Selling Your Soul to the Devil
The legend of Faust is one that has so weaved itself into the collective consciousness of Western civilization that we often forget that it is based upon the words of Christ found in Mark 8:34–38:
Then Jesus called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and because of the gospel will save it. For what benefit is it for a person to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his life? What can a person give in exchange for his life? For if anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
In the original legend, Faust makes a deal with the devil: the demon Mephistopheles would be on loan to Faust for the remainder of his life — and so his demonic magical powers — and then Faust’s soul would be damned to an eternity in Hell. He quickly learns that such a deal is always weighted toward his own destruction; that the devil and his demon are not fair barterers.
It is no doubt that the medieval legend was inspired by Jesus’ words of warning given at Caesarea Phillipi. And the parallels are both interesting and convicting.
At the time of Christ, Caesarea Phillipi was a place of the most horrendous pagan worship. It was the location of the Grotto of Pan — the half-man/half-goat god of sex and prosperity. Every day, countless pagans would come to the grotto to offer sacrifices to the satyr in hopes that this god would provide abundance to their livestock and crops, and even give them offspring. Acts of sexual perversion were practiced openly in the grotto — things done with each other and even with animals that cannot be described. All in exchange for wealth and earthly success.
Jesus took His disciples — those who would follow and seek to emulate Him — to this debauched location for a very important moment in His ministry.
It is here that Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was. It is here that Peter made his confession that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. It is here that Jesus said He would build His Church against which the gates of Hell would not prevail.
Hold all of these images in your mind as you ponder what He does next.
“Then Jesus called to the crowd…” He turns from addressing His disciples, and toward whatever crowd is gathered in the grotto. It can only be concluded that this crowd is made up of those Pan worshippers who are offering sacrifices to this demon god of prosperity. They are the ones performing these abominable acts. And Jesus’ heart breaks.
I imagine tears in His eyes and anger in His soul. The pinnacle of YHWH’s creation has been so debased that it is unrecognizable. He yells, “Follow me! Give all of this up! What benefit are you getting from this! Following me may cost you your life, but you’ll still have your soul! What you’re doing is trading the image of the Almighty within you for temporary wealth! Look at what it is costing you!”
Your soul was created with a spark of the Divine within it. You were not born for a temporary existence. And you will never find the life your heart is searching for in the gods of this world.
Satan finds no value at all in your soul. He would have you trade it in exchange for a Faustian deal that will always prove to be disastrous. And he will mockingly laugh at you while give it all away for nothing.
Jesus places the ultimate value on your soul. The Almighty God of Heaven and Earth lowered Himself to become a humble man who willingly traded His life for yours
The choice is now yours. Give up your life here. Count it as dead to this world. Follow Jesus. And receive from Him the eternal life He promises.
