Matthew 16:24-28

²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. ²⁸ Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” 

Commentary

Vs. 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” 

If then our Lord and Savior must deny Himself to obey God’s Will, so then must us all who come after Him as His disciples. Now to deny oneself as the Lord commands us all as His disciples is an encompassing statement, covering all our will and all our desires. There is then nothing that is to be off limits to the Lord’s Reign of our person. We must then bring everything into the subjection of His Will and His desires for us; all our dreams and all our passions and all our desires; some of which the Lord may say keep and pursue these, and to some of these He will say leave those things behind you forever. For to take up the cross as Christ took up His is to daily choose God’s Will for us, just as He chose God’s Will for Himself. 

Vs. 25 “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” 

Here the Lord Jesus Christ makes it clear that trying to save one’s life, that is one’s current position, or status, or career, or desires or goals or whatever it is that is being pursued and clung too when this contravenes the Will of God for oneself will only result in one losing it all in the end. Now in contrast to desiring to save one’s life is losing it; saying goodbye to it forever and choosing instead to find and follow the new course of life that the Lord Jesus Christ has chosen for us, and will reveal and give to us as His new creations in Christ, just as we choose to pursue and follow Him. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ promises us all that, “whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Not only find it as God’s true course of life for us, but also one will find it the most satisfying and fulfilling and ultimately secure course of life because it is born out of God’s Will for us. 

Vs. 26 “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” 

Here in verses 26-28 the Lord Jesus Christ makes it clear that pursuing one’s own course of life will lead to ones own eternal ruin. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ pointily asks us all to consider the consequences of doing so, for He says to us all, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” For even if one could by their own zeal, skill, and “power” gain the whole world they would in the end have only labored to the ruin of their own soul. 

Vs. 27-28 ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. ²⁸ Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” 

Having warned us all not to forsake so Great a Salvation for this present world and life, the Lord Jesus Christ now foretells His Coming in Glory; that is His Second Coming when, as He says here He, “the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.” For it will be at that time that the Lord Jesus Christ will reward His each and every one of us who believe in Him according to our works. And so, though we are not saved by our own good works (Eph. 2:8-9), we will all be rewarded for the good that we have done as Christ’s disciples. Now the Lord Jesus’ statement, “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Is a statement which is about to be fulfilled when He transfigures Himself on the Mount before Peter, James and John. For it will be there that the disciples will see Christ in His true glory, something that the Apostle John also saw again at the end of life while on the island of Patmos, where the Lord Jesus Christ again revealed Himself to him but this time in His heavenly Glory and Reign so as to entrust John with God’s finial Revelation by which the end will come and His Kingdom will be set up forever! Therefore, having heard and seen and now been privy to God’s Finial Plans for this present world and age let us all be about living for Christ’s Second Coming and His fulfilling His Word and Promises spoken to us all! 

Scripture Quotations

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.