“WATCH out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” — Luke 12:15
Just as every rope begins with a single thread, so every thread of greed results to every moral failure in our society today.
Corruption does not begin with stolen billions. Murder does not begin with bloodbath. Betrayal does not begin with treachery. They all first begin in the heart—with a thread of greed.
The countless cases in our courts today – from VP’s intelligence fund; plunder charges due to duplication of infra projects in Taguig; the massive politician’s kickbacks; posting a spliced ‘out of context’ video to discredit a better lawyer, and more, has greed at its core.
Greed is the desire to possess what is not ours. It can be greed for wealth, power, influence, recognition, pleasure, control, or attention. Though its forms differ, its root is the same, and the act of greed constantly evolved in its notoriety and sophistication.
Scripture reveals this pattern of human greed from the beginning. Adam and Eve desired what God had forbidden (Genesis 3:6). Cain coveted the favor shown to Abel, and that greed ended in murder (Genesis 4:3–8). King Ahab coveted Naboth’s vineyard, and greed led to deceit and bloodshed (1 Kings 21). Judas exchanged Christ for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14–16). In every case, sin began long before the act itself—it began with an unchecked desire for greed.
Many of today’s irregularities in flood-control projects, and countless corruption scandals around the world—eventually raise the same question: Who stood to gain? History shows that greed is often the unseen force behind the abuse of power and public trust.
Greed is not just confined to politics. Corporate greed chases undue profit. Academic greed results to cheating for success. Families are torn apart by greed for inheritance, control, or self-interest. Even churches suffer when leaders seek not to serve but with a greed to be served.
When spiritual leaders shift towards greed for recognition than selfless devotion, then the cause of Christ suffers.
The Bible exposes the real problem. “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). Money itself is not evil; the love of it is. All sinful actions first take root in sinful desires.
The Bible describes this progression with sobering clarity: “Desire… gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:14–15). Every scandal, every corruption, every betrayal begins from a thread of greed that was never resisted.
Jesus warned, “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24). When greed is entertained, so begins one’s ruin.
The battle against greed is not fought alone in legislatures, courtrooms, or government offices. It is fought in the human heart. Every dishonest act was once a hidden desire. Every public scandal was once a private compromise. In all these, the thread of greed lurks to dominate.
Jesus leaves us with the question that every person and every generation must answer: “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
Indeed, what good is greed if it only hastens the destruction of your soul.
May we temper our greed for riches that perish, and seek the eternal treasure found only in Christ./PN
