Self-Seeking

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

21From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord!^e This shall never happen to you.” 23But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance^f to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever would save his life^g will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

When Peter rebukes Jesus and says that his suffering will never happen, it may seem that Jesus' response is especially harsh.  After all, Peter was in line with the prevailing school of thought at that time, that Messiah need not suffer.  But upon closer examination, perhaps Jesus' response was necessarily frank.

"Jesus' memorable rebuke seems mercilessly severe.  But the fact that He identified Satan as the source of Peter's words describes precisely and appropriate the character of the advice Peter tried to give:  'Save yourself at all costs.  Sacrifice duty to self-interest, the cause of Christ to personal convenience.'  Peter's advice was satanic in principle for Satan's primary aim is to promote self-interest as the chief end of man."

--p. 33, The Bondage Breaker  (Neil T. Anderson)

It is completely in line with the world's ways to value safety, comfort, and life above all else, even God's plans.  At the heart of Satan's plan is to trick us into thinking that life is all about us.  How will my needs be met?  Why is my life so hard?  What will be best for me?

"Satan has deceived [many Christians] into thinking they are serving themselves when in fact they are serving the world, the flesh, and the devil."

--p. 33, The Bondage Breaker (Neil T. Anderson)

After this response, Jesus moves to weed out faulty theology by reminding the disciples that it is not about them.  In verse 24, Jesus tells his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take his cross and follow me."  In other words, if you want to live for God, you cannot live for yourself; you cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).  If we live for ourselves, then ultimately, we are living in line with Satan's purposes which are at odds with God's purposes.  We cannot--it is impossible to--live for ourselves and live for God.

In verse 25, Jesus continues, saying, "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."  Who can save himself?  We may try living good lives, hoping to earn salvation.  We may try seeking every new spiritual fad, hoping to reach God.  We may try accumulating worldly pleasures and material things, in hopes that we'll achieve salvation on earth.  But ultimately, who can safe himself?  No one.  There are two paths that we can take:  (1) We try saving our lives on our own, apart from the work of Christ.  Since it is impossible, we fail and lose our lives anyways.  Or, (2) We yield and lose the claim to our temporal earthly life, and find eternal life, the life we were created to experience.

Jesus then poses the final question of this section, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?  Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?" (verse 26).  What will all the world--with all its temporal riches, pleasures, power--mean without God?  What would these transient riches mean if one is eternally separated from God and from everything that God is?  And what on this earth could ever be equivalent to the price of a man's soul--a soul that is precious, made in God's image, and made to be fulfilled by God and God alone?  

How could we ever give our hearts and our souls to anything or anyone less worthy?