“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Mark 8:35 ESV.
Reflection: what is life?
Such a simple question. What is life? As I am having my coffee this morning on the patio, I am hearing a multitude of living things around me, like birds and insects making all sorts of sounds. A fly buzzing around my coffee cup. I take another sip of my coffee, smelling and tasting the aroma of a roasted coffee bean that was grown thousands of miles away. But is life simply the ability to breathe, to get up in the morning, to see, to hear, to taste? But do we define life as only living cells, or is it more? What about our ability to think? To act? To experience something?
We often use the expression “living the good life” when we experience something we would consider “good”. Perhaps a vacation with family or friends. But, what about when we experience difficulties? It is still life, right? And, we would also say that a “good” and a “wicked” person both have and pursue life, so what is the difference? The focus verse today is impossible to act upon, unless we first understand what life is. Because Jesus says here that in order to save your life you must lose it. That sounds like nonsense, right? But deep in this cryptic text is
the secret to eternal life.
This focus verse, as well as the rest of this paragraph you might have read numerous times, as I have, but without contemplating what Jesus is really saying here. Let’s read the whole paragraph for context. “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”” Mark 8:34-38 ESV. In the midst of reading about “life”, we see a new descriptor used called “soul”. But, when we look at the original, Greek text here, Jesus uses the same word “psyché” for life and soul.
Let’s read the full biblical definition of this Greek word psyché, to better understand. There are two basic definitions and uses of the word; that of which has physical life, or breath, and that of which has a soul;
breath
- the breath of life; the vital force which animates the body and shows itself in breathing, of animals, of men
- life
- that in which there is life; a living being, a living soul
the soul
- the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions (our heart, soul etc.)
- the (human) soul in so far as it is constituted that by the right use of the aids offered it by God it can attain its highest end and secure eternal blessedness, the soul regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life
- the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death (distinguished from other parts of the body)
So let’s look again at what Jesus is saying with this in mind. “For whoever would save his life will lose it,” meaning, our selfish, sinful “essence” will lead us only to death. It is so easy to observe this “in real time”, by just by looking at how miserable and lonely selfish people are in the end. Selfishness is self destruction. And, Jesus goes on explaining “but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Meaning, Jesus is the bread of life, which we must consume to have life. Eternal life. Paul wrote “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”Romans 8:13 ESV.
Jesus is the ONLY bread that can give eternal life. Period. He is the only eternal life. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4 ESV “that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” John 3:15 ESV. “But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.”” Romans 10:8-12 ESV. So,
What is life?
Only the essence of Jesus is life, only His essence in us will remain, as nothing else has eternal life in it. Let’s therefore fill ourselves with Him, the bread of life, and live a life by the Spirit.
