Luke 9:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

NIV: What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

NASB: For what good does it do a person if he gains the whole world, but loses or forfeits himself?

CSB: For what does it benefit someone if he gains the whole world, and yet loses or forfeits himself?

NLT: And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?

KJV: For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

NKJV: For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

The disciples thought they had the whole world in front of them. Their rabbi is the Jewish Messiah. The purpose of their version of Messiah is to restore the nation and drive out its enemies. He is expected to bring peace, prosperity, and the respect of other kingdoms. As the Messiah's closest followers, the disciples would rule with Him. They think they are following the lesson of this verse. Later, Luke will describe three interactions Jesus has with potential disciples (Luke 9:57–62). He tells them what it will cost. The Twelve have already agreed to live an itinerant lifestyle and abandoned comfort and even family obligations for a while.

Jesus is telling them that sacrifices are the beginning; following Him requires more. They must publicly affirm Him and His message to the point of crucifixion (Luke 9:23).

Matthew and Mark put a finer point on the situation. Those who reject Jesus risk losing their souls (the same Greek word Luke used in the previous verse translated as "life"): not just their bodies or reputation or earthly accolades, but their entire being. There is nothing a person can gain in this world that is worth losing his or her soul (Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:37–38). Better to have a dead body—which was going to die someday, anyway—than suffer separation from God for eternity. We may postpone the deaths of our bodies for a time, but only submitting ourselves to Christ fully will ensure real life: "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you" (Isaiah 26:3).

As do teachers in every era, messengers in the Bible, including Jesus, use "rhetorical" questions. The intended meaning is a statement, even if it's phrased as a question. This statement is clear: "It profits a man nothing if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself." Jim Elliot said it this way: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

Luke 9:23–27 is another call from Jesus to His disciples to follow Him, with more details of what truly following will cost. Jesus has just said that He is going to suffer and die by the hands of the Jewish religious leaders; now He tells His larger group of disciples to give up their lives for Him. This passage has two challenging concepts: What is the "cross" Jesus tells His followers to carry? Why does Jesus say some standing there will see the kingdom of God? This challenge to commit to Jesus is also found in Matthew 16:24–28 and Mark 8:34—9:1.

Luke 9 completes Jesus' Galilean ministry and begins describing His journey towards Jerusalem. Jesus gives His disciples miraculous power and commissions them to preach. The empowerment thrills the disciples but confuses Herod Antipas. A hungry crowd of thousands and hard teachings about following Jesus, however, shows the disciples' faith is short-lived. The transfiguration and the demonized boy precede stories of the disciples' continued confusion. They still struggle to accurately represent Jesus. Luke 9:51–62 begins the "travelogue" (Luke 9:51—19:27) with examples of the patience and sacrifice needed to represent Jesus as His followers.

Luke 9 straddles the two major sections biblical scholars call "Jesus' Galilean Ministry" (Luke 4:14—9:50) and "The Travelogue to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51—19:27). The Galilean ministry alternates calls to discipleship with stories on Jesus' authority and teachings. The travelogue records what Jesus did and taught to prepare the disciples for His crucifixion. After a final group of stories on how to respond to Jesus (Luke 9:51—11:13) and several examples of how the Jewish religious leaders reject Jesus (Luke 11:14–54), Luke presents Jesus' teaching on the kingdom of God (Luke 12:1—19:27).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.