One of the best known tales in English literature is The Tragic History of Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe.
It’s based on the German legend of a successful scholar who was dissatisfied with his life and decides to make a deal with the devil. He sells his soul in exchange for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasure.
For a period of time, Dr. Faustus experiences power and earthly delights beyond his wildest dreams. But in the end, his time runs out and the exchange takes place. He’s damned forever. He gained for a moment what was valuable in this world, but lost for eternity what was valuable in the world to come. The story is definitely tragic.
Is that the kind of exchange Jesus is talking about when he asks,
“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Doesn’t Jesus’ comment here indicate that some people will forfeit their immortal souls and experience endless torment in hell because of it? Aren’t they in essence making the same deal that Dr. Faustus made?
No, they’re not.
Jesus made this statement in Matthew 16:26 while talking to His disciples immediately after predicting His upcoming death and resurrection.
In the verse just before this one, Matthew 16:25, He tells them that anyone who wants to be His disciple must deny himself, take up his cross and follow Him. He then says that whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Jesus’ sake will find it.
The Greek word that’s translated as life in that sentence is the same word that’s translated as soul in the verse we’re looking at. Translating the word differently in the two connected sentences gives the mistaken impression that Jesus is talking about two different things – one’s life on earth on one hand, and one’s eternal soul on the other. But He’s not.
Jesus is not speaking about gaining or losing one’s eternal soul in this passage. He’s talking about the cost of being one of His followers here and now. Those who pursue their own agendas instead of following Him may gain earthly riches and honor, but they will lose the truly meaningful and purposeful life for which they were created.
Just after writing that paragraph for my book, I saw this sign in the subway in New York City.
“Sometimes when people get what they want, they realize how limited their goals are.”
That phrase actually captures the essence of what Jesus is saying in Matthew 16:26. Those who pursue worldly power and delights in this life instead of indentifying with Christ are short-sighted, not realizing that in the end they’ve wasted their lives on things that are trivial.
From Heaven's Doors . . . Wider Than You Ever Believed!
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