Blinding Wealth

In his Anchor Bible commentary on Revelation (102-3), Craig Koester summarizes the book’s warnings about wealth. On the one hand, “wealth makes people ‘blind’”(Rev 3:17). The charge can be correlated with Babylon’s arrogant inability to see the destructive consequences of its actions (18:7–8). Public rhetoric lauded the prosperity that Rome provided, but critics added that Rome exerted greater control over its subjects by supplying them with goods than it ever could by force of arms, since commerce lulled people into accepting political subjection.”

Further, “the pursuit of wealth undermines the cohesiveness of the Christian community by prioritizing relationships based on trade over those based on a shared faith. The congregations addressed by Revelation included both poor and rich. If Christians made acquiring wealth their primary goal, then their relationships with trade associations and clients would be far more important than their bonds with believers who lacked resources.”

Revelation doesn’t warn about wealth because the things of this world are evil. Rather, like Proverbs, it warns that wealth is dangerous because it’s so powerful. Because it can accomplish so much, money seduces us into thinking it’s omnipotent.