Matthew 16:25-26

Matthew 16:25-26
Jesus is in the process of explaining true discipleship to His apostles. He started His conversation with the words, “If anyone would come after Me…” These are the requirements for everyone who desires to follow Jesus. Mark it well; these are absolute commands and there is no middle road.Jesus says there are two paths a person can follow in life. He can either try to save his life or he can lose it for Jesus’ sake. If he tries to save his life, he will lose it, and if he loses it for Jesus sake, he will save it. Let us first note that Jesus is not saying if a man gives up living life to the fullest now, he will be repaid by getting a full reward in heaven. Jesus is primarily talking about what happens beginning in this life and going on through eternity. In other words, when a man loses his life for Jesus, he will find his life – he will be living life to the fullest extent intended by the Lord. It will be the very best life a person can live, and in the end that person will also get a perfect eternity.

Ah, but Satan says otherwise. Satan speaks like the old beer commercial, “You only go around once in life, so get all the gusto!” That is a lie. If you try to “get all the gusto” in this life, you will lose out on true living. The preacher of Ecclesiastes explained the reason when he said, “all is vanity and striving after the wind, and there is no profit under the sun” (Eccl. 2:11). None of the physical things or pleasures in this life provides any lasting joy. Everything is temporary, like a vapor that appears and then vanishes. It is like chasing the wind, if you caught it, it would destroy you. That is a hard concept for our fleshly minds. We are enamored with the glitter of the world and think that surely it will give us joy.

Jesus puts clearly: if a person gained the whole world, but lost his soul (life, here and in eternity), what would he profit? In fact, all the wealth in the world is not worth one soul. This world will pass away, but we will live on. How we live this life will determine our eternity. “What will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Many will be like Esau: selling their eternal birthright for a temporary filling of a fleshly appetite. How foolish!
Berry Kercheville