Matthew 6:24
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Following His teaching on treasure and the heart, Jesus drives the point home with the principle that divided loyalty is impossible, setting up His teaching on freedom from anxiety that follows.
What Does Matthew 6:24 Mean?
Jesus declares plainly that no one can serve two masters at once -- you cannot give wholehearted devotion to both God and wealth. The word "mammon" refers to money or material riches treated as an object of trust and service. Jesus is not merely advising against greed; He is stating an impossibility. Divided ultimate loyalty simply does not work.
He explains why with stark clarity: a servant will inevitably love one master and hate the other, hold to one and despise the other. The issue is not whether we possess money but whether money possesses us -- whether it sits on the throne of our lives where God alone belongs. A master commands total allegiance, and two masters with competing claims cannot both be obeyed. When God and wealth pull in different directions, as they constantly do, we must choose. To make wealth our master is to dethrone God; to serve God is to refuse to let money rule. This teaching cuts to the heart of priorities. It does not condemn earning, owning, or using money wisely, but it exposes the impossibility of serving it as a rival lord to God. The choice is unavoidable and clarifying: we will serve one or the other. Jesus calls us to settle the question decisively, giving God the undivided devotion that He alone deserves.
In the Original Language
The Greek douleuo, "serve," means to serve as a slave, with total allegiance. "Mammon" transliterates an Aramaic word for wealth or riches, here personified as a rival master to God.
Cross References
“No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
- Luke 16:13
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
- 1 Timothy 6:10
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; ... but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
- Joshua 24:15
Application
Settle decisively who rules your life; refuse to let money take the throne that belongs to God alone, and give Him your undivided devotion.