Finding Yourself

³⁹He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 10:39

Whoever searches for and finds (ευρων) his soul (ψυχη, from which we get the English word "psyche") will "lose" (απολεσει) it. And whoever "loses" (απολεσας) it for Christ's sake, will find (ευρησει) it.

The forms of these words vary between these two clauses. The first, whoever finds his soul, has the word "finds" in the second aorist active participle, meaning it is something the person is doing to his soul (finding it), and that it is a point-in-time action (aorist) with an ongoing result (participle).

The Greek scholar A.T. Robertson says of this form: "The article and aorist participles here (ο ευρων, ο απολεσας) are timeless in themselves just like ο δεχομενος in verses (Matthew 10:40) and (Matthew 10:41)." The person finds their soul, with the result that it continues to remain found from then on.

In another account, Jesus says something similar, but uses the word "saves:"

²⁵For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 16:25

In these modern times, "finding oneself" is considered to be the utmost goal of one's life. Those who do so are supposed to find true and lasting peace. But what does Jesus say of this successful pursuit? That which they have found will be "lost."

What of the "soul" (ψυχη)? As mentioned, it is a Greek word from which we get "psyche" and related terms like psychology (study of the mind), psychiatrist (healer of the mind), pyschotic (insane or "chaotic mind"). It encompasses the thinking self, the mind, the soul, the union of spirit and body.

Looking at the words of Jesus immediately preceeding this verse, we get a better idea of what the "soul" entails:

³⁷He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me. ³⁸He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me, isn’t worthy of me. ³⁹He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 10:37-39

As above, in the rest of scripture, the word is commonly used for "life" as the totality of our experience on earth; such examples are:

• Those who were seeking baby Jesus' "life" (Matthew 2:20)
• Not being anxious about our "life," about what we will eat, drink, or wear (Matthew 6:25)
• Not fearing those who can kill the body but not the "soul," but rather fearing the one who can destroy both body and "soul" in Gehenna (Matthew 10:28)
• What will a man give for his "life?" (Matthew 16:26)
• Jesus laying down his "life" for the sheep given to Him by His Father (John 10:15-17)
• Jesus' "soul" being troubled when confronted with His impending death (John 12:27)
• Paul telling others not to be troubled about a boy who had fallen from a balcony, for his "life" was in him (Acts 20:10)

All of these examples of "soul" reveal how much it encompasses: our physical life, our relationships with other people, our person that needs to eat, drink and wear clothing, our inner person that is separate from the body, and that within us which feels emotions. The Lord Jesus says that those who are in the process of having found their "soul," or who are trying to save it, will lose it.

Knowing meaning of this word "lose," we can say that the soul that we find will be destroyed, ruined, utterly lost. In that first clause, it is in the simple form of future active indicative, reflecting an if-then statement due to the person's action. If the person finds their soul, they will lose (or ruin, destroy, kill) it.

However, there is another side to this truth according to Jesus. Whoever "loses" (απολεσας) it will "find" (ευρησει) it. Here, "loses" is in the aorist active participle, much like "finds" in the first clause. Jesus is comparing the two actions with two different results. In the first the person is "finding" his soul, here the person is "losing" his soul. And here "finds" is future, active indicative like in the first clause with "loses." So as finding one's soul causes one to lose it, so losing one's soul causes one to find it. It is a complete reversal of the cause-effect relationship.

Losing our Soul for the Sake of Jesus and the Gospel

It is important to emphasize that this call from Jesus for us to lose our souls is not for its own sake alone. Rather, as He says, we are to lose our soul or life for His sake. For, destroying our soul is not good in itself, as the Lord Jesus has come to save our souls from that fate (Luke 6:9) (Mark 3:4). Rather we lose them for His sake in order to find them.

This negates the many religious movements advocating losing oneself as its own goal. Buddhist as well as Hindu philosophy (as Buddhism came from Hinduism) both encourage giving up oneself to become nothing—but especially Buddhism.

It sees all things as imaginary, including God, and advocates meditating until one reaches nirvana, the place of nothingness. This is the end of losing one's soul without any goal. This is not what Jesus asks us to do. He doesn't want us to destroy ourselves for no purpose, to end up in a place of non-existence. Rather, He wants us to lose our souls for His sake, in order that we might truly find ourselves and true life.

Hinduism teaches something similar, except of course it encourages the person to see themself as God (Brahma), one with the universe (Brahman). Teaching such as this is only an extension of Satan's lie to Eve, that we can become like God by our own actions, whereas God promises to make us like Him when we see and believe in Him, receive Him, and serve Him as our Lord (1 John 3:2).

Again, the deceit of sin creeps in stealthily, mixing truth with error. "Certainly, lose your soul," these religions say, but not for the right reason—the end of those journeys will remain the same: death (Proverbs 14:12).

But the Son of God asks us to lose our souls for His sake. He, being Life itself, is our true destination (John 17:3). Anything that comes between He and us should be disregarded, thrown away, lost, destroyed. Only then will we truly find ourselves, our lives, our souls. This is the truth that Yahweh has revealed, the entire truth, not the lie baited with half truth that Satan and his angels offer.

The Process of Losing One's Soul for Jesus

How then would we do such a thing? Looking at Christ's example, we must willingly give up those seemingly necessary things that would prevent us from following Him—as He is God's own Son, Life incarnate, we don't have true life without Him. Anything that stands between Him and us should be "destroyed, ruined, lost." What are some of those things that can stand between Jesus and us?

• Our birth family (Matthew 10:37), including:
• Father
• Mother
• Brother
• Sister
• Our family by marriage (Mark 10:29) (Matthew 10:37), including:
• Wife
• Son
• Daughter
• Father-in-law
• Mother-in-law
• Son-in-law
• Daughter-in-law
• Our lands (Mark 10:29)
• Our houses (Mark 10:29)

Notice in Mark's account that we give up these things "for My [Jesus'] sake, and the Gospel's." Not only for the Lord Himself, but for the preaching or message of Him too—we must be willing to and so give up all these things to embrace Christ. Of course, none of these things are bad or evil in themselves, but it is when they come between us and our reason for existing that they become stumbling blocks to be shunned. Then we are counseled to lose them and so lose our souls or lives, that we might find them in Him.

So, Jesus counsels us to actively lose our soul at a specific point with the result that it is staying "lost." It is only when we do so that we can find our soul unto eternity. We make the decision to lose it and follow through with it each day—as He says we must carry our cross as did Christ, which is death to oneself in order to find oneself in God (Matthew 10:38).

Just as Jesus was sent to the "lost" sheep of the House of Israel, so He encourages us to actively "lose" our souls, our minds, our entire lives, for His sake and the Gospel's (Matthew 16:25). Once lost to this life, we may find it through Him unto the next life.

²⁹Jesus said, “Most certainly I tell you, there is no one who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or land, for my sake, and for the sake of the Good News, ³⁰but he will receive one hundred times more now in this time, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land, with persecutions; and in the age to come eternal life. Mark 10:29-30