St. Mark 8:38 “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

 

   In this story from the gospel of Saint Mark we have Christ asking his disciples two very important questions which I'd like us to consider today. The first is “Whom say ye that I am?” The second is “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

 

   This first question is asked by Jesus just after he had asked the disciples “Who do men say that I am?” They had answered that some said he was John the Baptist, some that he was Elias, and others that he was one of the prophets.

 

   We know that there are, still in the world even today, those that consider Jesus only a prophet or “great teacher”.

 

  They agree with much of our Lord's teaching about our social and moral responsibility toward each other.

 

  They even agree that his example of self-sacrifice and love should be followed by everyone, but they will not acknowledge him as the Son of God.

 

   Those of us who are Christians however, must give Saint Peter's answer to Christ's question of “Whom do you say I am?” Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

 

   To fail to acknowledge him as the Son of God, is to deny the sacrifice He made for our sins and His triumph over death in His glorious Resurrection.

 

  Only God's Son could do that for us, not just some prophet or “great teacher”.

 

   The second question by Jesus in today's lesson is “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”

 

   As we know Jesus had attended Temple services in Jerusalem. He had seen the greed and concern for profit there that had caused people to even enter into the courts of the Temple itself to make money. We also know Christ's reaction to this. He had physically driven some of these people out of the Temple.

 

   In that time period, just as today, some people were trying to make a profit by religion. It's easy for all of us to be against that.

 

   We need to remember however, that we all can become so involved in earthly profit and loss that we can forget our duty toward God and neglect the care of our souls. Jesus reminds us that “no man can serve two masters”. “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

 

  One must be more important.

 

  That one must be God.

 

  We must always remember to “seek first the kingdom of God”.

 

   We then should as Christians always be ready to confess Jesus as Lord and serve him faithfully all  of our time here on earth.

 

  We can then, when He comes again in glory, joyfully receive Him and gain that “which fadeth not away".