What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."

- Mark 8:34-9:1

Yesterday we read that Jesus came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then he put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."  Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?"  So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ."  Then he strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.  He spoke this word openly.  Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.  But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan!  For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." 

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."  Here is an astonishing transformation (if we can call it that) in Jesus' ministry.  Until now, the various signs He has made -- the great healings and the feedings in the wilderness -- were "signs" of the presence of the Kingdom, Christ's power, and the life that was in Him.  But here, just after Peter's confession that He is the Christ (in yesterday's reading, above), we are in new territory. He has revealed to them that He will suffer, and die, and will rise again.   Now, the theology of the Cross is revealed.  It is the key to eternal life.  My study bible says that the cross, which was a dreaded instrument of Roman punishment, is also a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Christ.  We practice self-denial for the sake of the love of God and the gospel.  To accept this suffering is not punishment and neither is it an end in itself.  It is rather, a means to overcome the fallen world for the sake of the Kingdom and to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).  The Cross becomes a symbol of life and the transfiguration possible with God.

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."  My study bible says that the central paradox of Christian living is that in grasping for temporal things, we lose the eternal.  But in sacrificing everything in this world, we gain eternal riches that are unimaginable (1 Corinthians 2:9).   It is of note also that the exchange we make of one life for another is also one that enriches, expands, and blesses us with gifts of life and Christ's renewal even in this world.

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."  The question Jesus asks, What will a man give in exchange for his soul? is a central emphasis.  It indicates the complete foolishness of accumulating worldly wealth or power without considering the soul, for which these can provide no benefit.  These are powerless to redeem a fallen soul, or to benefit a person in the life to come. 

And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."  This is considered to be a reference to those who will witness the Transfiguration (our next reading in chapter 9), as well as those in every generation who will experience the presence of God's Kingdom.

Jesus speaks of an exchange.  What will we give for our souls?  There are times in life when we can clearly feel the hurt to our souls.  There are things that make us feel we've somehow cheapened our lives, or perhaps given something valuable (yet intangible) away that we'd give our heart's desire to get back.  There are times when we're tempted to feel that somehow our lives are lessened by the ways that others may treat us.  The Cross is the redeeming instrument of power for all of these ills.  It teaches us that the world does not determine our value, but rather that there are those things that come from within -- with God's help and power -- that make our lives richer, more vibrant, more meaningful.  There are qualities within ourselves that we may develop with God's grace that will surprise even us.  And there are things about ourselves, habits which are unattractive and undesirable, secret pains and hurts, disappointments, even humiliations, that need the power of exchange that the Cross can give us so that we may see ourselves and our lives in a right way, that sets us on a good path.  And in that Cross is the power and the depth of the love of Christ which is the life of Christ.  It is a love that covers all things and gives life even where there is death in any form.  And this is the final and ultimate transfiguring power of the Cross.   Our Lord will go to His death and suffering voluntarily, participating fully in the human life He has in the world, so that He will exchange by participation all our suffering and death itself for His life.  This is not a payment; it is the "prince of this world" that would demand payment and ransom for what is not his, like a thief and oppressor.  It is rather a free and liberating gift of love for the life of the world.  He reclaims all of us as His, and our key to this life He offers is simply faith.  He says it right here:  we exchange one life for another if we participate in His life and take up our own crosses.  This is an invitation to a relationship far deeper than what we think of when we use the words "faith" or "worship."   This is a depth of exchange of life for life:  we exchange what we know or think life to be for the life He offers us.  Through love, we enter into deep territory, the heart of the soul, and we share the life He offers us.  This may involve difficult exchanges of things we hold dear for the better ones He offers.  Like a doctor, who gives medicine in order to heal, the struggle of the Cross is the offer of life itself in exchange for that which we know but what is harming us.  All the gospel message Christ gives, all of His commands, lead us to this medicine for the fullness of life, and ask us to exchange the things that stand in the way of its burning and blazing light in us.  Can we take up our cross?