#20 Top 40 New Testament Passages: Lose Your Life to Save It (Matthew 16:24-26)
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? (Matthew 16:24-26)
What does mean to affiliate with the name Christian? The first to be called Christians were those in the church at Syrian Antioch where Paul and Barnabas were sent to encourage the believers. (Acts 11:26) To be a Christian is to follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. That seems simple enough, but if our following of Jesus becomes just another expression of legalism, then we've missed the boat. The Apostle Paul speaks of a new righteousness that cannot be attained by observing the covenant Law of Moses. Instead this new righteousness is a gift from God that comes though faith in Jesus Christ. What occurs for the Christian is a personal transformation, beginning in the heart, and moving outward in their words and deeds.
As Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, "It is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)
The gospels point to this transformation, especially Jesus' talk of being born again, or born of the Spirit. (John 3:3-8) But the overwhelming message of Jesus is not spiritualized, but practical. Consider his teaching to the disciples after Peter had confessed his belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matthew 16:16) Jesus said Peter was blessed because what he confessed came from God, not from any human doctrine, then he told them of his impending suffering and death in Jerusalem. Peter was appalled at the idea. “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” (Matthew 16:22) Jesus then rebuked Peter, "You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” (Matthew 16:23)
Jesus then enlightens his chosen followers what it means to be his disciple. Following Jesus means sacrifice. Just as Jesus carried his cross to Calvary/Golgotha, so too must his disciples shoulder the burden of the mission for the Kingdom of God. If we think ourselves Christian, then we are to practice self-denial for the sake of the gospel, trusting in future fulfillment.
This message is so counter-cultural to our norm as Americans. We are raised to be good little consumers. "Have it your way!" "Follow your heart!" "Make your own destiny!" These are slogans fed to us with frequency. And yet Jesus makes clear that our striving for our own personal comforts, wants and needs is a path that leads to a sort of death.
"For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?
For those who want to save their life will lose it!" (Matthew 16:26, 25)
When we live obsessed with squeezing out of this earthly life all we can, to the exclusion of our vocation as Christians, then we are spiritually bankrupt. The abundant life Jesus came to give is missed, because our hearts are too busy with our personal agenda. Wealth in this world can actually mean poverty in the next. (Luke 12:15-21)
But it's not simply the desire for wealth that gets in the way of our vocation as disciples of Jesus Christ. It's entertainment, and other forms of comfort, and pleasure-seeking. It's sports. It's family commitments. It's career objectives. It's addictions of every sort. It is simply idolatry, the tendency of the human heart to exchange the glory of God for some thing, some experience, some goal or some persons. Any good thing in this good creation can come between you and your calling in Christ.
Here's an example from Jesus.
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62)
To the first would-be follower, Jesus basically says, "Don't try and follow me if you think it's going to lead to an easy life. It won't be." The the next Jesus basically says, "If you're invested in the things of this dying world (like family commitments), more than you are the business of the Kingdom of God, then you are not ready to follow me."
Let's be clear: Jesus doesn't have a problem with family. He has a problem with so-called disciples who don't follow through on their calling. Family is just one of many obligations in life that can get in the way of fully following Jesus. Indeed, those who choose to follow Jesus may find themselves at odds with family members who do not choose Christ.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39)
Notice that Jesus' teaching in Matthew 10, that follows his selection and sending of the twelve apostles, is very similar to what he told the disciples after Peter's confession in Matthew 16. Take up your cross and follow Jesus. If that feels like something you're not ready to commit to, then you're not truly ready to be a Christian, a student follower of Jesus.
Jesus would have you consider the cost. It's not an easy life to which a Christian is called. It can mean persecution. I can mean social ostracization. In some countries Christians have their property confiscated and are driven out, if not imprisoned, mutilated or killed. Jesus was well aware of what his church was about to face in the coming decades following his crucifixion and resurrection. Peter and John were beaten with whips and imprisoned for preaching that Jesus is the messiah, vindicated and glorified by God through resurrection.
Roman Catholic tradition holds that the apostles all died for the faith. The last to die was John, who suffered exile under Roman enforcement, on the island of Patmos. Stephen, a servant minister in the early church was stoned to death. (Acts 7:58-60) James was beheaded by order of King Herod. (Acts 12:1-2) Tradition has it that Peter was crucified upside-down in Rome. Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross in Greece. Matthew was impaled by spears and beheaded in Ethiopia. Bartholomew (Nathaniel) was flayed to death by whip in Armenia. Philip was supposedly impaled by iron hooks in his ankles and hung upside down to die. Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, was crucified in Persia by magi. Matthias, who replaced Judas, was stoned and beheaded. James the Lesser was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple and beaten to death. The same sort of execution fell upon James, half-brother to Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem church. Paul, author of most of the New Testament books, was beheaded in Rome.
Read more: https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/how-did-the-12-apostles-die-a-bible-study/#ixzz6H9bY8Zy0
There are many more who have paid the ultimate price for following Christ. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot to death for his faithful pursuit of justice for Black Americans and poor in our society. In 1956 missionaries in the Ecuadorian jungle were stabbed to death by those to whom they hoped to bring the gospel.
https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/movies/2006/01/08/Ecuadoran-tribe-transformed-after-killing-of-5-missionaries/stories/200601080177
I'm not trying to frighten you. Most Christians will not die under violent persecution. Most will die never having known the abundant life Christ died to give them. For they will lose their lives trying to save their lives in comfort, rather than face the difficulties involved in Christian vocation.
I am typing from a heated office near shops and restaurants and a grocery stocked with everything I may need. I enjoy the comforts of life here in America, like most of my neighbors. Once in a while the burden of the poor meets my own life. Sometimes I pick up my cross. Other times I pass on by. I am just a guilty in choosing the comfortable way. So let's all consider what Jesus meant when he said the way to life is a narrow door.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy[d] that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)
What does mean to affiliate with the name Christian? The first to be called Christians were those in the church at Syrian Antioch where Paul and Barnabas were sent to encourage the believers. (Acts 11:26) To be a Christian is to follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. That seems simple enough, but if our following of Jesus becomes just another expression of legalism, then we've missed the boat. The Apostle Paul speaks of a new righteousness that cannot be attained by observing the covenant Law of Moses. Instead this new righteousness is a gift from God that comes though faith in Jesus Christ. What occurs for the Christian is a personal transformation, beginning in the heart, and moving outward in their words and deeds.
As Paul wrote to the church in Philippi, "It is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)
The gospels point to this transformation, especially Jesus' talk of being born again, or born of the Spirit. (John 3:3-8) But the overwhelming message of Jesus is not spiritualized, but practical. Consider his teaching to the disciples after Peter had confessed his belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matthew 16:16) Jesus said Peter was blessed because what he confessed came from God, not from any human doctrine, then he told them of his impending suffering and death in Jerusalem. Peter was appalled at the idea. “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” (Matthew 16:22) Jesus then rebuked Peter, "You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” (Matthew 16:23)
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| "Following Jesus means Sacrifice" |
This message is so counter-cultural to our norm as Americans. We are raised to be good little consumers. "Have it your way!" "Follow your heart!" "Make your own destiny!" These are slogans fed to us with frequency. And yet Jesus makes clear that our striving for our own personal comforts, wants and needs is a path that leads to a sort of death.
"For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?
For those who want to save their life will lose it!" (Matthew 16:26, 25)
When we live obsessed with squeezing out of this earthly life all we can, to the exclusion of our vocation as Christians, then we are spiritually bankrupt. The abundant life Jesus came to give is missed, because our hearts are too busy with our personal agenda. Wealth in this world can actually mean poverty in the next. (Luke 12:15-21)
But it's not simply the desire for wealth that gets in the way of our vocation as disciples of Jesus Christ. It's entertainment, and other forms of comfort, and pleasure-seeking. It's sports. It's family commitments. It's career objectives. It's addictions of every sort. It is simply idolatry, the tendency of the human heart to exchange the glory of God for some thing, some experience, some goal or some persons. Any good thing in this good creation can come between you and your calling in Christ.
Here's an example from Jesus.
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62)
To the first would-be follower, Jesus basically says, "Don't try and follow me if you think it's going to lead to an easy life. It won't be." The the next Jesus basically says, "If you're invested in the things of this dying world (like family commitments), more than you are the business of the Kingdom of God, then you are not ready to follow me."
Let's be clear: Jesus doesn't have a problem with family. He has a problem with so-called disciples who don't follow through on their calling. Family is just one of many obligations in life that can get in the way of fully following Jesus. Indeed, those who choose to follow Jesus may find themselves at odds with family members who do not choose Christ.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39)
Notice that Jesus' teaching in Matthew 10, that follows his selection and sending of the twelve apostles, is very similar to what he told the disciples after Peter's confession in Matthew 16. Take up your cross and follow Jesus. If that feels like something you're not ready to commit to, then you're not truly ready to be a Christian, a student follower of Jesus.
Jesus would have you consider the cost. It's not an easy life to which a Christian is called. It can mean persecution. I can mean social ostracization. In some countries Christians have their property confiscated and are driven out, if not imprisoned, mutilated or killed. Jesus was well aware of what his church was about to face in the coming decades following his crucifixion and resurrection. Peter and John were beaten with whips and imprisoned for preaching that Jesus is the messiah, vindicated and glorified by God through resurrection.
Roman Catholic tradition holds that the apostles all died for the faith. The last to die was John, who suffered exile under Roman enforcement, on the island of Patmos. Stephen, a servant minister in the early church was stoned to death. (Acts 7:58-60) James was beheaded by order of King Herod. (Acts 12:1-2) Tradition has it that Peter was crucified upside-down in Rome. Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross in Greece. Matthew was impaled by spears and beheaded in Ethiopia. Bartholomew (Nathaniel) was flayed to death by whip in Armenia. Philip was supposedly impaled by iron hooks in his ankles and hung upside down to die. Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, was crucified in Persia by magi. Matthias, who replaced Judas, was stoned and beheaded. James the Lesser was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple and beaten to death. The same sort of execution fell upon James, half-brother to Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem church. Paul, author of most of the New Testament books, was beheaded in Rome.
Read more: https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/how-did-the-12-apostles-die-a-bible-study/#ixzz6H9bY8Zy0
There are many more who have paid the ultimate price for following Christ. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot to death for his faithful pursuit of justice for Black Americans and poor in our society. In 1956 missionaries in the Ecuadorian jungle were stabbed to death by those to whom they hoped to bring the gospel.
https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/movies/2006/01/08/Ecuadoran-tribe-transformed-after-killing-of-5-missionaries/stories/200601080177
I'm not trying to frighten you. Most Christians will not die under violent persecution. Most will die never having known the abundant life Christ died to give them. For they will lose their lives trying to save their lives in comfort, rather than face the difficulties involved in Christian vocation.
I am typing from a heated office near shops and restaurants and a grocery stocked with everything I may need. I enjoy the comforts of life here in America, like most of my neighbors. Once in a while the burden of the poor meets my own life. Sometimes I pick up my cross. Other times I pass on by. I am just a guilty in choosing the comfortable way. So let's all consider what Jesus meant when he said the way to life is a narrow door.
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy[d] that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)
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