Matthew 10:39Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Yet when Paul bids us obey our parents in all things, we are not to marvel; for we are only to obey in such things as are not hurtful to our piety to God. It is holy to render them every other honour, but when they demand more than is due, we ought not to yield. This is likewise agreeable to the Old Testament; in it the Lord commands that all who worshipped idols, should not only be held in abhorrence, but should be stoned. And in Deuteronomy it is said, He who saith to his father and his mother, I know you not; and to his brethren, Ye are strangers; he hath kept thy saying. (Deut. 33:9.)

The individual who prioritizes earthly existence believes he is preserving his spirit, yet he ultimately jeopardizes it, condemning it to everlasting torment. In contrast, the one who sacrifices his soul and embraces death—not as a thief or through self-harm, but for the sake of Christ—actually secures his salvation.

The loss of one's soul is referred to here as a separation from the physical body. Those who seek to preserve their soul by valuing this earthly existence, believing they gain from it, actually experience a fate worse than death, facing eternal condemnation and separation from life.

‘Whoever seeks to preserve his life will ultimately lose it.’ How should we interpret this, given that both preservation and loss are attributed to the same life? It is the individual who acknowledges (the Lord) in the face of persecution who sacrifices his life but ultimately discovers it in the presence of the Lord. He states: ‘Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.’ Thus, for those who sacrifice their lives for Christ's sake, it follows that they shall find their lives through Christ. God, for whom the life is forfeited, desires to restore it, as His hand can reach out to all, and His power is unmatched, enabling Him to rescue it from any place.

Because of what He had said, I am not come to send peace but a sword, &c. that none might suppose that family affection was banished from His religion, He now adds, He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. So in the Song of Songs we read, Order love in me. (c. 2:4.) For this order is needed in every affection; after God love thy father, thy mother, and thy children; but if a necessity should occur that the love of parents and children comes into competition with the love of God, and where both cannot be preserved, remember that hatred of our kindred becomes then love to God. He forbids not to love parent or child, but adds emphatically, more than me.

The individual who forfeits his soul will ultimately lose it. Conversely, the one who preserves his soul during persecution and remains steadfast in faith will be rewarded in the age to come, avoiding the fate of those who have betrayed their beliefs. Those who sacrifice their lives for my sake will discover true life, and those who have their lives taken from them by those lacking faith will regain it more swiftly, meaning they will secure their souls. He spoke these words to guide them away from their timid attachment to life and to urge them toward the path of martyrdom. Similarly, in another passage, Christ expands upon this idea from a different perspective, as He often does with various topics. *Matthew 16:25.*

For they who have esteemed domestic affection of relations higher than God, are unworthy to inherit good things to come.

Consider the actions of the new creation alongside those of the old creation. Whoever cherishes their soul and wishes to preserve it adheres to the deeds of the new creation; however, those who indulge the desires of the flesh in this fleeting life engage in the actions of the old creation and risk losing their soul. Our Lord Jesus Christ, revealing the new creation through His own body, proclaimed: He that loveth his soul shall lose it (John 12:25), and he that loseth his soul for my sake shall find it (Matthew 10:39). He is the Sovereign of all creation and has dismantled the barrier of hostility (Eph. 2:14). He also declared: I came not to bring destruction to the world, but a sword (Mt. 10:34), and once more: I have come to set the world ablaze, and what I desire is already ignited (Lk. 12:49).

He is unworthy of the divine communion who prefers the carnal affection of kindred to the spiritual love of God.

The life in this place is not to be understood as the substance, (the soul,) but as this present state of being; and the sense is, He who findeth his life, i. e. this present life, he who so loves this light, its joys and pleasures, as to desire that he may always find them; he shall lose that which he wishes always to keep, and prepare his soul for eternal damnation.

When the time of trials arrives, a person, rejecting earthly life and willingly surrendering his spirit for the sake of righteousness, embraces his cross and follows the Lord, thereby gaining eternal life. As Christ states, “He that hath lost his life shall lose it, and he that hath lost his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:39). What does it signify when he says, “He who destroys his soul shall find it?” The human being consists of two aspects: the outer man, referring to the body, and the inner man, known as the soul.

He who prioritizes earthly existence believes he is safeguarding his soul, yet in truth, he is endangering it; the one who preserves his spirit—be it by denying Me in any form for the sake of a fleeting life—will ultimately lose it, forfeiting his soul and eternal life, and will be subjected to everlasting death for abandoning true faith. Conversely, the one who sacrifices his soul and does not cling to his temporary existence for My sake, who endures suffering as a faithful soldier in the cause of martyrdom, will find salvation, securing his soul for the life that is to come. 'Why do you hesitate to despise your soul? Is it because of your affection for it?

The one who seeks to preserve his soul will ultimately lose it, while the one who sacrifices his soul for the sake of Christ will discover it. In a parallel passage in the Gospel of John, it states, "He who hates his soul in this world will save it" (John 12:25). Furthermore, it is written that "He who hates his soul in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:25). A sole focus on the earthly nature of the soul, entangled in worldly desires (1 John 2:16) and sinful indulgences, is expressly condemned.

"He who has saved his soul," etc.: In this verse, the term soul appears twice, each time carrying a distinct meaning, along with the words save and lose, leading to a profound and clever interplay of ideas. Anyone who prioritizes saving their soul for this earthly existence by rejecting Me (Matt. 10:33) in any way will ultimately lose it for the sake of eternal life, facing the deprivation of eternal life and the fate of eternal death (Luke 9:24ff.); conversely, those who surrender their soul for this temporary life through self-denial in order to profess their faith in Christ will secure it for everlasting life or receive the promise of eternal life. A similar instance of a single word having different meanings within one verse can be seen in Matthew 8:22: "let the dead bury their own dead."