David Bahn – Reflections

And as Jesus was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” ²⁰ And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”²¹ And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” ²² Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

²³ And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”²⁴ And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God!²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him,“Then who can be saved?”²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” ²⁸ Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.”²⁹ Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, ³⁰ who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” – Mark 10:17-31

“Joe” was an elder in a church I served many years ago. He was dedicated, faithful, committed, and sincere. He had his quirks. Someone said of him, “He never lands.” That’s because he would talk, and talk, and talk, and talk…many words later you were not sure exactly what he was saying. I liked Joe. He was a friend, a hospitable guy. But Joe was nagged by a sense of guilt. He believed that he really was to become a pastor in the Lutheran church. But he had chosen another career path. To some extent it seemed that he was always trying to make up for that failure.

I have known others who deal with nagging guilt over a failure to do what they believed God wanted them to do. From dealing with their finances, to giving up a bad habit, to reneging on a commitment they realized that had not done what God wanted them to do and never were able to live joyfully free in Christ’s mercy.

That can happen when you read a passage such as this: perhaps we are the rich young man or woman who has much and fails to give it all away for the sake of following Jesus. Sometimes we apply things to ourselves that may not truly apply.

Having said that, however, it may be that a sense of guilt is God’s way of prodding us toward a fuller and deeper relationship with him.We may need to look under the rocks of gnawing guilt that are along our path as we follow Jesus. Is our wealth getting in the way of a life of devotion to God?  Are we using our time in God-pleasing ways? Are we withholding from God, or our neighbor, friend, or family member loving assistance that God wants us to give?

Jesus tells his followers that whenever we do let go of things for his sake or for the gospel we will discover deeper and greater blessings. His desire is not to push us away, but to bring us closer to him, and discover how blessed it is to give rather than to receive.

And they were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ¹⁵ Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” ¹⁶ And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. – Mark 10:13-16

Some 50(+/-) years ago Kathy, my sister, died in a tragic accident in our home. It was a traumatic event in our family. She was only 7 years old, and it left a hole in our hearts and our family. It was so comforting to think of these verses whenever we thought of Kathy: Blessed by Jesus. Received into his arms. Defended by him. Loved by God.

When our youngest son was born we had need to send him to a children’s hospital in a town 40 miles away. On the day we learned of this, I baptized him, and knew without a doubt that promises of God’s grace, love, and forgiveness were applied to him in that moment: a great relief and comfort.

Just a few years ago Diane and I were on our way home from a late night church meeting. It was not only dark, but late and lonely. We saw a young woman, about 40 years old, out in the dark, asking for money. Turned out she was getting money for her dog. We also learned that her name was Kathy. Later that night I realized that my sister would have been just about that age – had she lived. I still take a deep breath when I think of that night and that woman. Little children grow up to become women. Some carry scars from their younger years that stay with them for decades. Think of that the next time you see a young child. He or she will grow up to be a man or woman, shaped much by the love, kindness, discipline, mercy, grace and truth shared with him or her as a child.

Jesus valued children. He blessed them, taking them in his arms and laying his hands on them. He said that to such as them belong the kingdom of heaven. He told the people of his day that their angels continually behold the face of the Father in heaven. Jesus loves the little children. Any energy, love, care, protection, and kindness we pour into their lives is a reflection of his love. Any way we can do so is worthy of any effort it takes.

And Jesus left there and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan, and crowds gathered to him again. And again, as was his custom, he taught them.

² And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” ³ He answered them, “What did Moses command you?”⁴ They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” ⁵ And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. ⁶ But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ⁷ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, ⁸ and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. ⁹ What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

¹⁰ And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. ¹¹ And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, ¹² and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

If something is in the Bible one time, we know it is true. If it is the Bible two times, it is certainly true. What if it is in the Bible four or more times? It is most certainly true! Such is the case of the passage that first appears in Genesis 2:23-24, which Jesus quotes:

‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, ⁸ and the two shall become one flesh.’ (Mark 10:7; cf. Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31; Matthew 19:5)

This is a vitally important truth: God made us male and female, and established marriage as the means by which this identity is expressed: within a relationship of one man and one woman for life.

These three elements are part of a marriage relationship:

• Leaving: We become independent from our parents as we establish ourselves as husband and wife. Although we do marry a family as they say, this relationship of one woman to one man is a relationship that requires a new emotional alliance. The hearts of husband and wife are to be centered in each other. The larger family is certainly part of their relational orbit. But the center is no longer the home in which they grew up.
• Holding Fast: This is not a whim-based commitment or relationship. It is not a matter of convenience. It is not simply something to do on a day when there is nothing else to do. Holding fast means sticking together even in the turmoil of struggles over money, child-raising, running a household, and the like.
• Becoming One: The ultimate expression of marriage is the physical and sexual union of husband and wife. God has designed in such a manner that men and women give and receive pleasure in their intimate physical encounters. Nothing to be ashamed of here; sex is a delightful gift of God to be celebrated as such – within the bonds of marriage.

People are trying to trip up Jesus on this issue – the question is one of no fault divorce (exclusively at the husband’s whim). They think that keeping the Law of Moses in regard to marriage is something that is impossible without some sort of loophole. In fact, it is impossible to relate to one another within marriage apart from forgiveness. And whenever people abandon their marriage commitments they even more fully stand in need of God’s forgiveness.

Marriage is not merely a matter of legal morality. It is a precious union which God brings about. If it is broken – and often it is – there is forgiveness and mercy from God. But anyone who has experience that fracture will tell you that divorce is the gift that keeps on giving. It’s just that the gifts it brings are heart ache, nagging guilt, and emotional scarring.

Any marriage that has stood the test of time will also testify to the reality that two people who are united as one are truly Broken Together.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. ⁴³ And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. ⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. ⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ⁴⁸ ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ ⁴⁹ For everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰ Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” – Mark 9:42-50

I recall a Cub Scout outing to the local water purification plant when I was a young boy. It was a very interesting experience for more than one reason. The pumps, pipes, pools, and other equipment of the plant were fascinating to many of us young boys. Some were painted bright red. Others were interesting shapes, with bends and valves. But the most striking memory I have of that outing was when one of the leaders pushed me unexpectedly out over a steel grate in the floor which overlooked a part of the plant 20 feet below! All I saw in the moment was that I was 20 feet above a hard concrete floor with more equipment, pipes and valves. I didn’t see that the grate was built to hold the weight of several men – and maybe even a forklift or other piece of heavy equipment. It frightened me greatly – albeit for only a few seconds. He somehow got a kick out of doing that. I did not.

The image that Jesus uses here of causing someone to sin, is that of causing someone to stumble. This is far worse, however, than causing someone to be momentarily frightened, or even tripping someone on the sidewalk. This has to do with leading someone to fall off the path of faith, to be harmed spiritually, in his or her very being. It has to do with violating someone’s conscience, or turning someone’s attention away from the goodness, faithfulness, and love of God, causing faith to be replaced by distrust, skepticism, and bitterness toward God.

When you think of it, that’s what sin is: an abandonment of faith in God, a dismissal of hope in God’s goodness, a rejection of God’s love. All that is replaced by love for self, self-serving fear, and self-righteous judgmentalism – even of God. If we think of sin as only doing bad things, we sorely underestimate its power and devastating impact. Sin is the disease of unfaith, self-centered living, and prideful arrogance. It has to do with the condition of the heart that is unable to receive love or believe in God. Whatever causes us to stumble away from God, from faith, from love is not just a bad action. It is the stuff of eternal death and despair.

Jesus’ call is to protect those who believe in him. His gift is life. He grants that by means of his forgiveness – won at the terrible cost of his sacrificial death, and ratified by his triumphant resurrection from the grave. We who have received this gift must certainly seek to help others along the path onto which God has placed us by his grace.

John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” ³⁹ But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. ⁴⁰ For the one who is not against us is for us. ⁴¹ For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. – Mark 9:38-41

I remember hearing my mom and dad talking about meeting from time to time with other small motel owners in Cape Girardeau (my home town). It was a bit of a surprise to learn that their relations were warm. They were competitors, but friends as well. They realized that competition was good, but so was respect and friendship. When we ran out of rooms at the Sands, we would call the other motels to help people find a place to stay. I can recall making such phone calls from time to time. We would direct them down the street to the West Mount, the La Petite, or Town House motels. We knew people needed places to stay the night.

When the disciples worry about others who are engaging in unauthorized missionary activity it is as though they believe that Jesus is their sole possession. Jesus is not anyone’s exclusive agent. We might think we’re the only ones in town who are right, true, and faithful. But the love of Jesus, and the work of God spans boundaries, party lines, buildings, and gatherings of many types. It is not as though Jesus favors one brand over any other; he has to work with sinners if he is to work in this world at all.

If God had not been on our side we would surely not have prevailed. Our success is surly a sign of God’s favor. Such thoughts and ideas are easily grasped, and often embraced too quickly and uncritically. While it is true that the providential care of God extends into the affairs of women and men, the assumption that God is on our side needs serious examination. The idea puts the wrong person “in the dock,” as C.S. Lewis would say; it places the burden of proof on the wrong One.

The far more important question to be answered is whether or not we are on God’s side. It is also the better question to ask, for it does not presume to say whose side God has taken (a judgment of our own and others’ motives that ought not be taken lightly). Nor does it put one in the place of calling on God to take a side – as though he is some sort of commodity that is to be wooed and won by our merits, or even the justice of our cause. Such an attitude is anything but humble.

They say that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. That may be true. But even more true is that the friend of Jesus is my friend: my brother or sister in Christ. Rather than worrying about what he or she may be up to – authorized or not – we ought to be rejoicing in God’s work wherever and through whomever it is to be found.

They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, ³¹ for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” ³² But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

³³ And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” ³⁴ But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. ³⁵ And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶ And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” – Mark 9:30-37

It was a tense time. The seminary which I attended (Concordia Theological Seminary) was moving lock, stock, and barrell from Springfield, Illinois to the campus of Concordia Senior College in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The senior college was being closed, and the move was seen as highly political. Into that reality my friend and I were delegated to visit the students at the college, seeking to build some good relationships in anticipation of sharing the campus for our first year there and their last year on the campus.

Our meetings were going quite well. The senior college students were cordial and hospitable. Into that mix I thought I would be funny. I made a comment that was insensitive at best, and downright offensive at worst. Although I thought I was being funny about our move and their future plight, my attempt at levity fell flat. Mine were words unfitly spoken. I wish I could take them back these many years later.

I wonder if that’s how the disciples felt when Jesus asked them about their conversations on the road to Capernaum. Jesus had just predicted his death and resurrection. They so fully failed to grasp what that would mean that they began boasting to one another, arguing about who would be greatest. And Jesus busted them.

When you discover your words have been hurtful and destructive you can either rejoice in self-righteous satisfaction, ignore your verbal faux pas – hoping it will go away, or you can repent. Repentance is certainly the better choice and at least part of what Jesus means when he calls for his followers to do: put themselves last for the sake of Jesus’ message, and as a reflection of Jesus’ love for the lost, the little, and the least important.

Jesus’ example of blessing a child and exalting anyone who receives a child in his name is good news for those who are willing to be last and least. It will shape our speech, inform our posturing, and move us to acts of true kindness and mercy. It may even allow us more fully to appreciate Jesus sacrificial death for us, and embrace more completely the victory of his empty grave.

And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵ And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. ¹⁶ And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” ¹⁷ And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. ¹⁸ And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” ¹⁹ And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” ²⁰ And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. ²² And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” ²³ And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” ²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” ²⁵ And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” ²⁶ And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. ²⁸ And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁹ And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”  – Mark 9:14-29

There are at least three aspects of this encounter with which I can easily identify. Jesus, his disciples, and the father of the demon possessed boy present lessons on challenges, faith, and prayer. All of these things are simple. But none of them are easy. Therein lies the rub.

When we pray we are doing something quite simple: we are calling on the Creator of the Universe, the God who raised Jesus from the dead. We are asking God to exercise his power over against the forces of evil for our benefit and good. We may not be as consistent in prayer, or dedicated to calling on God first with the confidence that such is the true answer to our needs. Simple to say a prayer. Difficult to do so with great confidence and as a first resort.

When it comes to believing many people can identify with the father who says, “I believe, help my unbelief.” Faith is simple: looking to God for his favor and blessing; entrusting ourselves to his promises, goodness, and word. Simple, but we forget God’s promises. We take our eyes off Jesus. We ignore God’s word. Simple, but not easy.

Challenges and difficulties are common to us all. There are the stuff of life. Sometimes we become successful and well-known because we overcome difficulties and challenges. To face challenges is simple. To do so successfully is difficulty.

Jesus faces challenges, points his disciples to prayer as the means of overcoming the challenge (the demon-possessed young man), and points everyone to faith. Our calling is to take Jesus at his word, believe in his power over all forces of evil, and pray for God’s help along the way. Jesus is the champion of faithfulness. Thank God he is also our righteousness. He has done the simple but difficult thing of offering himself for our redemption, eternal blessing, and daily help in the face of every challenge we may face.

And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. ¹⁰So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. ¹¹ And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” ¹² And he said to them, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? ¹³ But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.” – Mark 9:9-13

There are two ways you can hear the phrase, “I’m not going to lie to you.” One is with skepticism: You mean you normally do lie to me, but this time you’re not?!? “I will pay back the money I want to borrow.” The other is with good faith: So you’re revealing something you would not normally reveal, but you want me to know. “I’m not going to lie to you, it was the hardest day of my life.”

We don’t need Jesus to tell us he’s not lying, but in these moments following his transfiguration he is offering some sobering truth to his disciples. This is a hard reality check that is of the type that people would rather not hear. This is not good news in the normal sense of the term. It is a sad report of the current state of the faith and the spiritual condition of the world in which they lived.

Jesus was going to die. That was implied in his instruction about not telling anyone what they had seen until he had risen from the dead. While the disciples were confused and puzzled about what that meant, they were also confused about the coming of Elijah.

My sense is that Jesus was agreeing with the Scribes, but putting that in a context that that no one really understood. Things were happening that were beyond the mere outward appearances. Elijah had come. This was John the Baptizer. They had done to him as they pleased – putting him to death. Jesus pointed them to the suffering servant and the contempt he would endure. This suffering and all injustice suffered by the godly is bathed in the grace of God. For by Jesus’ suffering, and in spite of all injustice, God is at work.

Things are not always as good at they ought to be, but this does not negate God’s rule and reign over all. Even when the greatest and most faithful servants of Christ are mistreated, God is at work. His work is that of redemption, salvation, rescue, and deliverance. Sometimes we need to be reminded of the truth of our plight. This Jesus will consistently do. The whole truth of all this – and even the most unjust of situations – is that God is redeeming his people. There is a great victory before Jesus, and for all who trust in him. That truth of God is precious to all who also embrace the grace in which it is bathed.

And Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

² And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, ³ and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵ And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” ⁶ For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. ⁷ And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.” ⁸ And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only. – Mark 9:1-8

Can you imagine your most favorite place on earth? Now try describing it to someone who has never been there. Better yet, try describing it to a blind person. How would you describe it? Colors? Sounds? Smells? Textures? Tastes?

This is the challenge of explaining the rule and reign of God to someone: how do you describe it? What does it look like? What does it feel like? Is it compelling, or exciting, frightening, or desirable?

On the mountain of transfiguration we have a small clue. Jesus has told his disciples that there were some standing there who would not die before they had seen the rule and reign of God having come with power. Then six days later…

• Jesus is transfigured – his clothes, appearance and being shines with unborrowed light.
• Two Old Testament representatives (representing the Law and the Prophets, and notably having not died in the normal manner of man)  appear with him in the splendor of his glory.
• Peter, James, and John see it all.
• God announces that Peter (and any of us prone to speak at such holy moments) should shut up and listen to Jesus.
• Then, in the end, there is only Jesus.

As I consider this event, I conclude that if you are to describe the rule and reign of God you would listen to Jesus, and try to exercise restraint of speech! Listening requires work, effort, intentionality, and concentration. It means putting aside distractions. It calls for us to wait until he speaks in a non-anxious manner, ready to learn and be shaped by him.

Listening to Jesus means that we see his words, teachings, and example as trumping all others. We may have heroes (Martin Luther, Ansel Adams or Vivian Maier come to my mind). We may read other books, watch movies, or listen to various podcasts. But in the end, Jesus’ teachings takes precedence. He is the One whose presence, word, and being is the axis of all that is the rule and reign of God. Listen… to Jesus. We have precious few of his words (cf. John 20:30-31). But the few we have are precious: they bring light and life to the soul.

And Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³² And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³ But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

³⁴ And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ³⁵ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. ³⁶ For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? ³⁷ For what can a man give in return for his soul? ³⁸ For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” – Mark 8:31-38

They say that there are no dumb questions. To a certain extent that is true. Often the dumb question we ask is something everyone in the room is wishing to have answered. There are also no unloaded questions. There certainly are, however, smart and insightful questions; good questions. A question well-crafted can reveal a need, an opportunity, a challenge, or a danger that needs to be surfaced.

Jesus asks a question the answer to which is vitally important to all people: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” He follows that with another question: “For what can a man give in return for his soul?” The answers to these two questions are of vital importance. These questions also reveal a dire need, and a grave possibility.

There will come a day of judgment. There will be a final balancing of the scales. We will all stand before the judgement seat of God and give an account of everything we have done in this life. It is possible to go through life, having it all, enjoying life’s privileges, joys, pleasures and every good thing, yet forfeiting our souls in the meantime. We can lose our souls in pursuit of worldly pleasure, ease, safety, security, and wellbeing. We can gain all those things yet not be alive or face a hopeless, godless, agony-filled eternity. We can have it all and take it with us to the grave only to burn in hell.

So what will a person give in exchange for his soul? Is it possible to face down the fact that to one extent or another we have all sold our souls for a bowlful of porridge, and embraced values to which we have sold our souls which will never sustain us beyond the grave, and rob us now of deeper joy and life. In short, we have all sinned. We have made ourselves little gods who rule and reign over pathetic fiefdoms of our own making. What will a man give in exchange for his soul? We sell them all too cheaply.

Thank God Jesus asked those questions. Thank God Jesus knew that in order to redeem us he would have to suffer and die at the hands of sinners. Thank God that he told Peter to get in his place. Thank God that he calls us to a higher life of sacrifice and service so that we can discover the depths of true abundant life that comes from God.

Jesus did not sell his soul for anyone of anything. He confronted his closest disciple brutally when he stood in the way of God’s plan. He gave his whole life for the sake of the Gospel. He has redeemed us by his suffering and death. He will come again on the Great Last Day to receive all who are his own into his eternal paradise, the joy and bliss of heaven. What good is it if we get everything right but that?