The Bli ss ful Sting of Ma tt hew 10:39 In preparation to lead a Wednesday morning devotion for our BMM team, the Lord led me to a verse that has truly gripped me: Matthew 10:39. The NIV translation is the one I am most familiar with, and I believe it is the most common among believers: “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” The verse is a blissful sting; a sting that demands attention and action. The Importance of Context
The Real Sting: A Fresh Look Through The Message Translation
One of my favorite translations to cross-reference with the NIV is The Message. Matthew 10:38-39 reads: “If you don’t go all the way with Me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve Me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to Me, you’ll find both yourself and Me.” Like many other believers, I strive to hear ‘Well done, good and faithful servant,’ but thinking of Jesus saying, ‘Unless you walk with me through thick and thin, you do not deserve me’ (MSG) is an entirely different train of thought. That sentence really does sting. I have always appreciated The Message translation of the Word of God because it gets right to the point and is written in common language. Just imagine Jesus standing before you saying, ‘…you don’t deserve Me!’ That would just break my heart, but at the same time, it really sheds light on the fact that Jesus actually intends to walk with us through thick and thin: through the highs and lows, through the gains and the losses, through health and death. He wants to be there every step along the way, not just when it suits us. This scripture leaves us with a question: what are we willing to give up in order to follow Jesus and His perfect will and plan? What is worth surrendering to gain Him? What needs to be left at the altar in order to fully take up the cross? Once again, it’s a blissful sting. Amen! “HE WHO FINDS HIS LIFE WILL LOSE IT, AND HE WHO LOSES HIS LIFE FOR MY SAKE WILL FIND IT.” MATTHEW 10:39
The context of this verse is key! Jesus was speaking to His disciples when He said this startling sentence. The disciples would not have taken Him literally or associated His words with His death—or theirs. Jesus was teaching His disciples to willingly give up their own lives in order to follow His. For modern readers, this verse is also metaphorical. Jesus is asking me, and you, to put down our own agenda and the plans we have set up for ourselves and completely surrender to Him. Of As our team began to process and share about this verse, it occurred to me that it’s actually quite radical. In one sentence, the reader is challenged/advised to ‘die to oneself.’ Furthermore, a Biblically sound phrase often used in Christian circles is that ‘one must pick up their cross and die to themselves daily.’ When I truly pondered this phrase, I was excited, but truth be told, I felt challenged. Honestly, I think this is a phrase that gets thrown around too often without a deep understanding of its meaning or application. It’s human nature to strive for things: set goals and accomplish them, or better yet, exceed expectations. Matthew 10:39 is asking that we put our goals and expectations aside for the One True Goal: to follow Jesus and submit to His plans rather than our own. course, that is easier said than done! The Radical Charge: Die to Yourself! I saw this idea play out in my early 20s, and I learned a great lesson! In college, I pursued a degree in Business with an emphasis in Finance, which led to my first ‘big-girl job’ as an Accountant. I was proud of my grades and felt very accomplished that I landed a great job straight out of college, especially one that earned a high salary. I truly thought I was happy and doing well. That was until the Lord spoke to me to let go of my Accountant role and pursue full-time ministry at my local church (making a substantially lower salary). Initially, I couldn’t understand why the Lord would ask this of me; it felt like a downgrade on all levels. However, in the end, I can clearly see this as a ‘die to yourself’ moment. Essentially, it’s dying to titles and accolades, the high- paying salary compared to working for a modest salary (like my switch from Accounting to Ministry), not making your name known, but rather making Jesus known, and walking in humility rather than selfishness. But here’s the good news, which is the second half of Matthew 10:39: ‘whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.’ I am living out this charge and truly see the benefit; I have found more happiness, contentment, and fulfillment by following Jesus’ best for me!
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