Upside-Down Discipleship

Our trek in Matthew’s Gospel recently brought us to a paradoxical saying:  “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (10:39).  What does Jesus mean?

The immediate context (v 38) is about following Jesus by bearing a cross: dying to sin and walking in his self-giving steps.  So, working to “find” your life (i.e., define, control and rule over it) is contrary to faith and leads to “loss”—the ultimate loss.  But trust releases the reins of your heart to Jesus:  he’s in charge.

God delivers truth via paradox to make us stop and think:  You see, the world runs on self-focused, self-serving, God-defying assumptions.  And we get used to those idolatrous values—until Jesus jabs us with paradox:  “But many who are first will be last, and the last first” (19:30).  “Who­ever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (23:12).

Think how our society views wealth, for example—and then listen to Jesus:   As the rich put their gifts into the temple offering box, Jesus saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.  He said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.  For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on” (Luke 21:1-4).  Strange math:  more is less and less is more.  With Jesus, the “amount” given is measured in terms of the sacrifice it represents—and in terms of the faith it expresses.  The last shall be first.

Or take the Prodigal Son—a story actually about two lost sons, one who ran off, lived a wild life and came to ruin, and one who stayed home yet swelled with pride and entitlement (Luke 15:11-32).  Both were lost, but only one came to his senses and was found.  The irony is that the son who made a royal mess of every­thing is the one who was humbled and “found,” while his angry brother chose the dead end of self-justification.  How about you?  Have you been found by Jesus?