False Profit

Jesus said to his disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?” (Luke 9:22-25)

“What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?”  Integrity and honor – lose them, and we forfeit ourselves.  Gaining some profit or advantage through lying, cheating, and dishonor, we diminish ourselves.  Looking in the mirror becomes harder because we see someone else – someone who has shrunk in size and worth. 

Jesus realized this.  Let us quote his Beatitudes. Blessed are: the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; they who mourn, for they will be comforted; the meek, for they will inherit the land; they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied; the merciful, for they will be shown mercy; the clean of heart, for they will see God; the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God; they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven; you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. 

The Son of Man suffered greatly because he believed these things to be true, and his enemies did not.  Ironically, he forfeited himself on the cross to remind us not to diminish ourselves.  He died reminding us of our sins.

Deacon David Pierce