Life After Birth
Notes
Transcript
Jesus teaches his disciples that they must pick up their cross to follow him. On can lose their soul in pursuit of “life.” Or one can lay down their life every day in exchange for life, glory, and heavenly treasures.
Livi and Ellie - Life After Birth
Livi and Ellie - Life After Birth
In a mother’s womb were two babies.One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?”The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”
“Nonsense” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”
The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understand now.”
The first replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.”
The second insisted, “Well I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here. Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”
The first replied, “Nonsense. And moreover if there is life, then why has no one has ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”
“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.”
The first replied “Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?”
The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not and could not exist.”
Said the first: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”
To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus and you really listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above.”
Henri J.W. Nouwen, Possibly referencing https://pablojluismolinero.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/boy-and-girl2.pdf
What a discovery to be born. To discover life as it is, and that what came before was just a shadow.
Is it like that? Could it be like that? We can’t know unless someone who has been beyond comes back and tells us. Not the “I was dead by some definition for 3 minutes and this is what I remember.”
Someone who dwelled in the heavens, not glimpsed it from afar or visited for a few minutes. I want a native, someone who knows the stories of heaven, the way of it, the way it works, the way life is and has been and will be when I get there.
And I believe Jesus is the man from heaven. The Son of God, taken on human flesh, dwelling among us.
Telling us how life actually works. Before and after birth. Before and after “death.”
How silly it would be, like Peter, to set our minds solely on the things of this world.
Recap
Recap
So, we don’t want to be enemies, we want to be friends of God.
23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
We want to say “Yes, Lord.” “Yes to Jesus.”
We want to “set our minds” on the things of God. We are doing that together, we are doing that now.
But Jesus’ third step is hard to understand. And it has been hard for his disciples throughout history to apply.
Take Up Your Cross
Take Up Your Cross
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness?
And people usually take that to mean, this life, this world, freedom from anyone being the boss of me, joy and happiness and pleasure of the moment.
This sounds like the opposite of this. This is Death, Imprisonment unto Captivity, and Pursuit of Suffering. That’s what I hear.
This isn’t the first time Jesus has broached this subject, after saying he “has not come to bring peace but a sword” he raised this metaphor:
38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
But now he is plainly teaching the disciples that he is headed for execution. The whole “cross” thing, a bizarre metaphor from the start, is starting to sound a WHOLE lot more literal.
It’s almost a direct repeat, but not in the negative. It’s in the positive.
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
It sounds like a riddle:
The poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it you die… what is it? Nothing!
What is Jesus talking about? What is he saying here?
It is an exchange of life
Here are the stakes:
26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
Psyche - Soul - Life
Psyche - Soul - Life
In Greek that is “psyche”, so we could say “lose his mind.
It can just be used as “life”, for example when it says things like “Jesus laid down his life as a ransom for many”, or the Good Shepherd who lays down his life, it uses this same word. Psyche.
But clearly Jesus is contrasting with our regular understanding of “life.” Though it is the same word throughout.
He is referring to something more than “is your heart beating and your brain signalling” here.
It is the whole self, perhaps separate from the body for a moment, but this is the deepest self, everything that makes you “you”, who you are, how you think and feel, how you’ve thought and felt, the pattern, the identity, the consciousness, expressed in and through your heart, mind, body, spirit, all of it.
You lose that, what do you have?
And the picture Jesus paints is of those who have lost their soul, but not their life. How does that work?
I bet an image came to mind of someone “soul-less.” My picture is the mindlessly forever watching TV and eating, sold out for temporary pleasures and entertainment. Maybe forever doom scrolling at the same time?
That’s usually someone numbing their soul, their self… but can you straight up “lose your soul” in this life or is Jesus offering a pure hypothetical.
And if you numb and ignore your soul so much until death, is there really a meaningful distinction?
Because there’s a clear expected answer to “what shall a man give in return for his soul?”
Everything! Anything!
And therefore, it is a crazy bargain Jesus is offering.
It isn’t just the “life” bit,
Treasures in Heaven
Treasures in Heaven
27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.
That is a warning to some… but it is payment, it is reward to others. DOZENS of times Jesus talks about rewards in the Kingdom to come, treasures in heaven, and not just in the sense that heaven itself is a treasure, that the presence of God is great and wonderful and enough all on its own.
Would You Rather?
Would You Rather?
But here again is a sense of reward for obedience, for effort, for martyrdom maybe?
And if my sins are forgiven and those debts are paid… it’s all gravy. That’s a good deal.
Your soul AND payment, treasures, rewards. How long will I have to wait, though?
Jesus plays a crazy game of “would you rather?” It’s all stacked on the plus side. Your life, really, your soul, your self, your future, your forever, your heavenly treasures. Or what?
Tough choice.
28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Wait, what?
That sure sounds like some of his disciples aren’t going to die. Like Jesus is coming back within the next decade or so.
It is reasonable to take this as referring to Jesus’ second coming, and the early church absolutely seemed to have an expectation that Jesus would come back any second. And perhaps in some sense some of those listening didn’t “taste death.”
the “Son of Man” coming in his kingdom could refer to Jesus’ death and resurrection, the fulfillment of his inaugural mission on earth, his victory over death and sin, and almost all of those there would live to see that.
But my favorite interpretation is that he is referring to James, John and Peter that are about to see him transfigured in glory, which is literally the very next verses. The Father speaks from on high and says “this is my beloved Son.” and Jesus was revealed, transfigured, bright like the sun.
And that Son of God, revealed in just a moment, transfigured in glory… that is the one who says this: “Take up your cross and follow me.”
So I believe him.
Like an infant re-implanted in the womb, saying to the twin: Trust me, it’s better out there. Head for the birthing canal. It’s going to be a bit of a squeeze… but it’s worth it. This here? Barely even life yet, barely a shadow, just a foretaste.
Where Can I Find a Cross?
Where Can I Find a Cross?
How do I actually do this?
This cross-centric language keeps coming up… not because it is my hobby horse, but because it is all through the New Testament. This is the symbol of our faith. Though we long for Resurrection, though we anticipate glory, in this life we are a people of the cross.
So how do we actually do this?
Let’s revisit some options:
(From 4/22/2022)
The Hair Shirt
The Hair Shirt
One method
In the monastic movement, starting in the middle ages but still today, some wear hair shirts underneath their clothes. Devotionally “suffering for Jesus!” That’s not it, either. That’s just self-flagellation. That isn’t holiness, it is bad underwear.
Jesus didn’t cause himself pain unnecessarily, or seek pain and suffering for its own sake.
He wasn’t carrying a cross at this moment, that’s what was so confusing to the apostles.
He listened to what God was calling him to do and did it, even when it brought suffering and failure.
The “Persecuted” Jerk
The “Persecuted” Jerk
Here’s another method. Just call any adversity or pain you ever experience “persecution!!!” Suffering for Jesus!
I love the Babylon Bee. You may have seen this one before. You may know this guy, or someone just like him.
Jesus is pretending to be persecuted when he’s not. He’s not and never does play a victim card… even when he is actually being crucified.
The Fate of the Twelve
The Fate of the Twelve
What did those twelve do? How did they walk this out? Right away they were confused, but the Spirit worked in them to teach them understanding. It is their writings, their teachings that we read here.
The focus is not on their deaths, though almost all were martyred. There isn’t much focus on their deaths, though by the time Matthew is writing many would have already passed. And we have some church tradition and stories around the rest, but that isn’t the focus either.
The focus is on their day by day obedience, faithfulness, e’ry’day. Blessing when blessings come, fellowship, missions as the Spirit leads, studying the Word deeply, preaching and teaching at every opportunity.
They were neither dramatic victims nor monastic monks.
They walked in the footsteps of Jesus, obedient to follow his commands.
Going and making disciples, baptizing them, teaching them to observe all he commanded.
Disciples of Jesus.
And because the Kingdom of God is a threat to spiritual darkness and human pride wherever it goes… it often got them in trouble with the powers that be. And they continued in obedience, fearless.
For what would a man give in return for his soul?
This is the simple and true answer. It is obedience to where He calls you next. It is submission to the Spirit’s lead in you. It is rejection of what the world tells you life “should” be… and setting your mind on the things of God.
With the expectation, with the knowledge, that serious and significant suffering is part of it. Jesus picks a cross as the metaphor for a reason.
This is radically incompatible with a “health, wealth and prosperity” gospel. That isn’t the picture Jesus paints. While there will be blessings and gifts in this life, for sure, the reward he emphasizes is a heavenly one. The metaphor for today and tomorrow is carrying your cross.
There should be a bit of disquiet in our soul if our whole life looks like “health, wealth, and prosperity.” Or if it looks just like our neighbors life.
Joy and sorrow… Rest and work… Blessing and Struggle… and because it’s worth every bit of it.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hear that? Because of the joy before him.
Not that the cross was joy, but because glory was on the other side of it.
We listen to other people about how life should be… and they have no idea. They don’t know what this life is, they don’t know what souls are, they don’t know.
We listen to the Master of Life, the Master of Souls, the Lord of this life and the next.
20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Let us hold this life, this shadow loosely, pick up our cross, and follow in his footsteps.
