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?

 

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."  My study Bible reminds us that the cross was a dreaded instrument of Roman punishment, yet through Christ's life and Passion, it's also a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Him.  We practice self-denial for the sake of the love of God and the gospel.  To accept this kind of suffering is not a punishment -- and neither is it an end in itself.  But it is 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).  

"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 comments that this is the central paradox of Christian living:  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). 

 

"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."   Here we're asked to examine the foolishness of striving to attain and accumulate worldly wealth and power -- only to lose everything we are.  My study Bible notes that none of this can redeem man's fallen soul, nor 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."  My study Bible says that this is a reference to those who would witness the Transfiguration (upcoming in tomorrow's reading), as well as those in every generation who will experience the presence of God's kingdom.

 

 It's interesting that Jesus speaks of the soul and its loss, because in our recent readings and commentary, we've been discussing the soul.  That is, in yesterday's commentary, we spoke of the creation of humankind in Genesis 2:7, and how God's spirit, breathed into our form, created the living soul.  Here, Christ speaks of the eternal promise of our soul, and how that is destroyed through a life in which the spiritual realities of God are cast aside in favor of the striving to gain even "the whole world."  Christ's image of the Cross, and our lives in choosing to follow Him, is not simply an image of self-sacrifice.  It's not even a simple image of choice.  Rather, it's a teaching to us about the supreme importance of recognizing what we, as living souls created of both flesh and the spirit of God, must do in order to nurture that soul even into a promise of eternal life.  For if our living soul is created from flesh and the spirit, then pursuing only the material and being blind to the things of God is depriving us of the very oxygen ("breath") we need to sustain ourselves as a creation of God.  We cannot neglect the spirit and vivify the soul, because this is what we are made from.  Therefore, to "crucify" the passions and desires of the flesh, to "deny ourselves" and take up our own crosses, is to fortify the true life within us -- body, soul, and spirit.  In the Orthodox tradition of fasting and prayers, it is said that this is for the body, the body equally necessary to the soul, for we are created of both flesh and spirit -- unified through God's creation into the soul, the "living being" that we are.  If we look at Christ's teachings properly, they are not the kind of denial we might associate with painful deprivation.  They are rather the discipline, exercise, teaching, and fundamental nurturing that we need in order to grow into this promise of eternal life -- in the same way we understand the nurturing and discipline of the body to be healthy physically, and not deprivation.  To be a truly healthy living being (a soul), we need to understand Christ's way for us.  If we're true to what we know, it's understood that "gaining the whole world" takes some sacrifices.  One has to be prepared to support any ambition.  But what Christ is teaching us is to place our hearts on what is truly worth the effort, something that feeds, sustains, and builds all that we truly are, even into a life to come, which we cannot lose.  Let us work for what is truly worthwhile, and timeless.

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple

 

 Now great multitudes went with Him.  And He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.  And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- least, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'  Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.  So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.  

"Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 

- Luke 14:25-35 

 

Yesterday we continued the reading in which Jesus was a guest in the home of a Pharisee on the Sabbath.  (See the initial reading and Christ's teachings here.)   In yesterday's reading, He also said to those who invited Him, "When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."  Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"  Then He said to him, "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.'  But they all with one accord began to make excuses.  The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it.  I ask you to have me excused.'  And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them.  I ask you to have me excused.'  Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'  So that servant came and reported these things to his master.  Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.'  And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.'  Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.  For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.'"   

 Now great multitudes went with Him.  And He turned and said to them, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple."  My study Bible comments that this command to hate one's kindred and his own life also is not meant to be taken literally.  Instead we are meant to hate the way our relationships with others can hinder our total dedication to the Kingdom of God, which takes precedence even over family ties.  The stories of Christian martyrs often include family members who acted in cruel opposition to their faith in Christ.

"And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple."  Again, as we have often noted in recent readings, here is the figure of the Cross which is clearly ahead of Jesus.  He knows this will be something known to all, and so, in front of the crowds, He teaches about each one's struggle in this, following Him.  Each person must take up one's own cross.  My study Bible comments that the burden in this world (and note the "worldly" element of family relationships already mentioned) is different for each person, and each has been chosen by God to bear certain struggles for one's own salvation and the salvation of those around oneself.  To come after Christ is to follow Him.  This means discipleship:  the continual practice of faith and obedience, even to the point of being shamed and persecuted by the world -- or as mentioned before, foregoing even close relationships that are harmful or destructive to faith.

"For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- least, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'  Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?  Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.  So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple."  My study Bible directs us to St. Paul's image of himself as a "wise master builder" in 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, in which he speaks of laying a foundation upon which others may build, but each must take heed how they build and with what:  "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."  For what each builds will be tested by fire, and what remains will be revealed, "for the Day will declare it."  So Christ tells the crowds that discipleship is a greater project than we know, and we must count the cost, which is all.

"Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ taught very similarly, but directed to His disciples:  "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."  In ancient times, salt was quite precious, due to its preservative powers, its necessity for life, and its ability to give flavor.  My study Bible also comments that, additionally, salt had religious and sacrificial significance (Leviticus 2:13; see also Numbers 18:19; 2 Chronicles 13:5).  It says that to eat salt with someone meant to be bound together in loyalty.  As the salt of the earth, it says, Christians are preservers of God's covenant and give true flavor to the world.

Jesus says we must count the cost of discipleship if we are to set out on this road of following Him.  To follow Christ means to take up our cross and follow after Him.  As my study Bible indicates, this cross will be unique to each person.  Jesus says, "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple."  What does this mean to forsake all?  How are we supposed to figure that out, in advance?  Does it mean we give up all of our relationships and separate ourselves from what we know?  I cannot answer for others, nor for all the traditions of Christianity.  For many, the monastic life meant this in a very real sense, although it did not mean cutting oneself off from the love of others nor our prayers for all.  But what I have personally found in carrying this cross that began for me many years ago, almost despite myself I might say, is that all of my life was transfigured in the light of the Cross, by the Cross, by Christ.  That is, every aspect of my life, through prayer and ongoing development of faith, has meant re-examination and reconsideration, a new light shed by Christ, on what needs to change and what He asks of me.  Abusive relationships are subject to this light.  Even those who have abused us in some way, while we seek to forgive and pray for forgiveness for all, are subject to this transfiguring light and power of the Cross.  Sometimes one will have to draw boundaries.  It does not mean that we cease to pray or to love, but the strength of our faith comes first, the call of discipleship and of the Cross comes first, and this becomes our personal cross to bear in life.  This works in positive ways as well.  The things which I failed to understand or to perceive as a child growing up in church are also subject to the transfiguration by the light of the Cross.  Phrases I heard echoed to me as a child, passed down through the centuries of our faith -- such as, for example, "Lord have mercy" -- take on new meanings and new light and especially new depths through the Cross, and through the light of faith.  We may find ourselves in church praying for someone who has wronged us terribly -- a sense in which we know we don't want to be subject to more of the same, but nevertheless find in the Spirit the sense to do so.  We might find ourselves forgiving past wrongs done by those long dead in this life, but nevertheless praying for their souls in our own communion with God, and this, also, is the light of the Cross transfiguring our lives, giving us new light, and helping us to grow in faith and in understanding.  In this sense, our discipleship truly demands that we "forsake all" because Christ's light from His Cross will truly take in all of our lives.  We may find ourselves through this process of faith re-examining every single thing we ever learned at our mother's knee, and finding new ways to allow Christ to transform our thinking with -- most importantly -- God's love for us, and God's way of expanding our own sense of what love is and what love does.  Around each corner is a new sense of what it is to bear that cross, to go through the difficulties of our lives, the things that this world presents to us, and to find our place through them in the light of Christ.  In this way, we do "forsake all."  We will come to place all things in Christ's hands, and find them in the light of that transfiguring Cross, and thus following Him in all things with our own individual crosses wherever we are called in life, whatever our experiences.  And this is discipleship.  We give our hearts wholly to the leaven that leavens the whole lump bit by bit, from the inside out, even to those places in us we did not know existed.  In this way, our faith is like the mustard seed that grows to a sturdy bush which can shelter even the angels, the "birds of the air," as our lives grow in this faith in ways unexpected and unknown to us as we started out on this road to follow Him in all things.  We may have to cast off our old ideas about what "success" looks like, what a good life would be, and even the ways in which we thought our lives played out, simply by following Him and taking up our own crosses, for this is part of what it means to "forsake all" as well.  Discipleship is not simple nor easy, but it is a question of allowing the faith of Christ to illumine us, magnifying our baptism and its effects through a life of faith, and transfiguring all that we thought so that our lives reflect the foundation we're given, and so that what we build remains standing even through fire.  For the beauty of the world, the things truly worth building that withstand all else, are the things which are precious to Christ, to be revealed on that Day as the beauty that shines, the salt that remains true to its virtue and goodness and faith.