Matthew 6:24

24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

In the time of Jesus and his disciples the world they lived in had many slaves and the relationship between master and slave was commonly spoken of both in speech and literature. The apostle Paul also used it in Romans when he spoke of being a slave to sin or a servant of Christ.

If a person was a slave of one master he would not be able to serve another master or even desire to serve another or to divide his services. If he chose to do so he would be punished by his rightful master.

Jesus uses this illustration when comparing it to God and mammon.

What is mammon? It is a word that is derived from a Chaldean word which is defined as “What is trusted, treasure, riches.”

We have seen earlier in the chapter, verses 19 through 21 that our wealth or belongings can become an idol in our hearts, that would make it another god and a rival to the true God. By placing our trust in our wealth, riches, belongings, or even our family we are choosing them over our God, and choosing to serve them.

We cannot choose to divide our devotion between God and anything or anyone else.

We cannot serve both, we have to place our trust and faith in the one true God.