OK .... So yesterdays sermon hit me where I live. Ram was the guest speaker and he spoke very convincingly about the conflict between God and Mammon(wealth). He also purposely I believe left several questions unanswered for his listeners to wrestle with on their own time. Like many of us present the part of the sermon that really resonated was the idea that Mammon or wealth is not in reality a neutral entity, that is in fact a force of it's own attempted to surplant God in the life of the believer. Wealth promises security, happiness, and joy etc. This really did hit me where I live, especially now that I am looking for work.
The part of this I struggle with is that Ram continually substituted money for wealth. I grew up in a similar family situation to what Ram described. In my family we did not talk about money with anyone from the outside. Money like most things in life was viewed as essentially just a thing, it only had the power you wished to give it. I think this is where I struggle with the sermon. I still believe that money is just another inert thing. I believe that it only possesses the power that you give it. The unfortunately most people are very willing to give it all the power it needs, and they do that through greed. I don't believe that Jesus was preaching agianst wealth per se. I think what he was preaching against was greed. I do believe that wealth can offer all of those things that Ram talked about, but I also think that it is our own greed that makes us see it that way.
If we look a little further on in the book of Matthew we see the parable of the talents. Where Jesus speaks of the Master who goes on a trip and leaves his three servants with five, three, and one talent respectively. The servants who received five and three talents both invested and traded with the money they were given while the third buried his in the ground in order to merely not lose it. Upon the return of the master the first to are rewarded as good and faithful servants for doubling the money, and the last one is punished for doing nothing with his. My understanding of this is that we have a responsibility to be prudent and wise with the money that enters our lives, that we are not to hoard it. I believe that this includes generous giving, but it also involves shrewd investment. There may be some that called upon to give their last 2 copper pieces, but there may also be some where are called upon to donate millions of dollars. To whom much is given, much is required.
Money is what you make it. You can use to create, or you can use it to destroy. The choice is ultimately up to you.
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Good comments. Brian, I agree with you that money, per se, is not the problem. But I also see tendencies in my own life, no doubt fostered by the consumerist/materialist society in which we live, to view money/stuff as the means to happiness.
I wrote on my blog about my iPod craving. Do I need an iPod? Of course not. But I can easily convince myself that an iPod would make my life more pleasant, more worthwhile, more fun.
The thing is, it probably would, at least on some level. And this is the lure and temptation of money/stuff. As Ram noted, our natural tendency is to focus on ourselves, while Jesus continually reminded his followers to focus on others and the Kingdom of God. So the real dilemma and the real battle takes place in our hearts as we weigh the use of our money. Do we satisfy our own desires (not always the wrong choice, by the way), or do we sublimate our desires in favor of the greater good, and for the sake of obedience?
I think it's okay to buy stuff for ourselves. We can go out on dates with our spouses. Etc. Etc. I just think it's far too easy for me to automatically choose the easy way, to focus on myself, and to use money to further my own ends rather the Kingdom of God. For me, then, Ram's sermon was a good corrective, a reminder of what is most important, and a not-so-gentle kick in the rear.
I think Ram wanted to separate the terms money and wealth from mammon. The word "mammon" comes from the name of a Syrian god of riches. Jesus was using mammon in an anthropromorphic sence (i.e., he gave it a personality). "Greed" may be a better but not exact way to translate it. My guess as to Jesus' intent in personalizing the word mammon is, "the power that greed holds over people." Paul says that, "the love of money is the root of all sorts of evil."
So, all this is to say, I think you and Ram are saying the same thing and both of you are splitting something a lot wider than a hair.
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