Whether or not you claim Jesus to be God, to be the Son of God, to be divine, or just a person with an incredible following, there is one thing that you have to admit. There are some powerful concepts attributed to his teachings. Now it could be that his teachings are just the combined brainpower of several monasteries working feverishly over 300 years to create what we now call the “gospels,” but regardless, the passages in what is now known as the “New Testament” are indeed filled with powerful concepts that are both revolutionary and transformative by nature. Being a Christian myself, I choose to believe that these teachings are more or less what he taught to his followers during his brief three year ministry.
There are a few concepts that have stood the test of time and still resonate strongly today, even if you find yourself to be “not that religious.” This means they have tremendous spiritual import, and they also have the ability to serve as a foundational concept for how to act and behave in the world. The phrase “What Would Jesus Do” could very well have a practical consideration as well as a doctrinal consideration. Indeed, there have been many books written on the leadership principles found in the teachings of the Bible, and these books have largely been successful because many of these concepts are accurate and therefore robust in their ability to stand the test of practical application.
Perhaps one of the most important ones is the following:
“Matthew 6:24 – 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.”
This comes from what is known in the Christian world as the Sermon on the Mount. According to his followers, Jesus went up a small hill where he could address the crowd that was following him, and from that location he delivered what is called the Beatitudes, a sermon on how his disciples should behave. This was early in his ministry, in the northern part of Israel near the Sea of Galilee.
Clearly, the concept in this verse of Christian scripture is intended to signify that a person cannot have their heart and mind focused on worldly things and at the same time try to be a devout religious person. How can you give to the needy while at the same time hoarding every penny to satisfy your greed for material things? This is a powerful and thought provoking question and has been debated now for several thousand years. However, this was not a new concept when Jesus spoke this phrase. Jesus was well read, because he makes reference here to a variety of other concepts and brings them together in one concise phrase.
This theme of divided loyalty comes up frequently in many other teachings. Perhaps the most notable was the successor to Moses, Joshua, who concluded his writings with this rather famous quotation:
“Joshua 24:15 – And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.“
This reference by Jesus to this concept was no accident. There was an attempt here to propose the same sort of crossroads to his followers that Joshua had. You cannot play both sides of the fence here. You need to pick. Simple as that. Joshua was clear as to what his choice was, and so was Jesus.
Now, I do not mean here to use this as a moment to force you to choose between a life of devotion and a life of sin, albeit that may be a good thing to think about. What I mean to articulate here is that this concept, of forcing a decision between two masters, is artful and practical. Jesus clearly knew what he was doing in this regard, so it makes sense for us to consider the same concept in whatever we might be pursuing.
Do you find yourself torn between two things? Chances are that indecision, that self torture, that constant deliberation is costing you valuable time and energy. You think in your mind that you “can handle it,” that you can “juggle” and “multitask.” Reality is that you are lying to yourself, and these religious teachers of our past knew this all too well. It is impossible to serve at your best capacity while you have one foot in two different worlds. This is a lesson that I have learned the hard way. I would dare to say that it has been this issue, trying to serve two masters, that has caused me the most consternation and stress in my life.
You may think you are doing a great job serving both. You can lie to yourself all you want to, but here is the reality check. In most instances, your very best is probably not enough for the task at hand. We are always falling short of what is expected or needed to happen. We try and we push, and we stumble along the way. With enough concentrated effort we can eventually prevail. However, this is usually after consistent and dedicated effort. The idea that you can distract yourself by focusing on another primary effort is laughable.
Now, I know why most of us allow ourselves to be distracted by multiple masters. The reason is almost always financial. We are trying to make ends meet, to have enough money to pay for our wants and needs. This is usually what causes this dilemma, although there may be other reasons as well. You see, when the rich man came to Jesus and asked him what he might do, now that he has followed all the rules, the answer was quite simple. Sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and then you can come and follow me. That message was also clear, you cannot try to jump between masters, navigating all the treacherous waters while your sole focus is financial gain. If that is what you are doing, I have this friend I will introduce you to. His name is Luke Warm.
You are only ever going to be wildly successful when you make the decision to focus, and focus on one thing. By putting all your effort toward this end, you will find success awaits you, and probably more success than you could have dreamed of. Here is the thing, very few people do this. Most people try to navigate multiple paths because they are afraid of risk, fearful that they will fail. Do you want to be successful? Do you want to achieve the best outcome? To accomplish great feats that you are personally capable of achieving? Then follow the advice of Joshua and Jesus: choose whom you are going to serve.
I am running a few minutes late; my previous meeting is running over. – The Famous Words of Mr. Luke Warm
