Gospel in Art: You cannot serve God and money

The Veteran in a New Field, by Winslow Homer (1836-1910), 1865, Oil on canvas © Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 21 September 2025
Luke 16:10-13

At that time: Jesus said to the disciples, 'One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. If then you have not been faithful with the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful with that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? No servant 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.'

Reflection on the painting

There are moments when life feels heavy and discouraging. Many people today quietly live with depression, struggling daily with a sadness or emptiness that others may not even notice. In such moments we often become acutely aware of our faults, our failures, and the problems that seem never to leave us. In the United States, over 8% of adults (more than 21 million people) experienced a major depressive episode in the past year. Meanwhile in the U.K., roughly one in six adults now struggles with a common mental health issue such as depression or anxiety in any given week (based on information from the House of Commons Library). Criticism usually echoes louder in our ears than words of encouragement, and our attention fixes more readily on weeds than on wheat.

Yet Jesus' parable of the field reminds us that the story of our lives is never just weeds. God sees the good that is already growing, however fragile, and He is patient with us. He does not rush to uproot our flaws at the expense of our growth; rather, He nurtures both, trusting that in time the good will outlast the weeds. Even in our darkest moments there remains within each of us something beautiful, something worth tending, something God delights in.

In today's Gospel, Jesus points out one practical way in which the good can flourish: by sharing what we have, even money. For some, financial resources are scarce, yet generosity is never measured only in money. We can give our time, our attention, our gifts, our encouragement, our prayers. There is always something that can be given. In this context, Jesus says "You cannot serve God and money" because He knows that our hearts cannot be divided: if we cling to wealth as our ultimate security, it will choke the seed of faith, but if we share what we have, then that will fertilise the soil of someone else field.

Winslow Homer's The Veteran in a New Field shows a lone figure bent over a wide expanse of ripe wheat, cutting it down with a simple scythe. The soldier's discarded jacket, lying to the side (bottom right), tells us he has returned home from the American Civil War to begin again as a farmer. For us as Christians, the image of a field in bloom being harvested becomes a powerful symbol of our own lives. One day, when the time comes to meet our Maker, we will want to have a rich harvest to present to Him.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-16-10-13-2025/