Christ or Mammon?

Christ or Mammon?  Your choice.

January 6, 2022

There have always existed divisions among people—be they racial, religious, economic, etc.—that have driven wedges between individuals, cultures, and entire nations.  Such divisions have often led to incessant warfare that has claimed billions of lives throughout the centuries as statesmen weave eloquent rhetoric into battle cries echoed by armies on both sides believing their cause greater than their brethren on the opposite side of the fence.  And although some wars may indeed be justifiable in so far as liberating the oppressed from the clutches of megalomaniacs drunk with power and delusions of world domination, the fact remains that human beings have always been subjected to taking sides, be it in sports, at work, among family, politics (which may very well be at the apex), and just about every situation that lends itself to subjectivity and prejudices.

Taking sides is normal, a trait freely exercised and governed by our own proclivities and upbringing.  Taking sides, however, often results in unfavorable, disruptive, and outright violent actions.  In today’s world in which divisiveness has crept into every corner of society like nuclear fallout, mankind is faced with the greatest decision on which side of the line to stand, a decision that can destroy not only body and mind, but most importantly, the soul.  This choice is defined as choosing between God and Satan, good and evil, which by today’s standards has been redefined and muddled as the line of demarcation has been blurred so much that they have merged to create one Herculean false paradigm in which good has become evil and vice versa.  The state of confusion has never been greater.  Sadly, it is going to get much worse, these are but the beginning of birth pains (Matthew 24:8).

This particular decision facing mankind merits even greater attention than threats of nuclear war, one that has plagued mankind for centuries, a dilemma so great because of our attachment to carnal desires rather than spiritual and is easily overlooked until we lay on our deathbed, reminiscing about our lives and decisions that should have been altogether avoided or exercised with greater caution, what we could have done better, changed, and missed opportunities.  It is then that many approach their final minutes in Constantinian fashion after having led a life of debauchery and only after all the lights have been dimmed and the music stops, when old age has set in and the party is over that we reflect on our lives, often with regret, at what could have been instead of what should have been.  I am not here to cast judgment for such is the task of the Lord and Him alone, but there exists a great degree of hypocrisy embedded in these last rites, deathbed scenarios.

The decision that should be made while body, mind, and spirit are still sharp and fruitful is that of accepting Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior (I choose “should” because I, too, lived in the world a majority of my life, indulging myself in endless parties until I finally opened the door and let the Lord into my heart in 2012).  Again, the time and moment in which a person comes to Christ is not etched in stone, nor will I make farcical claims and pass them off as theological doctrine, no one knows how God works or why He allows human iniquity to run its course, why a tornado devours one house and leaves the other unscathed (Isaiah 55:89; Philippians 4:4-7).

Throughout history, mankind has been faced with very difficult decisions from personal to family and even at global levels; there is not one single decision that has not had some type of affect, be it positive or negative, mild or severe, as we learn to “suck it up” and live with the outcome.  But the one decision that must not be overlooked is that of choosing Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit into your life.  Unfortunately, this choice has been watered down into subdivisions saturated with compromise that promises the best of both worlds.  And that, my friends, is where the calculated misrepresentation is accepted as Gospel and often becomes a way of life, adding sustenance to the adage, “You can have your cake and it eat it, too.”

Not so with Christ, either you walk with Him, or you don’t, simple as that.  There is no “in between,” no grey areas with the Lord, your response is either a “Yes” or “No,” there exists no “Maybe” (Matthew 5:37).

Walking with the Lord has infinite advantages.  Unfortunately, many are dissuaded from this path as these perks are not truly manifested in the here and now; most, if not all, are reserved for the Kingdom of Heaven.  Some enjoy the fruits of their labor while still present here and now.  Paradoxically, others who also dedicate their lives to the Lord can be subjected to live a life of abject misery.  “Why?” you may ask. “Where is the justice?”  That, my dear friends, is up to the Lord, not men nor anyone else; remember, God’s ways are not ours (Isaiah 55:8-9); He has His reasons, and sometimes they may not be revealed until years later, some may never be realized at all (this is where faith intervenes).  But rest assured that all who remain loyal to the Lord will have their reward.

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

The current global decay in which the accumulation of wealth is the bar by which success is measured may very well be everyone’s, if not a good portion of society’s, proverbial Achilles Heel.  We spend a good part of our lives indulging the egocentric “I,” often trampling over others like wildebeests to ensure personal gain rather than take care of the needy (Exodus 22:21-24; Psalm 68:5; 1 Timothy 5:1-6; James 1:27).  We take nothing with us when we return to the earth, so why the infatuation with amassing great wealth? (Ecclesiastes 6:2).  The choice, the decision, therefore, lies in whether we will walk with Christ or with Satan?  Sorry folks, you can only check one box in this multiple choice, no Options C or D.

In Aramaic, the word for accumulation of “wealth,” “riches” and other such worldly material gains is māmōnā, (מָמוֹנָא).  In Hebrew, it is mihamon (מיחמון), a combination of mi, which means “from,” and hāmōn, meaning “accumulation”; they combine to depict wealth, money, affluence.  And given Christ Jesus’s background, both denotations and connotations are quite plausible.  In Greek, which was the dominant language in the Mediterranean during the time of Christ and His disciples as it reached a wider audience, the word is mamonas (μαμωνᾶς).

From these interpretations we get a metaphysical allusion made incarnate in Mammon, which represents a metaphorical avatar representing a demon or god of wealth, riches, and material gain better known as “materialism” in the Western world.  And given the definition of idolatry that is often limited to paying homage to porcelain statues and shrines, it stands to reason that [the demon] Mammon has successfully duped billions into accepting the false belief that the “here and now” is all there is to life, nothing could be farther from the truth.  Materialism is short-lived, Christ is eternal.  Simply put, we have a choice to make: Walk with Christ or walk with Mammon.

“I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.”

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.  So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?  And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?”

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”  (Luke 16:9-13 NIV)

We have a decision to make, a choice between eternal salvation and eternal damnation.

The Synoptic Gospels equate Mammon with unrighteousness, transgressions toward Christ, epitomizing something antithetical to His teachings from the Sermon on the Mount in which he warns against stockpiling earthly riches: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.  Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.  Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:19-23 NLT).  The central theme references and warns against the amassing of earthly goods and idolization of such temporal gains and material riches while discarding the true treasures that await in Heaven.

It is impossible to serve two masters; both parties have juxtaposing perspectives, and despite a verbal commitment to both, as humans we have the tendency to lean toward and eventually favoring one side.  Eventually, the pendulum will swing in favor of one candidate. However, when it comes to Christ, the verdict should very clear, either Him or Hades.  He is, or should be, the eternal voice of reason if one is to lead a fecund, prosperous life worthy in the eyes of God.  We have been bestowed with free will, the choice is ours: Christ or Mammon?