“We daily see what a shameful, cursed vice greed is and what harm it does, especially in high offices and estates both spiritual and secular. If the greed-devil possesses a pastor’s or a preacher’s heart, so that (like the rest of the world) he strives only to produce great wealth for himself, then he has already been thrown into the jaws of the devil, like Judas the traitor, so that he dares to betray Christ along with the Word and His Church for a gold coin.”*
Martin Luther preached and wrote about the vice of greed often. He rebuked his hearers and readers for their greedy actions. He wrote whole treatises on the sin of usury and commerce. In this particular sermon, Luther focused on the greed of clergy and political leaders. He considered greed to be the reason for the papacy’s idolatry. And this corruption among greedy clergy affected every Christian. In another sermon he wrote:
“If a pastor or preacher is greedy, he is quite useless; he uses the pulpit as does the pope with his priests, solely to feed his own belly and appetite, collects dues and piles up money, caring not a rap for the many thousands of souls who are being neglected. His concern is not for the care of souls but for money, tithes, and self-indulgence.”**
For this reason, pastors must learn to avoid avarice through listening to God’s Word. When greedy pastors preach only for monetary gain, their congregants listen half-heartedly. Eventually they remain at home to work instead of listening to preaching. Greed subverts the preaching of the gospel. Greed also caused secular leaders to act improperly and not fulfill their vocations. As Luther explained:
“How harmful it is in secular government when lords and princes have this shameful vice and strive to seize everything for themselves. Because of this, they forget their princely office of helping land and people–they are lords so that with honor and praise from all people they would be extolled and loved as fathers of their land and people. They pay no attention to how God’s Word requires them to provide and care for the churches and schools, so that the people are properly taught, or how discipline and justice are to be observed with their subjects. They let poor pastors, along with their children, widows, and orphans, suffer injustice, violence, and distress.”***
Notice what Luther expected righteous rulers to do: fund churches and schools to ensure people learn eternal truths and seek a just order of temporal society. This means secular rulers should pay pastors (who often served as teachers too), stop violent criminals, and protect the vulnerable. However, avaricious rulers use their authority to gain more riches through excessive taxation.
*Martin Luther, “Sermon on Gospel for the Fifth Sunday After Trinity,” Church Postil IV, Luther’s Works 78, p. 208.
**Luther, “Sermon for Ninth Sunday After Trinity,” House Postils 2, p. 363.
***LW 78: 209.
