Beyond the often discussed dichotomy between God and wealth set up in this passage, on closer reading there seems to be an even more radical message that Jesus wants to present. The text seems to imply that all material wealth is tainted with dishonesty. There is no such thing as clean money.
There have been a number of stories in the news lately about so-called blood diamonds. These are diamonds mined in a strife torn region, usually in Africa, and then sold. The proceeds of the sale go on to financially support violence inflicted on the innocent by insurgents, invaders, war lords, etc. Thanks to a movie and recent celebrity testimony at a war crimes tribunal, most socially conscious jewel merchants and members of the buying public are aware of the issue and can make more informed decisions about what they buy and sell. But even if you can be fairly sure that the jewels are not blood diamonds, what do you know about the wages and working conditions of the miners?
Every cent, no matter how freshly minted the actual coin, comes with a history. No matter how honest your own business practices, no dollar comes your way that has not been touched by dishonesty. The Gospel, at least in this instance, does not suggest that Christians should not use money. The point is to remember that money is a tool and an imperfect one at best.
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