Does your peace have a price tag? If so, congrats—you’re human.
All of us have needs, and those needs usually cost something. So when an unexpected bill arrives, feeling anxious is a pretty normal response. Money has a way of revealing what we trust. It can make us feel like we’re winning at life, or one charge away from disaster. That’s probably why Jesus spoke about it so directly:
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you’ll be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24 NIV
If you’ve ever wondered whether Jesus was anti-money itself, this article is for you. We’ll look at what “you cannot serve two masters” means, how Jesus illustrated it through His parables, and how to recognize when money is gaining too much authority in your life.
Jesus isn’t saying Christians can’t earn, save, or own things. He’s warning us that money makes a terrible master. We can use money while following God, but we can’t give both of them control.
What Does ‘You Cannot Serve Two Masters’ Mean?
“You cannot serve two masters” is Jesus’ way of saying you can’t split your loyalty between two bosses who want totally different things.
Is life the pursuit of our daily needs, wants, and desires? Or is it God’s others-focused way of life? Every Christian has to answer these questions, because God’s way of life often conflicts with what seems financially safest or most profitable.
What’s the Context of Matthew 6:24?
Matthew 6:24 is part of Jesus’ most famous teaching, the Sermon on the Mount. Just before it, Jesus says earthly treasures won’t last and that our hearts follow what we value (Matthew 6:21). Right after it, He tells His followers that God knows what they need.
So Jesus is making a practical connection between our wants, fears, and our spending habits. He’s basically saying that our bank account can tell us a lot about what we really value and who we truly serve. But to be 100% clear, Jesus isn’t shaming anyone for financial stress.
How Did Jesus Show the Difference Between Serving God and Money?
Jesus didn’t leave this idea as an abstract warning. In several of His parables, He showed what happens when money begins making our decisions for us. It can convince us to build our lives around having more, to ignore people who need our help, or to participate in systems that hurt others.
The Parable of the Rich Fool: Money Promises Security
Jesus tells a story about a man who has the best harvest of his life. He tears down his barns, builds bigger ones, and stores everything for the future. Then he congratulates himself because he finally has enough to relax.
That night, he dies.
Jesus calls him a fool because, with more than enough, all he could think to do was hoard it. He thought his bank account had bought him a future, but it couldn’t even buy him tomorrow.
The rich fool served money by treating everything he had as something to protect. Serving God would have opened his eyes to what he could share.
Explore the parable of the rich fool in this Finds.Life explainer.
The Rich Man and Lazarus: Money Can Hide Other People’s Needs
Jesus tells another parable about a rich man who lives in luxury while a poor man named Lazarus suffers outside his gate. The rich man apparently passes Lazarus often enough to know his name, yet never uses what he has to help him.
After both men die, their situations are reversed. Lazarus is comforted, while the rich man finally understands how badly he has lived.
The rich man’s wealth didn’t turn him into a villain. It just made him comfortable enough to ignore someone suffering right outside his front door.
Serving money asks, “How much can I keep?” Serving God asks, “Who could this actually help?”
Explore the story of the rich man and Lazarus in this Finds.Life explainer.
The Parable of the Ten Minas: What if Profit Requires Exploitation?
Jesus told another parable of three people given wealth by an oppressive ruler who wanted them to turn a profit in an impossibly short time. Two succeed, almost certainly through dishonest means.
Sometimes serving God means refusing profit, promotion, or approval.
The third servant refuses. He protects the money but won’t increase it through dishonest means. The ruler calls him “wicked” and punishes him. The third servant shows what it costs to say no to a system built on greed. He loses his boss’s approval because he puts people over profit margins.
Serving God might mean using money well. It might also mean walking away from profit if it comes at someone else’s expense.
Explore the parable of the ten minas in this Finds.Life explainer.
How Can I Tell if Money Is Becoming My Master?
Money starts taking over when it becomes the scoreboard for our security, identity, or worth.
Here are a few signs to tell if money might be becoming your master:
- You get instantly suspicious, defensive, or even angry when someone invites you to be generous.
- You’re willing to compromise your integrity for financial gain.
- You don’t really enjoy what you do have because you’re comparing it with what someone else has.
- You assume people with more money are more successful or valuable.
- Your mood rises and falls with your account balance.
If you really want to know who’s in charge, just check your bank statement. What are you actually spending on? What are you saving for? How much is about you and how much is about someone else?
Does Serving God Mean Christians Can’t Have Money?
Christians can save money, own homes, build businesses, prepare for retirement, and enjoy good things. The Bible includes examples of people who possessed wealth and used it faithfully.
Lydia was a successful merchant who opened her home to support the early church (Acts 16:14-15). Joseph of Arimathea was wealthy and provided his own tomb for Jesus’ burial (Matthew 27:57-60). Joseph the son of Jacob stored grain during years of abundance so Egypt would survive a famine. Jesus Himself lived off of the generosity of faithful, wealthy women (Luke 8:1-3).
So Jesus isn’t saying money is bad. He’s saying that some of the worst human qualities like greed, comparison, pride, and excessive comfort, all come to a head in our bank accounts.
How Do I Serve God With My Money?
Now you could be expecting me to say you serve God with money by giving to your church. And, yes, that can be a great way to use your money. But Jesus once met a man with a ton of wealth who regularly gave to the poor, and Jesus said that wasn’t enough. He had to give everything away if he wanted to follow Jesus.
Jesus doesn’t call everyone to give everything away, but He gives every follower the same question: Will you trust Me with what you have?
Serving God with money starts by seeing it as something on loan, not something we own. That changes how we earn it, spend it, save it, and give it away.
You could begin by choosing one practical response:
- Build generosity into your budget instead of waiting to see what remains.
- Pray before a major purchase and give yourself time to decide.
- Set a limit on lifestyle upgrades as your income grows.
- Refuse work that requires dishonesty or harms other people.
- Use part of what you have to meet a need without getting the credit.
You don’t have to fix your whole relationship with money overnight. Just pick one next step that puts money back where it belongs.
If you’ve realized that money has been controlling you, tell God honestly. You could pray:
God, I’ve been looking to money for security, identity, and peace. Help me trust You with what I have and what I need. Show me one way I can use my money to love You and care for someone else. Amen.
Can You Serve God and Money at the Same Time?
According to Jesus, no. It’s relatively easy to say we follow Jesus because we believe in His death and resurrection. But does our spending back up our beliefs? If not, Jesus wants to warn us that we might be fooling ourselves.
Sooner or later, the two masters want different things—but only one can win. Money says, “Hold on tighter.” Jesus says, “Let go.” Money says your value comes from what you achieve. Jesus says you’re already loved as you are, right now. Money promises that one more purchase will finally make you whole. Jesus offers a way of life you can’t buy.