After returning to the Seattle area after being gone for over 15 years, I enjoyed taking pictures as I went around town making calls on customers and put together a short video asking Jesus question, what if I gained the whole world but lost my own soul? It was impressed upon me the dramatic changes that had taken place in the city since I had last left. The region had transformed from a mid-sized city that was beautiful, somewhat out to the way, and known for its rain and airplane company to one of the most prominent and growing cities in the world due to the technology boom. Vast fortunes had flowed into it, and it now housed the world’s richest man. After I had moved back the city again re-boomed, though it had never really slowed down, and another vast fortune flowed into it making a new world’s richest man. Whether or not it was good or bad for the region just might depend on who you are, but that is much less important than to beg the question what if you were to gain, what appears to be the whole world, but lose your own soul? 

Jesus asked this question in both the historical Gospel records of Mark and Matthew while with his disciples in Caesarea Philippi. Here scholars believe he stood among the rocks where the Pagan gods were worshiped, and here he challenged the disciples as to who he truly was. Peter got the answer right and then he got the answer wrong. He proclaims Jesus to be the Christ the son of the living God, but then declares that he should not go to his death on the cross and give his life. Jesus puts a quick end to this thinking saying anything that would keep him from death on the cross was of the devil. He goes on to say that anyone who desires Jesus must also come to his own cross, deny himself and his attachment to the world, and follow him.

Jesus makes the counter intuitive statement that anyone who want to save his life, implying by self- effort & earthly means, will lose it, but if he is willing to lose his life and its earthly means he will find true life in Jesus himself. He finishes up with the final conclusion that if anyone would gain the whole world, all its wealth, power, and popularity but lose their own soul (eternal connection with God) what worth is it really? Money, power, & influence in this world are worthless when you are dead.  Jesus himself was given the opportunity to gain and have control over this whole world, if he would just make an accommodation for the enemy of our souls, and not go to the cross as Peter had misguidedly suggested.

But Jesus rejected the offer. He passed it up because Jesus was the epitome of Love.  He understood the true magnitude, influence, corruption, and destructiveness of evil, and knew that evil could only be ultimately destroyed on the cross by him alone. Any other solution to the mankind’s problem would ultimately fail. All of human history centers around this death, resurrection, and accurate proclamation of Jesus. Fortunes will be gained and slowly be lost. But Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit and those who have taken up his cross and called on his name will dwell eternally on in communion with each other.  I do not begrudge the billionaires of Seattle one single cent that God has allowed them to earn. I only bring it up to ask the question of what is of ultimate value? The creator of the universe, and its redeemer, has an open door to all of us from poor to very rich, anyone who will forsake this world as the one that counts the most, and place trust in Jesus has eternal life in him. What if you were to gain this whole world, but…

Doug

The words of British poet Robert Abrahams say it well, “For some men die by shrapnel, And some go down in flames, But most men perish inch by inch, In play at little games.”  Our goal is to identify the little games and put a stop to them and put the right weight on the right things.