Text: Mark 8:34-38
“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” —Mark 8:36
The classic 70’s song “Simple Man” was written by Lynyrd Skynyrd band members Ronnie Van Zant and Gary Rossington. Van Zant’s grandmother and Rossington’s mother passed away around the same time, and as the two got together at Van Zant’s apartment to share memories of them, the stories they passed back and forth began to form into a song. Rossington grabbed a guitar and started playing a chord progression. Van Zant took the advice that these influential women passed down to them and worked it into the lyrics. Within one hour, they had “Simple Man” written.
Some of that advice included: “Take your time, don’t live too fast, troubles will come and they will pass… and be a simple kind of man… be something you love and understand… forget your lust for the rich man’s gold… all that you need is in your soul.” In a later interview, Rossington recalled the songwriting experience fondly. “We just put down in a song what our mama or grandma had said to us,” he said. “They really wrote it. We just played it.”
Jesus kept it pretty simple when teaching about the soul of a person. In Mark 8:34-38, He said to the crowds:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
The “soul” of the matter is the most important thing in life. We can spend our days chasing the rich man’s “gold,” the world’s greed, and the fleeting glamour of self-aggrandization, but none of these things “profit” the soul. On the contrary, they can cause us to “forfeit,” or lose, our very own soul.
Anyone living in the Roman Empire during the first century would’ve known exactly what Jesus meant when He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” The cross wouldn’t have been a piece of jewelry. It wouldn’t have meant symbolism. Though we have sanitized and ritualized the cross in the 21st century, back then it would most assuredly have meant a death sentence. The cross had no other purpose than being an unrelenting instrument of death. It was about an execution.
Jesus kept it simple. To truly live, there must be a real death to self. We can’t just attach Jesus to our “self-governed” life like some good luck charm, we must crucify that old self and begin a whole new life that is ruled and reigned by the Christ-King—a life in which we are no longer calling the shots for ourselves, but Jesus calls the shots for us. To try and save ourselves from this “crucified” life is to “forfeit” our soul, no matter how much of this temporary world we might “gain.”
The Apostle Paul said, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). Paul saw his life as a daily death to himself. In this dying to self, he was empowered to face unimaginable suffering and many persecutions for the sake of the gospel. In following Jesus, Paul kept it simple. Are you keeping it simple? Are you taking up your cross daily, dying to self, and following the Lordship of Jesus in your everyday life? Are you a simple man? Are you a simple woman? Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, in a world of religious clutter, you have kept it very simple. Let me deny myself, take up my cross daily, and follow you faithfully. In your name I pray, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:
- What kind of valuable wisdom did someone share with you early in life?
- When were you more interested in what the world had to offer than valuing the condition of your own soul?
- What makes people ashamed to stand up for Jesus and the Gospel in this adulterous and sinful generation?
- What has “taking up your cross and following Jesus” looked like lately?
- Where might you need more of the Holy Spirit’s help in denying yourself daily, as you seek to follow Jesus fully?
