It is a man’s way to bribe and buy favor and success. Satan believes in the power of money absolutely. To Jesus himself the devil offered the submission of the world if he would only pay him allegiance.
Men of our time will not believe what Jesus says upon these subjects, and their prompt rejection of his doctrine is evidence enough that in rejecting from his plans the power of money to buy influence he did not plan like a man. For money, as money, Jesus felt only contempt. He taught that wealth held for its own sake, or used only in selfishness, shows its possessor to be a “fool;” that it both degrades and damns. In his view it can in one way only be even honorable to be rich—to use riches unselfishly and usefully. Even then it is dangerous.
In his day, as they do now, men of the world reviled his doctrine; “the Pharisees, who were covetous, derided him.”
For the teachings of Jesus concerning money and its right uses few, even of those who claim to be his disciples and friends, have perfect respect. He seems to them to be “visionary” in his views, and his words seem to be “unbusinesslike.” A man says to himself, “Jesus says money is dangerous to my soul; he tells me that I am only a steward holding money in trust, and that I must give it away to those who need. I cannot carry on business on his plan; I will risk my plan.”
Such a man does not believe what Jesus teaches; unless one should so far qualify the statement as to say—unless it be that gold has so blinded his eyes that he does not understand what the plain words of the Master really mean.
From his method Jesus excludes diplomacy, the art of playing one selfishness against another. “Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” His disciples must, indeed, be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves;” but they must live the truth. Deception is abhorrent to him. The Talleyrands understand and use diplomatic arts. The “Berlin Conference” is a modern instance; it illustrates a man’s method. Not necessarily a bad method, but a man’s.
Consider a phrase we see every day in the papers, “The balance of power in Europe.” See how the “great powers” and the small ones give themselves to all manner of intrigues, using wily state-craft to circumvent, deceive, coerce, hold their own, or rob their weaker neighbors, or by combination reduce the stronger ones.
Many well-founded complaints have been brought against “priest-craft,” which is state craft in church circles. Its crimes, by the ill-informed and the evil-disposed, have been laid at the door of Christianity. No charge can be more unjust; it is as unjust as to blame Jesus with the treachery of Judas.
Priest-craft is an invention of men; it has no more place in the plans of Jesus than state-craft; he considers neither, except as he may overrule them and force them against their nature into his service, so that the cunning as well as the “wrath of man shall praise him.”
What is called the “Church” is not synonymous with “kingdom of heaven.” Men of worldly temper may within church circles do their own work; they do not do Christ’s work by diplomatic arts.