Two Lords/Gods

When we lived in Ooty, India, one of our Hindu friends, Shashi, invited us to his house for dinner. When we reached a particular location, we parked our car and started following him on foot. He took us through some carrot fields and then to a catholic church and said, “I worship here for my family’s health.” Then, he took us to a Hindu temple and said, “I worship here for my children’s education.” We eventually got to his home, and he asked, “You see, I worship various gods for different needs. How can you worship one God for everything you need?” With that question, I saw a new side to how polytheists (people with many gods) think.

The ancients were often polytheists. As such, the Israelites were often tempted to worship more than YHWH God. Even after they returned from their Exile (punishments for idol worship and not giving rest to the land), they continued worship or paying homage to other gods, as evidenced by the head of Medusa at the synagogue in Chorazin.

To such an audience, Jesus said,

“No servant can serve two lords (kurios) because s/he will hate one and love the other or cling to one and despise the other” (Luke 16:13a)

Although my neighbor, Shashi, believed that he loved both gods, he wasn’t loyal to either because he worshipped one or the other based on his needs, not their glory. Gods were like tools in his toolbox. When he needed to tighten a Philips head screw, he took a Philips head screwdriver; when he needed to loosen a bolt, he took a wrench. Shashi isn’t alone; the Israelites Jesus addressed were like him (and sometimes, we, too, are like him—seeking God’s help when we need it and ignoring him the rest of the time).

Having shown the impossibility of serving two lords, Jesus concluded,

“You cannot serve God and Mammon” (16:13b).

Mammon (Μαμωνάς) was a Syrian deity responsible for riches. Jesus wanted his disciples to know they couldn’t serve YHWH God and Mammon. If they tried to do so, their loyalty would be divided—they’d love one of them and hate the other, cling to one and despise the other. As such, they should choose who they would serve.

Joshua said to the Exodus generation,

“If serving YHWH is undesirable to you, then choose who you would serve—the gods of the Euphrates, Amorites, or Canaan. But as for me and my family, we will serve YHWH” (Josh 24:15).

Similarly, Jesus told the first-century Israelites: “You can’t serve God and Mammon,” so choose who you would serve. The same call awaits everyone: one can’t honestly serve two gods; one must choose.

**

Assuming Mammon represented wealth, translations say, “You cannot serve both God and money” (e.g., NIV). The principle is correct—we can’t be loyal to any two things: God and another deity or God and wealth. Sadly, this principle could be taken to illogical conclusions, such as one can’t be faithful to God’s work and one’s family; as such, families should come second. This has caused great harm to pastors’ and missionaries’ children. So, I prefer to stay with gods and not extend to “god-like” things.