The Gospel According to Marx—or Mammon?
You’ve been lied to about wealth, inequality, and what Jesus really meant about camels, needles, and the rich man’s soul.
There’s a cultural dogma parading as biblical theology in much of the modern Church: the notion that wealth is spiritually dangerous by default. That to be truly devoted, you must be poor. Or at least never dip your toe in the water of growing wealth. That the moment your net worth increases, your obedience to the Lord decreases.
And almost without fail, when you press someone on that belief, they point to the same story: the Rich Young Ruler.
“See?!” they say. “Jesus told him to sell everything. It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom.”
Mic drop.
But that reading is a modern distortion—fueled more by secular economic theory than by any deep and meaningful theological and historical study.
It’s not just shallow—it’s full on backwards.
When Riches Meant Righteousness
In first-century Jewish thought, wealth was generally seen by them as a sign of God’s favor. Righteous men like Abraham, David, and Job were extravagantly blessed by God directly—and nobody accused them of being sellouts. The assumption in Jesus’ day wasn’t that the rich were in spiritual danger. It was the opposite…that they were probably on the inside track with God.
That’s why the disciples’ reaction matters so much.
When Jesus says, “It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom,” the disciples don’t cheer. They panic.
“Then who can be saved?” they ask.
Read that again.
If the rich can’t be saved—those people we’ve always assumed are blessed by God—then what hope is there for anyone?
It’s a reaction built on centuries of theology. The wealthy were seen not as spiritual outsiders, but spiritual front-runners. And Jesus wasn’t affirming their assumptions—He was detonating them.
It Was Never About the Money
The Rich Young Ruler wasn’t condemned for having wealth. He was confronted for trusting it.
Jesus gave him a direct call to follow. A personal invitation to discipleship. But there was a catch: this man’s grip on his possessions was stronger than his hunger for the Kingdom.
He had other Gods.
Matthew 19:18-22 shows that he claims to have kept all the commands relating to other people, but not those relating to God.
So he walked.
Not because he was rich. But because he loved being rich more than he loved Jesus.
His God was money.
That’s what made Jesus’ next words so sharp. He wasn’t offering a universal mandate. He was diagnosing a spiritual disease—mammonic trust.
And then He adds something we rarely emphasize:
“With man, this is impossible. But with God, all things are possible.”
Meaning? It’s not just hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom—it’s impossible for anyone to do it apart from God’s intervention. We are saved only by the grace of God and nothing else. Each one of us is born into sin and there’s only one way out of the consequences. Grace. Christ.
We all need grace. Rich or poor. The question isn’t whether you’re wealthy.
The question is: Who’s your master?
Kingdom Wealth Is a Real Thing
Here’s what’s fascinating: Scripture is full of people who were made wealthy by God Himself. (In fact I believe all bestowments of resources are issued by the Father)
Not just incidentally. Not as a passive byproduct of hard work. But explicitly, supernaturally, intentionally.
Abraham. Isaac. Jacob. Joseph. Job. Boaz. David. Solomon. Etc. Each of them was entrusted with wealth during some part of their story, as part of their Kingdom assignment and God’s divine plan in the world.
And even if you don’t agree with me on the historically accurate view of the Rich Young Ruler, not once does Scripture suggest that post-conversion wealth building is forbidden for the believer. Not once does it suggest that someone who has already entered the Kingdom by God’s grace can’t build wealth. On the contrary—those who steward well are often given more (see Matthew 25). And Proverbs instructed us to leave an inheritance for our children’s children if we are good men. (Proverbs 13:22)
Jesus didn’t condemn money. He condemned mammon—the false god of money. The seductive spirit that says “this will protect you, this will define you, this will save you.” That’s why you can’t serve both God and mammon. Because only one of them offers eternal security.
The Real Problem with “Wealth Inequality”
This is often where things get really uncomfortable for modern ears.
Because the current cultural obsession with “wealth inequality” has very little to do with biblical justice—and everything to do with envy, idolatry, and Marxist concepts that are also being smuggled into the Church through modern culture.
Let’s be clear: God is not against inequality. He creates it. He gives “according to ability” (Matthew 25:15). He distributes spiritual gifts unequally. He blesses some with five talents, some with two, some with one. And yes—He allows material blessing to be uneven too. (reference back to some of the historical figures we’ve already discussed.)
Why? Because the point of blessing is stewardship, mission, and His redemptive narrative, not sameness.
What offends modern sensibilities isn’t really true injustice most of the time. It’s difference. The notion that some people are meant to build, scale, generate, multiply—and others are meant to receive, support, maintain, or co-labor in less visible ways—is deeply offensive in a culture drunk on it’s teardown of every distinction.
The pursuit of socialist frameworks or rather the communist “sameness for everyone” is a Marxist gospel—it demands equal outcomes, not righteous stewardship. It can actually hamstring the funding of good Kingdom work. But on the contrary the gospel that worships wealth is the mammon gospel—it preaches blessing without Lordship, gain without obedience. Both are false. Both are deadly.
But Scripture doesn’t flatten. It diversifies.
And nowhere in the biblical witness is “equality of outcome” this side of eternity presented as a goal. The consistent theme is righteous stewardship. What matters isn’t how much you have—it’s how open your hands are with it.
So Should Christians Pursue Wealth?
Probably, yes—but with great fear and trembling, and while recognizing the sovereign Lord may not have it in store for you.
Pursue it with holy intention.
If you’re blessed with it, hold it with open hands. With the joy of blessing others. With an eye on legacy and impact.
Not to impress. Not to escape. Not for security. Not to dominate. But to build.
Because in the Kingdom, wealth isn’t the reward. It’s the raw building material. It’s not the proof of righteousness. It’s the fuel for mission. It’s what you sacrifice, leverage, deploy, and multiply—for the glory of God and the good of Kingdom work across generations.
And whether you’re wealthy or not, your level of generosity should be sacrificial and often stretching, and sometimes outright painful - because radical generosity is what keeps us from the idolatry of money, no matter our income level.
So no, Christian man, you’re not more holy for being broke. And you’re not more spiritual for rejecting scale. You’re not suspicious for increasing your income, investing, building successful businesses, etc.
You’re only disqualified when money and stuff sit on the throne.
The early Church didn’t criticize the rich for being rich. They were grateful for the capacity they had to contribute to the Kingdom vision. They rebuked the greedy, the unjust, the hoarders. But they also honored those who funded the movement. Who owned houses large enough for church gatherings. Who led businesses that empowered others. Who used their abundance to accelerate the mission.
So maybe the question isn’t “Should I avoid getting rich?”
Maybe the real question is:
What would I do if I did?
Would I cling? Or would I commission?
Would I build barns? Or fund workers of the harvest?
Would I serve mammon? Or would I worship God?
Let that answer shape your ambition.
Because money makes a terrible master—but in the hands of a righteous man, it’s a weapon of holy disruption.
-Chris
