Mark 8:35 AV
For whosoever will¹ save² his life³
shall lose it⁴;
but whosoever shall lose his life
for my sake and the gospel’s,
the same shall save it.
¹) Whosoever is willing, whosoever has in mind, whosoever intends, or is determined, wishes or desires.
²) To save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction.
³) 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.
⁴) Shall destroy it, shall put it entirely out of the way, shall abolish it, shall put it to ruin, perishes it, destroys it. Metaphorically: to devote, or give it over to eternal misery in hell
Other translations
For whoever wants to save his [higher, spiritual, eternal] life, will lose it [the lower, natural, temporal life which is lived only on earth]; and whoever gives up his life [which is lived only on earth] for My sake and the Gospel 's will save it [his higher, spiritual life in the eternal kingdom of God]. [AMP] For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. [ESV] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. [KJV] For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. [NIV] If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life. [NLT] For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. [NKJV]
Some further information:
Loses his life… will save it.
This paradoxical saying reveals an important spiritual truth:
▪︎ Those who pursue a life of ease, comfort, and acceptance by the world will not find eternal life.
▪︎ On the other hand, those who give up their lives for the sake of Christ and the gospel will find it (Cf. John 12:25).
Gospel
▪︎ The glad tidings of the kingdom of God soon to be set up, and subsequently also of Jesus the Messiah, the founder of this kingdom.
After the death of Christ, the term comprises also the preaching of (concerning) Jesus Christ as having suffered death on the cross to procure eternal salvation for the men in the kingdom of God, but as restored to life and exalted to the right hand of God in heaven, thence to return in majesty to consummate the kingdom of God.
▪︎ The glad tidings of salvation through Christ.
▪︎ The proclamation of the grace of God revealed and pledged in Christ.
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In a first statement, the Lord Jesus told His disciples and the crowd that whoever wants to belong to Him must deny himself, take his cross upon himself, and follow Him (Mark 8:34).
Now He gave them a further motivation in a second statement.
In this statement He used twice the word psuché, which can literally be translated as ‘soul’. This word is to be understood here in the Hebrew sense: as designating the life of man. We could even describe it as “himself” in this context.
In this statement, Jesus contrasted two tendencies.
On the one hand there is the natural tendency of man to safeguard his own life (‘himself’). If anyone wants to be a follower of Him, he must refrain from that.
After all, completely different rules apply in the Kingdom of God, that Jesus came to bring. There the rule applies that whoever gives up himself saves his life, however contradictory that may sound. But the Kingdom is completely different from the old world.
Anyone who continues to follow the natural inclination causes his own downfall.
There is perspective – Jesus assured His disciples, and the crowd – only when a person gives himself up for Him and for the Gospel.
The “for my sake” is decisive (cf. Matthew 10:38). The same goes for the ‘for the Gospel’.
The message of His suffering, death and resurrection (Mark 8:31) presents a man with the same choice (Mark 9:24).
Now let us reflect on this
Who doesn’t want to keep his life?
After all, will a person not give everything he has for his life?
It is the most precious thing he has, his life!
But the true preservation of our life cannot be obtained without losing the life. That’s the paradox of the Gospel.
Whoever will lose his life for the sake of Jesus and for the sake of the gospel will save it.
You can lose your life for all kinds of things.
▪︎ You can lose your life, for the sake of the country, like in the last war.
▪︎ Or you may lose your life, because you lived in sins, that destroyed your strength.
But now here it says to lose life, for Jesus’ sake. And for the sake of the Gospel.
That happened during the time of the persecution of the church. In the old church and in the reformation time. And that still happens in some countries where Christianity is not tolerated.
Why? Because the Gospel and Jesus were more valuable to them than their lives.
They did not love their lives even to death, John writes in Revelation.
Jesus was worth more to them than life. And the Gospel too.
Is that true in your heart too?
Who do I have on earth besides Him?
Twitter: @SchoemakerHarry
Website 1: https://devotionals.harryschoemaker.nl
Website 2: http://bijbelplaatjes.nl
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