You Should Hate Your Life
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I like to take underheard statements from Jesus and turn them into articles. Here's conclusion of one such statement for you all: "You should hate your life."
Jesus said, He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.John 12:25 Conversely, if you do not hate your life in this world, then you will not enter into life eternal. Therefore, you should hate your life.
Our life is like a bowl of bitter water. If we try to sweeten it, then strangers will break into our house and drink from it. But if we try to cup it into our hands to protect it, the water will spill through our fingers onto the floor and be ruined forever. Our only choice is to leave our bowl there, even when people we don't know drink from it. Jesus will one day come and purify our water for us.
But we don't need to sweeten our water, our lives. In the Parable of the Wedding Feast, the king bids his servants to to come to his wedding. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.Matthew 22:5-8 Those that tended to their earthly means, their farms and their merchandise, were accounted as not worthy. Sure, they may not have murdered the king's servants, but they were still unworthy, because they cared more for their goods than for the king's marriage.
Don't try to guard your water, your life, either. Jesus promised us that so long as we seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, we will be provided for. Jesus said, No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.Matthew 6:24-34 See also Luke 12:22-31
Jesus promised us that he would take care of us. For us to go so far as to secure our food and clothing is evil. Likewise, we don't need any possessions. Jesus said, So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.Luke 14:33 And also, Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.Matthew 6:19-21 See also Luke 12:15-21
Let us consider Jesus's promise. He gave no promise of shelter. Do you really need a house? A tent? A cardboard box? Jesus promised none of these things for us, and we see that he didn't have them either. He said of himself, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.Matthew 8:20b If our master Jesus didn't need such any shelter, then why would we need such a thing?
Nor do we need to marry. Jesus said, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.Luke 20:34b-36 God doesn't want us to sweeten our lives with spouses, homes, or the happiness that family brings. After all, if we celebrate our Earthly fathers for being our dad, what position is left for God? Jesus said, And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.Matthew 23:9 And our father is God, not the men that begat us in the womb of our mothers.
In fact, we don't need our Earthly families for anything. Jesus disowned his family, when he said, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.Matthew 12:48b-50 No, Mary, Joseph, and his siblings were not truly Jesus's family. That is why Jesus never referred to Mary as "mother," but rather as "woman."
We Are the Salt of the Earth Back to Top ↑
No, as humans, we are the salt of the Earth. The world tells us to go out and do grand things by improving the lives of everyone. We should work hard at being doctors, musicians, programmers, and more. But, all those things will help people love their lives more, and that is not what Jesus wants. He said, He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.John 12:25 Thus, it is evil to do these good things in the sight of God.
This seems odd. How can it be evil to build and maintain sewers in the cities? Nevertheless, Jesus said, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.Luke 16:15 Those things that are highly esteemed among men are abomination in the sight of God. This is because improving the life of someone else runs the risk of them loving this life instead of becoming one of the children of God, and becoming resurrected at the last day. This goes directly against God's will as Jesus told us it, For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.John 6:38-40
If we fight against God's will, even unknowingly, we are evil, and sin, and abomination. That is simply all there is to it.
Therefore, while we are the salt of the Earth, we are useless things in the eyes of men. Doing nothing for the world. This is why Jesus said, But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.Matthew 5:39-44
Us children who hate our lives here will live twice. Those who love their lives here will live once. Let them trod over us as they enjoy their lives. It's their only life. Jesus said, Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.Matthew 5:13 We are good for nothing in this world.
Consider Lazarus.(Luke 16:19-31.) He had nothing. He sat at the gates of some rich man, and was lucky to eat the leftovers from said rich man. Lazarus didn't even have enough energy to fend off the dogs that licked his sores.
Do you think Lazarus loved his life? Do you think Lazarus was beneficial to society? Do you think Lazarus was researching how to cure plagues and diseases? Do you think Lazarus did any manner of "good"? Of course not. He was a dreg on society, a disgusting man to look at, and ultimately, dead. He was truly, and completely, trodden by men. And yet, it would be impossible to not see Lazarus on the streets.
Jesus said, Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.Matthew 5:15-17 Lazarus was truly a light of the world. Miserable until death, seen in a public place, it would be impossible to turn your eyes away from him. A living, and then dead, testimony to all that is life in this world.
The Example of the Prodigal Son Back to Top ↑
Jesus said, He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.John 12:25
The Parable of the Prodigal Son(Luke 15:11-32.) encapsulates this idea perfectly. The son of a rich man, tired of his pleasant life, demands inheritance from his father and leaves his father's house to live an opulent life away from him. The father only wanted one thing from his son, and that was for him to return home, but the son instead partied it up and loved his life. And then he ran out of fortune, and hated his life. It was only when the son hated his life that he was able to fulfill his father's will by returning home.
This is exactly what God wants for us. He wants us to return to him. Jesus said, For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.John 6:38-40 And what happens when we begin our second life? We become children of God, as the children of the resurrection.(Luke 20:36.) We get to be with God, our father. That is why Jesus left us on this Earth. He said, In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.John 14:2 Where is he going? To our father's house!
When we are resurrected, we will be living with God.
But if we love our lives here, then how can even want to be with God? God isn't on Earth. God is in Heaven.(Joshua 2:11, Job 22:12, Psalm 53:2, Ecclesiastes 5:2, Matthew 5:16, 5:45, 5:48, 6:1, 6:9, 7:11, 7:21, 10:32, 10:33, 12:50, 16:17, 18:14, 18:19, 23:9, Mark 11:25-26, Luke 11:2.) So if we love a place where God isn't even at, then how can we say we want to be with God? Jesus said, No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.Matthew 6:24 Take your pick, do you love God who isn't in your life, or do you love your life which doesn't contain God?
I hope for your sake, you hate your life and desire to be with God.