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Post by mystic on Mar 21, 2021 4:00:11 GMT -8
I am not understanding the message behind this verse?
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
On the surface to me it is suggesting we should hate this life in order to have eternal life?
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Post by alon on Mar 21, 2021 6:35:30 GMT -8
I am not understanding the message behind this verse? Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. On the surface to me it is suggesting we should hate this life in order to have eternal life?
This is a quote from the TNK:
Zechariah 9:9 (ESV) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Yes, He was humble. But humble does not mean meek and passive. Kings entered places they wished to subjugate on horseback or horse drawn chariots. Horses were animals of war, and this was a show of force meant to project power, to intimidate. But in places where the conquest was complete they would often ride in on a donkey, especially on a colt. This was to say "See, this city is mine; the conquest so complete; I need no horse." When Yeshua rode into Jerusalem on that colt He made a very clear statement to the Romans, the Jewish religious leaders who depended on Rome for their status and wealth (and their very lives), and to the masses. But most importantly to ha'shitan. The final showdown was about to occur, evils' last chance to prevail, and both sides new it. Yeshua's statement was "I've already won." But victory has a price, and again, both sides knew it:John 12:23-26 And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.:
To follow Yeshua there is a cost. He was about to pay that cost on a Roman execution stake (or cross). What He is saying to us is we must also be willing to accept the possibility of having to make the ultimate sacrifice. The above reply was to a request by "some Greeks" who had come to worship at the feast (Pesach) and wanted to meet Yeshua. These were probably Jews from Greece, and having heard of Yeshua and His miracles wished to "follow" Him. It sounds a curious reply to such a request, but I believe He was saying "If you wish to follow Me, count the cost. Look at what it will cost Me; are you willing to pay the same?" He does reassure us that in giving our lives in this world we will gain eternal life in the world to come. But recall the definition of faith:Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
It's hard to have the kind of faith that hopes for something you cannot see so fervently you would give up your life for it. But this is exactly what Yeshua asks us to do. Not to commit suicide, certainly. But to go back to places like Greece and be a witness of what you are about to see in the face of others disbelief; even bearing possible persecution, and the possibility of being killed.Is our faith that strong? Today we are witnessing overt, serious attacks on believers (Christians and Jews) across the US. This would have been almost unheard of a decade ago, and unthinkable two decades ago. I know, it built over time and there were attacks. But not the brutal attacks we see today, or the ousting of students and others from jobs for speaking of their faith; nor even the attacks on private businesses- self employed people for refusing to bend the knee to the idol of political correctness. Rav Shaul prophesied about the end days:2 Timothy 3:1-5 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
We must ask ourselves, can we give up our livelihood, our friends, and even our lives when persecution comes? Or will we be silenced. The enemy does ride in on a horse, and animal of war. His purpose is to intimidate us into silence, then into compliance, and finally into submission and worship of a false god. Can we humbly stand with God in the face of such abuse as is portrayed in the above passage?"Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
The term translated "hate" is μισέω miseō and basically means "to love less." Few men truly hate their lives. What Yeshua is saying is you must love your life less than you love Him. If you are willing to die for Him then you will gain eternal life. And dieing for Him can take two forms. One is physically giving up your life, which some (many) are called to do. But we all must also be willing to live for Him; to give up our own desires and plans how to live and go where called, do what we are called to do:Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
He is saying "count the cost:" Luke 14:28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
Can you go the distance, to humbly live and possibly die for Yeshua? Is there strength in your humility to stand your ground in the face of unimaginable persecution? Or is your humility just a gambit to remain unseen? "Whoever loves his life loses it." Matthew 10:33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
But we have the promise"
"Whoever [loves his life less than Me] in this world will keep it for eternal life."
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Post by mystic on Mar 22, 2021 4:04:08 GMT -8
Great explanation, thanks.
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- there are 70 faces to 
