The love of money is the root of all evil

“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

Love is defined as “an intense feeling of deep affection; a great interest and pleasure in something.” What are some things that we are supposed to love? Jesus teaches us that the to greatest commandments are to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself.

What causes someone to rob a bank or steal from someone? Their covetness and love for other people’s money causes them to take what is not theirs. Instead of loving their neighbor, they love money more, and it causes them to do something that is wrong and evil. There are stories all the time about people who try to scheme others out of their money. It is the love of money instead of love for your neighbor that causes someone to steal from and defraud someone else. That is evil.

In James, he warns the rich. In this verse, he warns those who kept back wages from their workers after they had labored and earned it. 

“Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.” James 5:4

Instead of paying those who work for him, these rich men instead defraud their workers, so that they can keep more money for themselves. Fraud is defined as “an intentionally deceptive action designed to provide the perpetrator with an unlawful gain or to deny a right to a victim.” These rich men value the dollar more than loving their neighbor. 

Remember the rich man in Luke 16 who was living sumptuously everyday, and the beggar Lazarus who was laid at the rich man’s gate? This rich man loved his money and possessions more than helping out a poor beggar. He had the opportunity and ability to help Lazarus but he did nothing. The bible teaches that when we see someone have a need, we are supposed to help them.

“But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” 1 John 3:17

Before he betrayed the Lord, we learn that Judas didn’t care about helping others. In John 12, when the woman washed Jesus’ feet, Judas was upset that the ointment was put onto Jesus’ head, instead of selling it and giving it to the poor. He said this, pretending like genuinely cared for the poor, but he was really a thief who just wanted the money for himself.

John 12:1-6, “Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.”

Judas is the perfect example of loving money more than loving a neighbor. But then he did something even more evil. Instead of putting love for the Lord first, he sold Him out for money.

“Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.” Matthew 26:14-16

Look what the love of money caused Judas to do. His love for money was so great that He betrayed our Lord. Instead of putting his love in Christ, he put his love in thirty pieces of silver. Thirty pieces of silver was all that Jesus was worth to Judas. From what I’ve read, most think that the thirty pieces were thirty shekels of silver. Do you know what else was worth thirty shekels of silver? When an ox pushed a manservant or a maidservant in the Old Testament, the owner of that ox was commanded to pay thirty shekels of silver.(Exodus 21:32).  Do you see how little Judas loved our Lord and how much love he had toward money? He didn’t even view Christ worth more than a servant or a slave. 

Our love and affection should be on things above, not on the things of the earth. Make sure that money doesn’t have a hold on you so that you put it’s value over the Lord or others. Our love shouldn’t be on money, but on Jesus and others.

In Christ,

Andrew