A striking paradox – losing life equals saving life?! (1)

Someone once said: A paradox is a truth that stands on its head to attract attention. At first glance, it seems to make no sense or to contradict itself. However, upon closer examination, you realize that there is a deeper meaning behind it.

There are many fascinating paradoxes in the Bible through which God speaks into our lives. Let's take a closer look at one of them. It challenges our faith and confronts us with concrete decisions:

The paradox is that we save our lives by losing them. Jesus ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More said to His disciples: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” (Mark 8:35).

With these words, Jesus calls us to uncompromising discipleshipDiscipleship is a commandment of the Lord Jesus for His own (Mk 2:14). In discipleship, we follow the Lord Jesus in obedience; He is our authority. It means sharing His... More. For God wants to see decisiveness and devotion in our lives. To put it somewhat provocatively, one could say that being a half-Christian is complete nonsense.

This statement of the Lord appears six times in the Gospels, with slight variations. I don't think there is any other statement that is repeated so often by the Son of GodThe term "Son of God" in the singular always refers to the Lord Jesus. On the one hand, He is the only begotten (unique) and eternal Son of God, who... More. This demonstrates the importance to Him that we not only profess to be Christians, but also live out our discipleshipDiscipleship is a commandment of the Lord Jesus for His own (Mk 2:14). In discipleship, we follow the Lord Jesus in obedience; He is our authority. It means sharing His... More in concrete ways.

The verse we have read is like a key that unlocks the authentic Christian life for us, so to speak. The Lord's path led through suffering to glory, and that is also the path of everyone who wants to follow Him today. Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life. He did not come to make His life here as pleasant as possible, but He came to do the will of God and to glorify Him. This should also be our motto in life.

The words of the Lord are radical. It’s either the one or the other. Lose your life or save your life. There are basically two ways we can live our lives: either self-centered or Christ-centered.

You can choose to live a self-centered life by striving to fulfill yourself, become rich, be recognized, or make your life as beautiful as possible. You make decisions that do not interfere with your well-being and make plans to experience as much as possible or have fun: concerts, parties, cultural events, and sporting events. Or we spend all our time and energy thinking about how to make more money. Our thoughts revolve around our houses, land, cars, and other possessions. In short, everything revolves around “me” and a beautiful life in this worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More.

But in the light of eternity, these are all transitory things. None of this will be found in heaven. And those who live this way lose the true, authentic life that God actually wants to give us. That is why John writes: “The worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More and its desires are passing away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:16). In the end, you realize that you have missed the mark because you have lived only for yourself and not for others, and you have focused only on earthly (and even worldly) and temporal things. That is a wasted life.

When an Indian evangelist was once hiking through a snowstorm in the mountains with a Tibetan, they suddenly saw a man who had fallen down the slope. The evangelist said, “We must go and help him.”

The other man replied, "No one can ask us to help him; we ourselves are in danger of perishing in this storm.“ But the evangelist remained firm in his decision and said, ”If we must die, then it is better to die in the service of others."

Upon hearing this, the man turned away and went on his way. But the evangelist climbed down to the injured man, lifted him with great effort onto his shoulders, and slowly carried him up the mountain.

Through this effort, the evangelist, who was completely frozen, warmed up again, and his warmth also transferred to the accident victim, who was close to freezing to death. This saved both of them from freezing to death.

After some time, the evangelist found his former companion again. He was lying in the snow. He had lain down somewhere, exhausted, and had frozen to death. Through this incident, the evangelist came to understand the meaning of the Lord's words: “Whoever loves his life will lose it” (John 12:25).