What are you living for? part 1

There is a man who likes to share his faith using two simple questions. When he is meeting someone for the first time, he will ask them, “What do you do for a living?”
 

The person will answer, “I’m a doctor” or “I teach Spanish at the high school” or “I run a nonprofit” or “I’m a farmer” or “I’m an electrician,” or whatever it is they happen to do. That question works because we all do something. So, it’s easy to get people to talk about what they do for a living. 
 

Then comes his second question: “What are you living for?” Usually, there is a moment of silence because people don’t know how to answer that question. But it’s a good question because just as we all do something, we all live for something, even if we don’t know what it is.
 

It’s a good thing, to pause and ask ourselves, “What are am I living for?” Some people live for money; some people live for fame; some live for approval. What about you? What are you living for?
 

A Question from Jesus

To help us answer that question, let’s take a trip back in time to a place called Caesarea Philippi, a Roman outpost city located north of the Sea of Galilee. A huge rock cliff dominates the landscape. At the base of the cliff a stream flows on its way to the Jordan River.

We find Jesus in this city in Matthew 16. It is a critical moment for Jesus.  All Israel is buzzing with talk of this man from Galilee. Who is He? By what power does He perform His miracles? What does He want?
 

After a wave of early popularity, Israel is now becoming more divided. True, Jesus now has a wide following among the common people. It is also true that among the rich and powerful, opinion is slowly crystallizing, against Him. In the distance, the drums of angry opposition are beginning to beat. Before too many more months, the sound of those drums will become a deafening roar.
 

Knowing all this and knowing that it would end in His death, Jesus gathers His disciples, in this quiet place, to draw out from them a deeper commitment than they had given to this point. It is here, in this setting that Jesus asks the famous question, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (Matthew 16:13). 

It is here that Peter makes his confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). 

But the conversation doesn’t end there. You see, Jesus is seeking more than a confession. He is also seeking a commitment: In essence He is asking, “Now that you know who I am, are you willing to commit your life to me?”
 

This is how Jesus puts the issue in Mark 8:34-37, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” NIV.
 

Take a careful look at those verses. The New International Version uses the word, “life,” twice, and the word, “soul,” twice. But in Greek, those are not different words. The Greek word is “psyche,” from which we get our English word, psychology. Sometimes, it refers to the immaterial part of a person (their soul) as opposed to their body. But more often, it refers to the whole person, or, to the inner, conscious self we call the personality.

Continued tomorrow