No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
What does Matthew 6:24 mean?
, 36-43 This parable represents the present and future state of the gospel church; Christ's care of it, the devil's enmity against it, the mixture there is in it of good and bad in this world, and the separation between them in the other world.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Matthew 6:24-26 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Matthew 6:24
Ye cannot serve God and mammon. No man can serve two masters ... - Christ proceeds to illustrate the necessity of laying up treasures in heaven from a well-known fact, that a servant cannot serve two masters at the same time. His affections and obedience would be divided, and he would fail altogether in his duty to one or the other. One he would love, the other he would hate. To the interests of the one he would adhere, the interests of the other he would neglect. This is a law of human nature. The supreme affections can be fixed on only one object. So, says Jesus, the servant of God cannot at the same time obey him.
Key words
- serve
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Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
- masters
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No man can serve two masters,.
- other
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Whose orders are directly contrary to one another: otherwise, if they were the same, or agreed, both might be served; but this is rarely the case, and seldom done.
Context in Matthew 6
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Matthew 6 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as birth and preparation. Matthew presents Jesus as Davidic Messiah, new Moses, teacher of the kingdom, suffering Son of Man, and risen Lord who commissions the nations. Read this chapter with the wider themes of fulfillment, kingdom of heaven, and discipleship in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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Who quoted Matthew 6:24?
Find out who used Matthew 6:24 in their speeches and writings. Which famous people quoted Matthew 6:24?
Quotes found on Wikiquote (match for «no man can serve two masters»):
English proverbs · English proverbs (alphabetically by proverb) · Kurt Schwitters · Matthew 6:24 · Service · Søren Kierkegaard · The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air · The Masters and the Path