wealth or indicate that all rich people serve money and not God. Throughout the history of God’s people, there have always been wealthy individuals who are true believers. Abraham was a rich man, having so many animals that he had to separate from Lot to find enough food for them (Gen. 13). Proverbs 22:4 says that riches are sometimes—but not always—a reward for fearing the Lord. Several wealthy women supported Jesus’ earthly ministry, and the New Testament Epistles tell rich Christians how to serve God with their funds (Luke 8:1–3; 1 Tim. 6:17–19).
Evil does not inevitably attend wealth. Sin arises not when we possess riches but only when our riches possess us. Thus, Scripture frequently warns that certain dangers may accompany wealth or at least the overt, unconstrained desire for wealth. Paul tells us that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Tim. 6:10). To set our hearts on wealth is to turn away from God.
We see this in the Pharisees in today’s passage. To the average Jew in the first century, the Pharisees were holy men. This estimation was not entirely false, for at least some of the Pharisees sought to follow the Lord (see John 3:1–21). Yet in several cases, the Pharisees’ outward piety toward God masked their true and ultimate affection for wealth above all else. Luke 16:14 says that the Pharisees who heard Jesus tell the parable of the dishonest manager and call for godly generosity (Luke 16:1–13) were lovers of money and showed the evil in their hearts by ridiculing Jesus for His teaching on money.
Christ saw right through their facade, condemning them for their attempts at self-justification, for putting on an air of righteousness when their hearts were actually far from the Lord. They may have received the praise of men, but the praise of other people is worthless if it is based on false pretenses. In fact, it is an abomination to God when evil men accept the praise of men when it is grounded in falsehood (v. 15). We must take care that the piety and love for God that we show outwardly come from a heart that loves Him above all else.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Piety can be easy to fake and we can even fool ourselves, thinking that our acts of service to others or participation in worship means necessarily that we love God above all else. Thus, it is wise to regularly take an inventory of our hearts, seeking to put aside any idols and asking the Lord to strengthen our love for Him and to give us the willingness to submit to Him as the ultimate Master of our lives.
for further study
- Proverbs 30:7–9
- Luke 20:45–47
the bible in a year
- Psalms 90–92
- Romans 11:1–24
- Psalms 93–98
- Romans 11:25–12:21