Seeds for 10/19/2023 - Matthew 16:24-28
Scripture: Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done.
“Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Observation: So Jesus has defined discipleship in terms of becoming a student, a follower, an apprentice. It is modeling one’s life after the instruction and example of the Teacher. Perhaps we could think of discipleship as being like medical students in residency. They are learning not to pass a test in school, but to practice medicine—it’s not less than having the critical knowledge, but it’s far more than that too. Disciples of Jesus are learning to practice a Divine Image-bearing life, which is the imitation of Jesus.
One reason (of many) that this is important is that it matters to our soul. We will seek to gain something. It is more urgent, more critical to gain a healthy soul than all that the world can offer.
The reason this is so important to be clear about is that there will come a day of accounting by Jesus and “He will reward each person according to what they have done.” What might He mean by this? Looking at the immediate context, it seems to me that this fits neatly with their choice regarding Jesus’ discipleship call. Did they answer this call to discipleship/apprenticeship that Jesus extends at the beginning of the paragraph or not?
Situating this passage within our understanding of salvation and grace, to receive Jesus’ gift of saving grace may be understood as two sides of a single coin. One side of that coin is becoming reconciled to God relationally through pardon of sin. The other side is being restored as a Divine Image-bearer through active, obedient cooperation with the Spirit’s maturing work in us. Becoming a disciple involves both of these works—reconciliation and restoration. Jesus’ words here teach us that spiritual maturity is not optional. It goes hand in glove with anything else we might have to say about salvation.
Application:
When do you find self denial less difficult? When do you find self denial more challenging?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, may I respond to your grace, not only by receiving pardon for sin, but also by obediently cooperating with the grace that restores me in the likeness of Jesus. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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