From Amos to Jesus: How Scripture and History Warn Against the Love of Money

The Bible often states the folly of trusting in wealth. Qoheleth is one example. Psalm 49 is another: “after his death the [wealthy person] will not take along anything.” Most explicit is 1 Tim 6:10, “The love of money is the root of all evils.”  Modern scandals teach the same. Bernard Madoff engineered the largest Ponzi scheme in history, defrauding thousands of an estimated $65 billion over 17 years and dying in prison in 2021. Reporter Bob Woodward observed of the Watergate scandal of 1976, “The key was the secret campaign cash.”

The first reading is from the prophet Amos who defended the strong egalitarian tradition in Israel; the people were brothers and sisters, the family of God. In the first reading, Amos talks about grain and wheat markets because Israel was so thoroughly agrarian, with an estimated 90% of the people working the soil or processing its products. Punishment will come on the greedy who cheated their Israelite brothers and sisters. God’s judgment: “Never will I forget a thing they have done!”

Jesus’s parable from Luke’s Gospel about using one’s wealth ethically may confuse some people. At first reading, it seems to endorse shady business practice. Stewards, i.e., business managers, enjoyed a good deal of discretion in their profession. They handled the accounts of their employer, their “‘master,” collecting rents, fees, and taxes; they were expected to deduct their fee from what they collected. What this steward did when his master was about to fire him was not necessarily illegal. He knew his future prosperity depended on currying favor with other potential employers. So he lowered or cancelled his own commission. The steward acted in his own interest in view of his changed future. He did not cling to his wealth, but used it to win the goodwill that would serve him well in his coming hour of need. Faced with a crisis, the worldly-wise manager took vigorous action. He acted with a kind of violence against his immediate interest for the sake of preserving his long-term future.

If the worldly manager took this action, Jesus says, how much more we “children of light” must be prepared to act. We can use wealth now for the sake of our future. We can be generous to the poor for it will accrue to our benefit.

Richard Clifford, S.J., has taught biblical studies for 55 years, most recently at the Clough School of Theology and Ministry, Boston College, and has written many scholarly and popular books and articles.