WHAT SHALL A MAN GIVE IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS SOUL?

Mark Reynolds

INTRODUCTION

Most agree that the second chapter of Acts is the “hub of the Bible.” If one were to choose the “hub of Matthew,” it would most certainly be the sixteenth chapter. In this single chapter of the Bible is found the greatest question, “...Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (Matthew 16: 13). Then following this question Jesus asks, “...But who do you say that I am?” (16:15). The greatest confession is found in this pinnacle passage, “...You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (16:16). The great blessing is received, “...Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (16:17). The greatest assurance is given, “...I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (16:18). The great promise is made, “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (16:19) (Connally, 456-57). The greatest tragedy is foretold as Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer (16:21). The chapter then draws to a conclusion with the greatest challenge ever given: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (16:24). Jesus challenges His followers to deny themselves and follow Him. He does not, however, leave them without good reason for accepting this challenge. In fact, He assures them that accepting and accomplishing this challenge will save their souls! This challenge then is both logical and rewarding (16:27).

Encapsulated in this challenge and promise of reward is perhaps the greatest reminder for mankind: “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (16:26). The greatness of the question is not in its difficulty to answer. In fact little children can answer it. What good does it do a man to gain the whole world, but lose his soul in the end? Nothing! What will a man give in exchange for his soul? Again, any reasonable person can answer the question verbally. The greatness in the question is found in the reminder it gives to every human being who strives to live a godly life. It shows the vast difference between “the things of God” and the “things of men” of which Jesus spoke to Peter (16:23). The questions Jesus asked beg the answer: Always mind the things of God! In order to get the full impact of this great reminder, it is imperative to understand the two polar opposites, the things of men and the things of God. After understanding the differences, one should be able to answer Jesus’ questions, not only intellectually, but also spiritually.

THE THINGS OF GOD

From this pivotal passage through the remainder of the book Jesus begins preparing His disciples for the cross and everything associated with it. “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Matthew 16:21, emph. added MER). Peter did not like this kind of talk in the slightest: “Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to you! But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men’” (Matthew 16:22-23, emph. added MER).

It is essential to see the “must” in the things of God, i.e. Jesus must go to Jerusalem. The “must” in the things of God is further implied in the remainder of the verse: He must suffer many things, He must be killed, and He must be raised the third day (Morgan, 217). Peter rejected this kind of talk because in his mind if Jesus only eliminated the first statement concerning going to Jerusalem than the rest could also be avoided. To Peter, Jerusalem should be the last place his Master should go, because that is where the hatred of Jesus was the strongest. To Jesus, however, it was where His whole purpose in coming would culminate.

Although this may have been the first time the disciples of Jesus heard His plans of going to Jerusalem; it was not the first time Jesus had contemplated it, and this is where “the things of God” are beautifully seen. When Jesus made the statement that He must go Jerusalem and suffer all these things, He was not simply talking of being dedicated to an ideal in a strictly human way. “He spoke with the force of His ageless life; the Divine and eternal counsels of God were operating in Him and through Him, and driving Him along that pathway” (Campbell, 218). In other words, God does not view a problem in the same way men do. He is able to see the beginning, middle, and ending of the problem and solution. Before God even made man, He already had a plan to save their souls:

While it is the case that Peter did not understand this concept fully when he rebuked Jesus; he would later understand and preach it to the Jews at Pentecost:

The “things of God” are never decided on a whim. Decisions are never made without every single fact being considered, whether past, present or future. When Jesus said, “I must go to Jerusalem;” He said it knowing what the outcome would be. He would go to Jerusalem. He would suffer many things. He would be killed. And He would be raised the third day! Not because He had no choice in the matter, for indeed He did: “Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels” (Matthew 26:53). But the “things of God” had already been determined, prophesied, and He must carry them out: “How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus” (Matthew 26:54, emph. added MER). God’s greatest desire was to do what was best, not for Himself, but for His creation. And He made this decision before He even created man. These are the things of God.

THE THINGS OF MEN

While the words of Jesus in Matthew 16 beautifully describe “the things of God,” Peter unintentionally gives an adequate example of “the things of men.” After Jesus began to tell His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer, Peter offered a rebuttal: “Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!’” (Matthew 16:22). Jesus said, “I must!” Peter said, “You must not!” Something had to give.

Peter did not see the ultimate purpose of Christ, even after having just confessed Him as the Son of God. He lived only in the immediate moment, which is the way of men without God. Peter was thinking only of avoiding the punishment of Christ without giving thought to all the Scriptures that pointed to this point. He was not remembering the promise God made that the Seed’s heel would be bruised (Genesis 3:15). He did not contemplate what Isaiah said of the Suffering Servant: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our people was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Peter did not recall any of this when he rebuked the Savior; he only saw the “here and now.” Morgan succinctly shows the folly of this:

Satan thrives on trying to get the followers of Christ off their main goal and purpose. In fact, this is his greatest and most dastardly trick! Think of the times when you, dear reader, have stumbled and fallen. Was it not because you took your eyes off the goal? When man forgets what brought him to Christ; that longing for something greater; the desire to have his sins washed away; the opportunity to start all over in his relationship to Almighty God. When man forgets where he has been there is trouble. When men forget where they are going; when they forget that for which they are reaching; when they take their minds off of heaven they are surely ready to fall. Peter forgot his place in relationship to Christ, and for this he was rebuked.

While Jesus’ rebuke to Peter was sharp and pointed, “Get behind Me, Satan!” there was also kindness and compassion shown by our Lord. He did not say, “Get thee hence,” as He had previously said to Satan (Matthew 4:10). Peter was instructed to get back behind Jesus where he belonged; in other words he was commanded to forsake his role as instructor and resume that of a follower (Coffman, 257). Peter stepped in front of Christ, and for a moment took the lead implying that Christ should follow him. Jesus reminded him that He (Jesus) is God, and Peter was His creation. This was not the only time Peter needed to be reminded of this. Peter took the lead when he told Christ that He would never was his feet! Jesus tenderly told him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me (John 13:8). Peter took the lead when he stepped in front of Christ and cut off the ear of Malchus (Matthew 26:51; John 18:10). Jesus tenderly reminded Peter that He did not need His help on this occasion and healed Malchus. Peter often thought he had a better plan than the plan of God. Peter’s plan seemingly was for Jesus to avoid Jerusalem, avoid the cross, and stay on the earth forever. Peter’s plan may have been better for the immediate situation, but it would have cost him his soul in the end if Jesus did not die for him.

Truth be told, all have been guilty of Peter’s transgression. All have stepped out of their God-given role and assumed the lead. Whether they consciously thought this or not; this is exactly what men do when they stop following God. Men say to God, “My ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts!” “God, I believe my plan for happiness and fulfillment for my life is better than your plan.” This is being mindful of the things of men, and just like Peter, it will cost a man his soul unless he gets back in his rightful place behind Christ.

THE WAY OF SALVATION

Deny Self

After Jesus’ rebuke of Peter, He turns His attention to the other disciples gathered there, and told them: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Herein lies the secret of learning how to leave “the things of men” behind. A man must learn to deny self. Even in the church there are many that do not understand the meaning of self-denial. Many believe that they must always have a froe in their brow, and harshness to nearly everything pleasurable. This goes all the way back to the ideal of the Ascetics of the Middle Ages who thought that living the life of a hermit, and punishing oneself would bring them closer to God. They deprived themselves of the joy of fellowship, families, recreation and more in the hopes that this would make them more spiritual. God does not desire that this life be miserable for His people. On the contrary, Jesus came so that we could live an abundant life (John 10:10). When one denies self in the way that Jesus commands him, he really loses nothing at all that is good for him. He denies things that only bring temporary satisfaction, but end in ruin. Denying self will make a Christian a better spouse, parent, church member, and much more. And all of these things make this earthly life worth living

Follow Me

The only way a Christian can know he is minding the things of God is to follow Christ. This is the Christian’s purpose; this is his all! The Christian must cooperate with the purpose of Almighty God. Whatever it takes! Does this mean he must sometimes suffer? Does it mean that the way may be hard at times? Perhaps so, but the only way to follow Christ is to fully surrender to Him. Not just by word, but also by deed. A complete surrender to His will.

Jesus had to rebuke Peter at times, but Peter learned the lessons that Jesus taught. Peter cooperated in the purpose of God, and gave himself wholly to His purpose. This is beautifully portrayed in an occasion just before Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Jesus asked Peter of his love for Him three times (the same number of times Peter denied him), and listened as Peter proclaimed his love for Jesus: “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You” (John 21:17). After this Jesus told Peter:

Then the very next verse tells the reader what it is all about: “This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ‘Follow Me’” (John 21:19, emph. added MER). Oh how Peter heeded those words and took them to his heart! Peter dedicated the remainder of his life wholly giving himself to “the things of God” and if secular history is right (and we have no reason to doubt it), Peter was crucified upside down because he would not deny his Lord (Eusebius, 129). Whatever it takes!

Most Christians will never have to face what Peter faced for following Christ, but must still be willing to “fight the fight, finish the race, and keep the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7). Wherever the words of Jesus, revealed in the Bible, lead us; we must be willing to follow in regards to salvation, the church, doctrine, discipline, everything…no matter what!

The Value of the Soul

The close of the chapter shows the importance of everything discussed when Jesus tells the reader what is at stake:

This question concludes all the previous statements of Jesus regarding the things of God. Why should a man focus his attention always on the things of God? The answer is given in the question Jesus asks: “Why shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” The obvious answer is nothing! Even if he could somehow gain all the riches in the entire world, it would still not be worth losing his soul! What is seventy-five years (the average lifespan) compared to eternity? The soul continues to live after this life is over.

Further, our soul was made in the image of Almighty God (Genesis 1:26-27). God does not have a physical body like ours, so it must be the soul that is made in His image. We get our physical body from the genetics of our parents, and much of who we are depends on the DNA dealt to us although we can change it a little by diet, exercise, and maybe even surgery (Copeland). The soul, however, is unique because we have a special ability to shape it when we mind the things of God.

Still further the soul is priceless because of the cost required to redeem it. Before a person answers Jesus’ question it would be good to answer this one: What did Jesus give in exchange for my soul? “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Jesus literally gave Himself! If my soul was important enough for Jesus to leave the glory of heaven, take on flesh and be subject to the things of this earth, then my soul must be of the greatest importance.

Unfortunately, many exchange their soul everyday for things that bring only fleeting fun. Just think of some of the reasons people leave the church. Some leave for “greener grasses” of false religion. They marry someone who attends a denomination and give up the Lord to keep “peace” in the home. Rather than standing for the truth, or not marrying a non-Christian in the first place, they tuck their tales and consent. Others leave the Lord for the pleasures of sin. Even if they attend every service of the church, they still live a worldly life and never fully commit to the Lord. As the slogan goes, “To be almost saved it to be totally lost.” To be partially faithful is to be totally unfaithful. Still others exchange their souls through simple laziness (Copeland). They deem the gospel too difficult to follow and view the law of Christ as a burden rather than a help. They forget that the law is there to protect us and to give us a happy life. Whatever the exchange rate, one never comes out ahead when he gives up on his soul.

CONCLUSION

Jesus closes this chapter with the motivation His followers need to “keep on keeping on”: “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works (Matthew 16:27). Why should a man forsake the “things of men” and be mindful of the “things of God?” Why should a man deny himself and follow Christ? Because Jesus will come in the glory of His Father and will reward each according to his works! For those who overcome the world they will exchange earth’s trash for heaven’s treasure. Jesus promises it, and He cannot lie!

Self-examination is a wonderful thing. It can help catch early diseases in the flesh, but even more, it can help catch spiritual disease. After studying this great chapter of the Bible it would do each person well to ask himself the question: “Am I minding the things of God?” If the answer is no, think of what is holding you back and ask yourself one last question: “Is it worth exchanging my soul for it?”

WORKS CITED

Coffman, James Burton. Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew. Abilene, TX. A.C.U. Press, 1974.

Copeland, Mark. “The Value of A Soul.”http://executableoutlines.com/matt/mt16_26.htm May 1, 2010.

Connally, Andrew. “Passion; Resurrection; And Coming Foretold.” The Book of Matthew. Getwell Church of Christ Lectures. Memphis: Sain Publications, 1988.

Eusebius. “The Church History of Eusebius.” Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1. Peabody, MS. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. 1995. 

Morgan, G. Campbell. The Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI. Fleming H. Revell. 1994.

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