“Analysis of Matthew Chapter 16 Verses 24-28,” by Andrew J. Schatkin

“Analysis of Matthew Chapter 16 Verses 24-28,” by Andrew J. Schatkin

My dear friends and thinkers, I bid and ask you to join with me in another voyage of intellectual discovery where those who may wish to engage in critical thinking and to not engage in and accept media lies, falsehoods and political code words and hype can join in the effort to gain truth and facts amid the barrage of corruption and virtual darkness we are confronted with and befuddled and made effective fools of. I welcome you in this quest and task of attaining and coming to know and grasp intellectual honesty and honest discernment. Join with me in this voyage of discovery to get at and find what is valid and authentic in this world of confusion and to come with me in tearing apart the curtain of lies and darkness that hides from us what is truth and fact.

Today I will seek to understand and interpret and explain and analyze once again the words and sayings of the eternal god and savior and redeemer found in the gospel of Matthew chapter 16 vv. 24 to 28 as follows: “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? For the son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his father and then he will repay every man for what he has done. Truly, I say to you there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the son of man coming in his kingdom.’”

So what are we to make of and understand of these challenging words and verses of the savior Jesus Christ who claims and has claimed to be god? Is he saying that if we are to follow him, we are give up our selfhood and risk crucifixion and if we must lose our self to find ourselves in following him? Does he say we must forfeit our life to gain the world? I think he means initially that in denying ourselves we give up ourselves to god's will and submit to that will or, better put, he says that if we are to follow him we must give up our self and our if you will our ego and dedication to our own self-importance. And he means that in taking up the cross, he does not mean the horrible death of crucifixion but that in following him we must and will suffer. He says we will only find our true life in losing it in Christ and those who would save their lives possibly by avoiding martyrdom will lose out and it is only in following Christ that we will find our true life and self. He says those who gain the whole world or material wealth will not profit themselves and will lose out. The commandment here is to love god and Jesus seems to advise us that true happiness eludes those who directly seek it rather than seeking and following the will of god and loving and following Jesus. Finally, and most disturbingly, Jesus tells us that he will return with all the angels for a final judgment on humanity and everyone will be repaid for what he has done and he concludes that this judgment may come and happen before the death of some who will see the son of man coming into his kingdom.

My dear friends and thinkers and Christians and non-Christians alike, I hope I have shed some light on this challenging and, once again, radical series of sayings coming from the mind and being of the eternal god. I have done this interpretation, or attempt at interpretation, with hesitation and great humility and urge you all to return to and read the biblical text in Matthew which my poor words here cannot match in meaning and significance coming from god himself in the person of his only begotten son Jesus of Nazareth.