What Does It Profit A Man?

 

By David R. Ferguson     I know of a man who as a child was stunned while he was watching a television show involving a man making a deal with the Devil. In this program, a down and out man traded his eternal soul for a million dollars. This man I know just couldn’t believe as a child that anyone would do such a thing willingly. The Devil Went Down to Georgia was a huge hit for the Charlie Daniels Band back in 1979, and it tells the tale of the Devil going down to Georgia to look for a soul to steal. He enters into an agreement with a boy named Johnny over which one of the two of them is the best fiddle player, and if Johnny wins, he gets to keep the golden fiddle the Devil plays. But if the Devil wins, he gets to keep his golden fiddle...AND Johnny’s soul. In the end, Johnny wins the contest, and he gets to keep his soul. He also gets to keep the shiny fiddle made of gold.     One of my favorite short stories I read as a youth was The Devil and Daniel Webster authored by Stephen Vincent Benét. This story, published in 1937, is a retelling of the tale of Faust, as was the TV show I watched as a child as well as The Devil Went Down to Georgia. According to German legend, Faust was a scholar who was highly successful, yet very dissatisfied with his life. His dissatisfaction put him on a pathway to the Devil whom he meets, and they entered into a pact whereby Faust exchanges his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures.     Benet's version of the story centers on a New Hampshire farmer by the name of Jabez Stone who, plagued with unending bad luck, is approached by the Devil under the name of Mr. Scratch. Under the guise of Mr. Scratch, the Devil offers Jabez Stone seven years of prosperity in exchange for his soul. At the end of the seven-year agreement, Mr. Scratch returns to claim the soul of Jabez Stone. However, Jabez had secured the help of Daniel Webster, a fictional version of the famous lawyer and orator and early American statesman, who defended Jabez Stone in front of a judge and jury of the damned, and his case was won and Stone kept his soul.     All of these remind me of a passage of Scripture found in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus Christ asks in Mark 8:36-37, 36 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? 37 For what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”     In these three examples, it was a million dollars, a golden fiddle, and good luck and prosperity. Since then, I have witnessed all kinds of people forfeiting their souls for a lot less, usually trying to achieve their fifteen minutes of fame. The basic principle of being a disciple of Jesus is that of self-denial, and forfeiting our Earthly, carnal pleasures of life. When we focus on Jesus and the eternal things He has to offer, it will help us forfeit anything that will keep us from enjoying those eternal blessings. May God bless you!

- David R. Ferguson preaches for the Mentor Church of Christ in Mentor, OH.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://mentorchurchofchrist.com/ or davidferguson61@yahoo.com