Living in the Spirit
September 10, 2023
Scripture Reading: Matthew 16:21-28
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’
Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?
‘For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.’
The Greek word psuché* translated in this scripture as life is more akin to the English word soul—a person’s distinct identity (unique personhood), i.e. individual personality*. Losing our souls means losing the essence of who we were created to be. Eventually, all humans stop breathing, which is one of the physical workings of our bodies. Our soul is that part of us that is unique and, I believe, was created for God’s purpose. Finding God’s purpose and living God’s purpose is our acceptance of the cross we are called to carry. Jesus’s cross was not just the one he carried to Golgotha. It was the whole package of his teaching and setting the example for how we would live and his resurrection. Living in close connection with God is the best way God can guide us in becoming the best person we can be as we build God’s beloved community.
Prayer: Lord, help us understand and live into being the person you created us to be. Amen.
* https://biblehub.com/greek/5590.htm
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.