³⁶ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? ³⁷ Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? (Mark 8:34-38).

The question in the passage above is known as a rhetorical question, which is a figure of speech used to make a point. Jesus is not looking for an answer; he is actually making a profound statement: It is no good to gain the world if in doing so you give up your soul. There is nothing of value that comes close to the value eternal life. We might say it like this, “Is it really worth eternal life with Jesus in order it to ______ (you finish the sentence)?”

We can’t buy eternity with our own goodness:

I ponder the word “good” quite frequently. We use this word in many ways. It can actually be a noun, verb, or adjective. If you ask me how I’m doing, I might say, “I’m good.”  It might have been more proper to say I am well, especially if you are asking me about my health. But it’s not improper to use the word good if I mean that I don’t need anything right now (it might be incorrect, but it’s not improper).  In that context, good means whole, productive, useful. Another use of the word is to describe someone’s actions, such as “He’s a good person.” We know people who are good workers, good spouses, good parents; generally good people because they are generous and kind and always do the right thing. However, in the economy of Jesus, human goodness doesn’t buy your eternity. In our culture where we are surrounded by evils on every side, it is so easy to succumb, to think, “It’s not that bad,” or “This is nothing compared to what I’ve seen other people do.” But the world is not our standard. The Bible is the standard for believers. All our goodness is as filthy rags, according to Isaiah 64:6. The only thing of redeeming value is believing what Jesus did for us on the cross. We can’t earn our way to eternal life; we can only get there by accepting what Jesus did on our behalf.

What good is it? You remember the story of the rich man who asked Jesus: “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Jesus explained that he basically must keep all the commandments perfectly and give all of his possessions to the poor. “When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” Jesus responded “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:16-30) Nothing we can do is good enough to buy our ticket to Heaven. But, glory hallelujah! with God all things are possible!

There is nothing good enough here on earth worth trading for eternity:

This passage also points to idolatry in all its ugly forms. It points to anything that we desire more than Jesus. When we are about to make a choice to say, do, or think anything that puts ourselves or anything else in place of Jesus on His throne, we should ask ourselves, “What good is it to have this worldly thing? Is it worth it to do this or to have this and to lose my soul forever?”

Jesus is really talking about surrender. He is trying to explain to his followers that He has surrendered to a violent horrific death on the cross in order to pay the price for our sins. He is saying that we must also be willing to surrender. We can choose to put first the things that matter here on earth and thereby guarantee hell, or we can choose to follow Him and thereby gain eternal life. This passage is not necessarily saying that we must literally die for the gospel in order to be saved. But it is saying that to demonstrate our faith in Jesus, we must die to self; we must die to the thought that we can do this for ourselves or that any worldly thing matters more to us than Jesus.

I Surrender All (lyrics by Judson Van Deventer)

All to Jesus I surrender,
All to him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust him,
In his presence daily live. (Refrain)

All to Jesus I surrender,
Humbly at his feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken,
Take me, Jesus, take me now.
(Refrain)

All to Jesus I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that thou art mine.
(Refrain)

All to Jesus I surrender,
Lord, I give myself to thee,
Fill me with thy love and power,
Let thy blessing fall on me.
(Refrain)

All to Jesus I surrender;
Now I feel the sacred flame.
Oh, the joy of full salvation!
Glory, glory, to his name!

Refrain:
I surrender all,
I surrender all,
All to thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.

In Christ,

Judy

What a great question. It’s a perfect response when someone comes to you and says, “Can you help me?” I bet you get that question a lot! Of course, we might not want to ask what they want because of fear that they will ask for something we are not prepared to give. Or we might not ask it because we are presuming to already know that they want. Whenever I’ve been asked that question, it forces me to think about my specific wants and to be more thoughtful and specific in my request.

In the latter part of the first chapter of John we read about an event immediately following Jesus’ baptism. When Jesus first met Andrew, who at the time was a disciple of John the Baptist, he asked him: “What do you want?” Andrew wanted to know where Jesus was going, and Jesus invited him to come with him. Andrew became the first of a tightly knit team of followers of Jesus. It’s clear that Andrew wanted a relationship with Jesus (John 1:35-40; Acts 1:13).  Andrew, like Jesus’ other apostles, was in it for the long haul.

In another example, Jesus was not so encouraging because he understood the motivation for the question.  James and John had come to Jesus to ask “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” (That’s pretty cheeky if you ask me). Jesus asked “What do you want me to do for you?” In other words, he wanted them to be more specific before he agreed to anything. They said “Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” Jesus basically denied their request, for their own good. He knew that they wanted the glory without the sacrifice (Mark 10:35-40).

At another time two blind men acknowledged Jesus as “Lord, Son of David” and asked him to “have mercy on us.” Jesus asked them “What do you want me to do for you?” They were very specific in their response: “Lord, we want our sight.” The scriptures say that ^“Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him” (Matthew 20:29-34).

What do we learn from these dialogues between Jesus and those to whom he asked the question?

Basically, I think we learn that Jesus wants to know our desires, he listens, he responds, and he doesn’t always give us what we ask for. However, digging deeper, don’t we wonder why Jesus sometimes gives us what we ask for and other times he chooses not to?

There are those basic, foundational requests, such as Andrew’s request to follow Jesus. And there are those who like the blind men who asked with desperation and humility, acknowledging Jesus Lordship:

• I want to see!
• Help me to believe!
• Rescue me, save me!
• I want to follow you wherever you go!

These requests are made boldly, with a desire to honor God and the confidence that with Jesus all things are possible. We are encouraged by these Bible stories to go to Jesus with these sincere requests.

When Jesus asks “What do you want?” he also wants our motivation to be for His glory. I admit that my big problem is pride, and trust me it is a big problem. I’m more like James and John than Andrew in what I want. I want to be rewarded and recognized for following Jesus, but I’m not sure I’m willing to do what is required to truly sacrifice all for Him. It’s easy to say we are until we are placed in an actual situation. So I pray for true humility. If you are inclined to pray for me, this is my prayer request, that I would exalt Jesus and Jesus only in everything that I think, do, and say. That is what I want.

How will you answer Jesus when He asks you that question?

In Christ,

Judy

“Who is like you, Lord God Almighty? You, Lord, are mighty, and your faithfulness surrounds you. You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them” (Psalm 89:8-9).

This is another message in the series on questions that Jesus asked.

Do you ever feel fear? Maybe you hear a strange noise at night and are concerned it might be someone trying to break in. Maybe you or someone in your family has some strange symptoms and you are afraid it might be a serious medical condition. Maybe there is someone in your life who has abused you and you are fearful that it will happen again. Maybe you are always fearful that there will be too much month at the end of the money, and how are you going to pay the bills or feed your family.

Maybe you know the fear is irrational but you are afraid anyway. For the majority of my childhood and even teen years, I was extremely afraid of dogs and pretty much any kind of animal. In fact, I’m embarrassed to say that I caused my baby brother to be hurt because of my fear. We were playing in my grandmother’s front yard. I was seven, and he was just months old. I saw something coming toward us, hardly taller than the grass. I realized it was a kitten, and in panic I hurriedly picked up my brother to save him and then dropped him as I was trying to climb the porch steps to bring him to safety. He had to have stitches in his forehead.

I used the word “feel” because that’s what fear is. It is a feeling. It is an experience. It can become a physical reaction when our adrenal glands start pumping, and that will prompt a physical response of fight or flight that may or may not be appropriate to the actual situation. I am not trying to imply that the situations causing fear are imaginary or less terrible. They are very real and very serious. However, it is our response to those situations that I am addressing.

Jesus had lots to say about being afraid, as did his Father before him. I counted 75 times in the NIV that the command (yes, command) was given: “Do not be afraid.”*

• God told Abraham, Hagar, Isaac, and Jacob, and Moses “Do not be afraid.”
• Moses told the children of Israel, the leaders, and Joshua “Do not be afraid.”
• Joshua told his leaders and the children of Israel “Do not be afraid.”
• God told Gideon, and Samuel told the people “Do not be afraid.”
• Jonathan told David, and David told Solomon “Do not be afraid.”
• The Lord told Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel “Do not be afraid.”
• Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel, and Zechariah relayed the message to the people they served “Do not be afraid.”
• The angel Gabriel said to Joseph, Mary, Zechariah, and the shepherds “Do not be afraid.”
• Jesus said to his disciples and other believers “Do not be afraid.”
• The angel said to the women who were looking for Jesus after he was crucified “Do not be afraid.”
• Jesus spoke to Paul in a vision “Do not be afraid.”
• Jesus spoke to John in a vision “Do not be afraid.”

The situations represented in the above examples are major, life and death situations. They are situations with apparently no way out. God is asking his people to trust him, to relocate, to serve him, to go to war, to deliver unpopular messages to wicked people, to believe the unbelievable, and all with severe consequences. But the message does not end there. Here is the complete message:

• As Moses said to Joshua in Deuteronomy 3:22: “Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you.”
• As Jesus says to his disciples in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
• We need to keep things in their proper perspective as the writer of Hebrews reminded us in Hebrews 13:6 (quoting Psalm 118:6): “So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

Jesus asked the question, “Why are you so afraid?” when he responded to the disciples who were with him in a boat in the middle of the lake in the middle of a storm (Matthew 8:23-27).  I don’t know if you have ever been in this situation, but I have. No matter how hardy your boat is or how experienced the driver, you are mostly out of control when the storm, winds, and waves are so strong. The men in the boat certainly had reason to be concerned. As experienced as they were on the water, this was truly a violent storm and the boat was in danger of being swamped.

Jesus asked the question, not because of the danger of the storm, but because He was right there with them. And then the Scripture says He rebuked the storm. That’s a pretty bold response. It’s Jesus. He could have just calmed the storm. He could have just stopped the storm. But he rebuked the storm. Some writers suggest that the storm was caused by Satan because he had a small target (the boat) containing his greatest enemies (Jesus and the disciples), and he thought he could take them out in one fell swoop. Jesus would have known that, because He knows all. He knows what is behind every storm that assails us. He not only knows all, but He is everywhere all the time, and He is all powerful. Why should the disciples be afraid when Jesus is right there with them?

Jesus asked the question, not because of the danger of the storm, but because He was right there with them. And then the Scripture says He rebuked the storm. That’s a pretty bold response. It’s Jesus. He could have just calmed the storm. He could have just stopped the storm. But he rebuked the storm. Some writers suggest that the storm could have been caused by Satan because he had a small target (the boat) containing his greatest enemies (Jesus and the disciples), and he thought he could take them out in one fell swoop. Jesus would have known that, because He knows all. He knows what is behind every storm that assails us. He not only knows all, but He is everywhere all the time, and He is all powerful. Why should the disciples be afraid when Jesus is right there with them?

Brothers and sisters, when your situation is troubling, when misfortunes occur in your life, call on Jesus. He has promised he will be there with us; he will fight with us and for us. He has not given these words to us as a platitude or even a suggestion. They are a command! When that irrational fear, that thing that keeps you awake at night or paralyzed with inactivity during the day seems to overcome you, use these verses to take away your fears. Call on Jesus; call on the Holy Spirit, just as He has commanded us. He will calm the storm, He will rebuke the enemy, He will provide for us, and He will give us peace.

Jesus asked the question, not because of the danger of the storm, but because He was right there with them. And then the Scripture says He rebuked the storm. That’s a pretty bold response. It’s Jesus. He could have just calmed the storm. He could have stopped the storm. But he rebuked the storm. Some writers suggest that the storm could have been caused by Satan because he had a small target (the boat) containing his greatest enemies (Jesus and the disciples), and he thought he could take them out in one fell swoop. Jesus would have known that, because He knows all. He knows what is behind every storm that assails us. He not only knows all, but He is everywhere all the time, and He is all powerful. Why should the disciples be afraid when Jesus is right there with them?

Brothers and sisters, when your situation is troubling, when misfortunes occur in your life, call on Jesus. He has promised he will be there with us; he will fight with us and for us. He has not given these words to us as a platitude or even a suggestion. They are a command! When that irrational fear, that thing that keeps you awake at night or paralyzed with inactivity during the day seems to overcome you, use these verses to take away your fears. Call on Jesus; call on the Holy Spirit, just as He has commanded us. He will calm the storm, He will rebuke the enemy, He will provide for us, and He will give us peace.

Do.Not.Be.Afraid.

In Christ,

Judy

*If you would like to research this for yourself, it’s easy. Just go to biblegateway.com and insert the words “Do not be afraid” in the search box. I’ve actually done it for you right here.

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’  Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven’” Matthew 16:13-17).

Continuing with the theme of exploring questions that Jesus asked, here’s another. It’s one of his more “famous” questions because of the impact of the answer. Notice that for all his teachings, “people” still didn’t believe that Jesus was divine. They thought he was a prophet, a wise man. However, God put it in Peter’s heart to understand the divinity of Jesus (Jesus said this was revealed to Peter by his Father in heaven). Peter’s answer became the foundation of the church; it is our Confession of Faith as believers.

As important as it is, let’s be honest. It’s really hard to get our arms around the idea of divinity, of true godliness. Who could fault Mary and Joseph for not really understanding, as we read last week? Who could fault the disciples for not getting it? I often wonder what my reaction would have been had I met Jesus when he was still walking on the earth. Even today, despite all the proof, God has to put it into our hearts if we are to have any real understanding.

I enjoy studying history. I have been reading lately about 15^th and 16^th century England which was, as it continues to be, ruled by kings and queens. Kings (and queens) in that time were thought to rule by divine right (I’m not sure what they think today). As sons and daughters–princes and princesses–proliferated, there could be challenges to exactly who possessed divine right at the time; however, most people did not question an anointed king’s divine right to rule. Perhaps it was easier to believe in the concept of royalty and divinity during those times when the people accepted the fact that they lived in subjection to a king, believing that the king was empowered with those rights by God. For us here in the United States, raised to be independent, raised under a government by the people and for the people, it is more difficult to understand the concept of living as a subject to a king who has power over us.

What is helpful, I believe, is to compare our King of Kings to those earthly kings. Most earthly kings were very human in their weaknesses. It was accepted when a king was a glutton, a drunkard, a womanizer, spendthrift, cruel, etc. However, our King is none of those things. He is perfect, and He is loving and full of grace. I can’t imagine subjecting myself to an earthly king; however, it is my joy to lift my hands in total praise to my heavenly King.

Just as Peter’s answer defined his faith, our answer to this question defines each one of us. It is core to who we are. To understand that Jesus is the Christ, son of God and one of three persons of the Trinity, we must believe his divine attributes. Even so, I pray often like the father who asked Jesus to rid his son of a demon, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:21-24 NIV)

• Do you believe that Jesus knows everything? (Matthew 16:21, Luke 11:17, John 4:29)
• Do you believe that Jesus is everywhere all the time? (Matthew 18:20, 28:20)
• Do you believe that Jesus has all power? (Matthew 8:26-27; John 11:38-44; Luke 7:14-15; Revelation 1:8)
• Do you believe that Jesus depends on nothing outside of himself for life? (John 1:4; 14:6)
• Do you believe that Jesus rules over everything? (Matthew 28: 18; Revelation 1:5; 19:16)
• Do you believe that Jesus was present and participated in Creation? (Colossians 1:16)
• Do you believe that Jesus will never cease to exist? (John 1:1; 8:58)

Jesus understands the challenge of believing in his divinity. He asked the question of his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” as a way to instruct them, and we should remind ourselves often of Peter’s answer, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” in order to re-orient ourselves to Jesus as God. Who else would you want to stake your life on? Who else would you want to worship?

Jesus, thank you for your patience as we grapple with our inability to truly comprehend your greatness. Give us wisdom. Help us to continually call on the Holy Spirit to help us in our unbelief to gain greater knowledge, and even more, a sweet relationship with you so that we can experience firsthand your character and attributes. We thank you that you have called us “friend,” and we give you all glory, honor, and praise as our King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

In Christ,

Judy