According to Wikipedia, “Mammon in the New Testament of the Bible is commonly thought to mean money, material wealth, or any entity that promises wealth; and is associated with the greedy pursuit of gain. The Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke both quote Jesus using the word in a phrase often rendered in English as ‘You cannot serve both God and mammon.’
Further, “Mammon in Hebrew means ‘money’. The word was adopted to modern Hebrew to mean wealth.”
Why the name Mammon?
The short etymology of the word mammon as described above shows how bad really is the connotation of the word. So why the category Affairs With The Mammon? Simply because for me, as of this writing, scholars and experts are still not united about so many things. They are still studying ancient written documents to understand more about the true meaning of a particular word; as understood in its context at the time. And that includes the word mammon. This word predates Christianity, and most experts agree that pejorative reference of the word did not come until the advent of Christianity. The texts refer the word simply as wealth, riches, profits, money, etc. Which, to me, is not bad at all. And more, I believe it is too simplistic and naive to say that Jesus was against anything related to those material things.
God helps those who help themselves
Just like anything else in life, Jesus was concerned more about how we acquire and use material things in life. In fact, modern Christian theology teaches us that God is concerned with both our body and soul. And that salvation begins in the here and now. God is saddened by those whose riches are fruit of greed and corruption. And he very much hears the cries of the poor. But God does not want to continue hearing the cries of the poor. He wants to see the poor doing something to better their lives. And, as it is said, God helps those who help themselves.
The need to revisit the understanding of Christian faith
I help people with their financial plans for years now. And I am surprised to learn that among the many reasons why they are reluctant to embark on properly planning for their financial situation is their faith. At least according to them. It is the belief that God is always there to take care of them. While I do not want to judge them on that, I gently say to them, Your personal faith teaches you how to prepare your soul for heaven. But your healthy understanding and responsible relationship with earthly wealth and money can make sure that you do not have to live a destitute life.
The stories in Affairs With The Mammon are all about finances in life. Mammon – like it or not – has been and is very much a part of our life in society. “You cannot serve both God and mammon.” Which is very true. We make sure we learn how to make mammon serve us, so we can faithfully serve God.
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