Luke 9:25 Meaning and Explanation
“For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Jesus weighs the whole world against a single soul: gaining everything while losing oneself is no profit at all.
What Does Luke 9:25 Mean?
Jesus presses the paradox in the language of the marketplace: what is a man advantaged if he gain the whole world and lose himself, or be cast away? The largest imaginable acquisition, every kingdom and treasure on earth, is set in one scale; in the other sits the man himself.
The arithmetic is merciless and merciful at once. No fortune can be enjoyed by a self that has been forfeited, and the whole inventory of the world cannot buy one soul back. Yet the question is asked in love, by the One who will shortly pay for souls with his own blood. He does not shame ambition; he redirects it toward the one possession worth keeping, the self that is found, and kept, in him.
Luke 9:25 in the Original Language
zemioo (ζημιόω), 'be cast away' -- to forfeit, to suffer loss.
Frequently Asked Questions About Luke 9:25
What does Luke 9:25 mean?
Jesus weighs the whole world against a single soul: gaining everything while losing oneself is no profit at all.