“What shall a man give in Exchange?”...the Wayfarer 4/1/16

“What shall a man give in Exchange?”
4/1/16

“Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

(Mark 8:37)

I expect that today’s topic will not be a popular one, and will make many uncomfortable.

That is fine, as that is my intent to do so!

As we get into this particular scripture, we find Jesus rebuking Peter, that staunch disciple that would later become the foundation on which the Church was formed.

Let’s back up a bit for context:

“And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I  am?

And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say Elias; and others, One of the prophets.

And he saith unto them, But whom do ye say that I am? And Peter saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.

And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.

And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.

But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.”

(Mark 8:27-33)

Peter, at this point, still did not quite comprehend the necessity of the sacrifice of our Lord, and it was his desire that no sacrifice was necessary.

He attempted to take our Lord to task, because of his failure to see the true nature of the kingdom promised, yet to come, and what was required for mankind to achieve that kingdom.

He still had his eyes set on the things of this world, the treasures of this world, and the promises of this world, instead of the true kingdom and true treasures and the true promise!

Jesus in turn made clear to Peter his mistake, and just where the emphasis needed to be placed!

"And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

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.

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his 
 Father with the holy angels.”

(Mark 8:34-38)

Although I suspect this scripture is quite familiar to most who will read it, I also suspect that few have given a great deal of thought to its meaning to themselves.

The large majority of the world’s populace, to include many who profess Christianity, fail to recognize the pertinence of this statement made by our Lord, and continue about their business, blissful in seeking more and more of the “treasures, and rewards”, available here, giving little thought or credence to the soul that lives on far after all those treasures and rewards are left behind.

Folk lore has it that Robert Johnson, a well-known blues guitarist and singer, sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads one dark midnight, long ago, to achieve his goals of being that well-known guitarist and singer.

I find that song, he recorded long ago, to be a parable, and lesson to all who would listen to the message it gave, that the rewards given were temporary and inadequate, and that he was cheated instead of receiving any blessing from that experience.

Each man comes to a cross road in his life where he must make a decision of which branch to follow. The only surety is that he can no longer turn back from the way in which he came to be there, he must either go forward down the same road, or turn left or right to reach his final destination.

Each direction that that road leads has its own allures that are easily seen.

Each also has its pitfalls and dangers that are often disguised and hidden by the shadows, or the shimmer of the perceived treasures that lie ahead.

One of the paths, however, is clear, and shows the hardships that will be encountered, the difficulty in navigating its curves, hills, potholes, and the burden that must be carried by each that chooses to take it.

Unlike the other choices available, it is well lit, undisguised in its difficulty and pain, soreness of mind and body, that must be endured, and offers no fame or fortune along its way, only the reward to be had at the end of the journey taken down it.

It requires sacrifice, self-denial, service to be rendered to others without recompense, surety of purpose, security of wherein the final destination is that the road leads, and the steadfastness of faith in the assistance that has been offered to arrive there.

It is a path taken by very few indeed, but available to all!

Jesus spent a great deal of time explaining the requirements of that path, and the consequences of choosing wrongly the direction that may be taken:

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

(Matthew 7:13&14)

Which gate did you choose to take to get to the destination that awaits you?

Which path are you walking as you continue toward that destination?

Do you carry the cross and its burden with you down the path, or have you laid it aside to pick up the glittering and glamorous distractions that litter the path you travel?

What have you gained that is worth the price you pay once it is gone, and the soul neglected has been given in exchange for that which is then worthless?

If you have chosen the path that leads to Christ and the promises He made of life, and abundance, you have chosen wisely. If distracted from, and away from, that path, you may find your way back to it through the gift of redemption through repentance, and through the ensuing faith gained by that repentance.

Again all choices made, have consequences, all actions taken will be met by reactions to those actions. All decisions made will be called into account, both in this life, and at the judgment seat.

All choices and decisions are made, and must be made, by you alone, and all responsibility for those decisions is yours alone as well.

As you progress through the trials of this life, bear in mind that it is only a pale rehearsal for one to come, and that while this one is temporal and temporary, the one yet to come is eternal, and one faced by the soul based on the decisions made by you while still in the body you may seek to mollify and glorify while disregarding that soul.

I close once more with the Love of my Savior, for all, praying that the path may be made clear, and be well lit for you, and that you carry the burden asked of each of us, and, that as you do so, you lean on the support of Christ Jesus, finding comfort in the Holy Spirit instead of the glitz and glamor that would steal the real prize at the end of you journey.

“Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

Eyes on the prize!

I remain as always nothing more, nor less, than the same simple sinner saved by grace through faith in my Savior, bearing my own burdens to include that cross I have been asked to carry, leaning on Him when it becomes so heavy I must drop to my knees to seek the assistance to stand and carry it.

I remain also the faithful soldier in His service, of a necessity at war with the things along the path that are easily recognized as the demons they are, whose deceptions and false promises mislead so many.

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Amen and Amen
the Wayfarer