“Take heed, and beware of covetousness…” (Luke 12.15)

In the Bible, idolatry is primarily thought of as an Old Testament, Israelite problem. It seems on the surface that the New Testament has comparatively little to say on the subject.

Yet, there is one New Testament passage that has long caught my eye – the very last verse of 1 John. It reads:

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5.21).

It is an interesting way to end a letter in which the subject never previously seems to appear.

One might notice that Jesus says almost nothing explicit on the subject of idolatry. One of the reasons for that is probably because the prevalent form of idolatry for which the Jews were noted in their earlier history was no longer the pressing concern of Jesus’ day. Seventy years of Babylonian captivity seems to have “cured” most of Israel of their Canaanite fetishes.

However, since idolatry is – at its core – an issue of the heart, Jesus most certainly dealt with idolatry regularly. He was surrounded by it and found it in the hearts of those with whom he dealt every day.

For example, some of his contemporaries idolized political influence. They were almost entirely secularized members of the Jewish community. They no longer believed in spiritual realms or realities, like angels, or the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23.8).

On the other end of the spectrum, some idolized asceticism and self-flagellation, largely for fear of ever angering God again to the degree that he would abandon the nation.

Some even idolized the Law – so much so that they created traditions to aid the common people in obeying it, in hopes that God would become overwhelmingly pleased by their efforts at its implementation, and thus usher in the age of the Messiah (Matthew 15.1-9).

Some idolized Greek philosophy and thus abandoned the moral and philosophic compass of the Scriptures.

Even among the twelve, there were idolatrous inclinations. On the night Jesus was betrayed, several disciples engaged in an argument over who should take the seats of honor in the soon-to-be-initiated kingdom of Israel (Luke 22.24).

And speaking of the betrayal of Jesus, Judas idolized sordid gain (John 12.6).

According to Paul, the root of idolatry is covetousness (Col. 3.5), which is to desire that which is not permissible to have. Of such an attitude, Jesus offered the double-warning: “Take heed, beware…”

Back to the Old Testament, we are inclined to chuckle a little when the Israelites tossed their jewelry into the fire and Aaron crafted for them a golden calf (which Aaron claimed randomly “came out” of the fire on its own, Exodus 32.1-24).

Yet, if we’re honest, it becomes apparent that we are all more adept at crafting our own idols than we realize.

We are not nearly as different from those Israelites after all. Our golden calves are just easier to hide.

by Rick Kelley