What does it mean that you cannot serve two masters in Matthew 6:24?

TL;DR:

Matthew 6:24 indicates that we cannot serve God and something else. Believers must beware of putting anything—including money—above God.

As part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:24 identifies money or earthly riches as a worldly temptation that can draw us away from God. Our lives have room for only one master: God. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the Lord warns us of putting anyone or anything above Him. The Bible teaches that nothing should become more important to us than God (Exodus 20:3; 1 John 5:21). The admonitions about money continue throughout the New Testament. On several occasions, Jesus cautioned against prioritizing money (Matthew 6:19–21; 19:16–22; Mark 10:21–22). We become slaves to whatever we chase after most in life (Romans 6:16), which includes attaining wealth. Instead of seeking after earthly treasures, we are to seek first God’s kingdom (Matthew 6:19–21, 31–34). When we do this, we show we are serving God and not money.

from the old testament

Exodus 20:3 expresses the primacy God must have in our lives: “You shall have no other gods before me.” Money can become an idol if we prioritize it. God must always come first.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 records wisdom to live by: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Solomon, a man who had all the worldly wealth and prestige anyone could imagine, concluded that following God was humankind’s chief end. Everything else was “vanity and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:13–15).
Through Isaiah 42:8, the Lord proclaims, “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.” God does not share His glory with anyone or anything. When we prioritize money before God, we are putting another god before Him. He is a “jealous God” (Exodus 34:14), for our good.

from the new testament

In Matthew 6:24, Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” Our hearts cannot be with God and at the same time consumed with amassing material wealth or earthly success. As Jesus pointed out, we end up giving loyalty to one and resenting the other. When anything is more important to us than God, we put ourselves at odds with God. If money is our master, then God is not.
Jesus’ rhetorical question in Mark 8:36 expresses what is on the line for those who put anything before Christ: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Jesus says this shortly after Peter tried to discourage Him from the suffering He had to endure. The Lord rebuked Peter, saying, “you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Mark 8:33). Many people do the same, thinking they can “gain the whole world” through wealth, but they risk losing their soul when they don’t prioritize Christ.
Mark 10:21–22 records Jesus’ response to a rich, young man who asked how he can inherit eternal life: “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” The young man had a choice between money and Jesus. The scripture shows that Jesus “loved him,” so He wanted to show him he had made money his god.
In 1 Timothy 6:10, Paul describes the tragic consequences for those who chose money as their master rather than Jesus: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” The word “craving” in that verse shows how alluring money can be. Believers must resist that by staying rooted in God’s Word and being content with what God provides for us.

implications for today

The cliche “money can’t buy happiness” provokes eye rolls from cynics. But like many well-worn adages, that one is true. Real happiness, fulfillment, and purpose do not come from wealth. Such fulfillment comes from doing what we were created to do: have a relationship with God. When we choose to serve any master—including money—other than God, we deprive ourselves of what we were created to be. If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, you are God’s child (John 1:12; Galatians 3:26; 1 John 3:1). And no amount of money causes us to be more or greater than we already are in God. Our allegiance must be to God, not to wealth. This is not to say we shouldn’t have jobs or relationships or manage our finances well. On the contrary, believers are called to take care of our family (1 Timothy 5:8), give generously (1 Corinthians 9:14; 2 Corinthians 9:6–8; Galatians 6:2, 6–10), and be good stewards of the resources the Lord has blessed us with (1 Peter 4:10). But what drives our behavior is pleasing the Lord, not wealth and personal gain. Our values are God’s, not the world’s (Colossians 3:1–17). The cost of loving money is too high; it pulls us away from God. Our lives have room for only one master: God.

understand

You cannot serve both God and money because your heart can only be fully devoted to one master.
Pursuing wealth or material success above God is idolatry and distances you from Him.
True fulfillment comes from seeking God’s kingdom, not from seeking after earthly riches.

reflect

How do you identify the things in your life that might be competing with God for your full devotion?
How have you experienced the tension of trying to balance faith and the pursuit of material success?
How can you seek God’s kingdom instead of earthly riches?

engage

How does the Bible's warning about serving two masters challenge the world’s view of money and success?
What does it look like practically to serve God above all else in today’s material-driven society?
How can we evaluate whether something has become a "master" in our lives, drawing us away from wholehearted devotion to God?