Sunday, September 01, 2019

"And as Jesus passed by" - Gain the Whole World, and Lose His Own Soul



Tokyo at Dusk

Gain the Whole World, and Lose His Own Soul

One of the most interesting parts of the Gospel is as follows:
M't:16:22: Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
M't:16:23: But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
M't:16:24: Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
M't:16:25: For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
M't:16:26: For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
M't:16:27: For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
M't:16:28: Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

Christ Jesus clearly used the word Satan, even when facing and rebuking Peter.  So, Christ Jesus clearly knew that His enemy was Satan.

Christ Jesus also declared that whosoever would lose his life for His sake should find it.  So, for men to get life after their death, they have to lose their life for Christ Jesus' sake.  Accordingly, believers in Christ Jesus do not have to be afraid of death.

But what does it mean that "the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works"?  It must mean the incident in the spiritual world.  After physical death, a man, in the form of soul, would live in the spiritual world where Christ Jesus should come with angels to save the soul and, probably, lead it to Heaven.

Yet what does it mean that "There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom"?

Pious men must see Christ Jesus coming in his kingdom when they come close to the end of their lives.  It also means that pious men live not only in this world but also in the kingdom of God.

However, the criteria for salvation is not low, because even Peter was called Satan at least on one occasion when he thought in a worldly manner following human laws and standards of living.


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Joh:9:1: And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
Joh:9:2: And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
Joh:9:3: Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.