Luke 16:13

No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other,
or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

In Lukes gospel, Jesus talks a lot about money and wealth. Over 40 times wealth and money are mentioned as points of challenge and opportunity for change and growth. Here Jesus is blunt. “You cannot serve God and wealth.” The word used for wealth is μαμωνᾶ (mammon) This was the name of the God of wealth. Money is personified as an idol that stands in opposition to the God of Jesus. Money is not an inanimate thing but has a life and personality of its own that competes with God and tugs away at a person and a society to distract it from serving the true God. Sometimes you will hear it said that the problem is “not money but the love of money.” This is a way of softening the message though. The systems that create wealth for a few by excluding the rest work on the basis of scarcity. The God of Jesus works out of generosity that ensures that all have more than enough… when we don’t serve the God of money.