Texts in Conversation
Matthew 16 shows Jesus teaching about the futility of gaining the world but losing what truly matters, using language also found in Rabbinic traditions such as Pirkei Avot. Both use profit-and-loss language to encourage making wise and faithful choices.
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Matthew 16:26
New Testament
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. 26 For what does it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28 I tell you the truth, there are some standing here who will not experience death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Date: 70-90 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Pirkei Avot 2:1
Mishnah
Rabbinic
1 Rabbi Said: which is the straight path that a man should choose for himself? One which is an honor to the person adopting it, and [on account of which] honor [accrues] to him from others. And be careful with a light commandment as with a grave one, for you did know not the reward for the fulfillment of the commandments. Also, reckon the loss [that may be sustained through the fulfillment] of a commandment against the reward [accruing] thereby, and the gain [that may be obtained through the committing] of a transgression against the loss [entailed] thereby. Apply your mind to three things and you will not come into the clutches of sin: Know what there is above you: an eye that sees, an ear that hears, and all your deeds are written in a book.
Date: 190-230 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
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Notes and References
"... Paul describes this change in outlook on his part in business terms, using the familiar motifs of profit (κέρδος) and loss (ζημία; see MM, 273, 341) — motifs also used by the rabbis, who used the idioms of profit (śākār) and loss (hepsēd; citing Pirkei Avot 2:1), and by Jesus (Matthew 16:26). The metaphor is the familiar one of the balance sheet with its columns marked “assets” and “liabilities.” ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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