The unrighteous mammon – attitude towards the wealth according to the New Testament

Abstract

The „mammon” means wealth, money, all the material riches and is always defined by Jesus negatively as „unrighteous”. So the expression „unrighteous mammon” seems to condemn and reject the wealth as totally contrary to God and to His kingdom. In reality this expression, as well as all the hyperbolical statements and sharp antitheses of the New Testament in this matter pay only attention to the danger of wealth, which can easily subdue the man, make him a slave, so that he isn’t able to use it wisely for his true good, to share it with the others and to set final hopes in God. For the material riches are gift of God, which one doesn’t need to fear, but should accept with gratitude, wisely increase, use for a worthy life in relation with the people and in unity with God, that is a supreme good of man and his ultimate fulfillment.

The right attitude towards the wealth is called poverty, the example of which we have in the life of Jesus and His disciples. Their radical renouncement of riches was dictated by the wandering way of apostolate and the imminent eschatological perspective, but it didn’t hinder them from using the material riches provided by the others. Paul himself lived in a great measure by the work of his own hands. Yet the material values weren’t a goal for them, but a mean in the life lived for God and proclaiming His supreme value. Today both the manner of evangelization and the remote eschatological perspective require a solid material base also for these which devote themselves to the kingdom of God. In the daily life they can’t run much away from the environment where they make apostolate, but with their way of life they have always to bear witness to the absolute priority of God and to the destination of man and world to His glory.