Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 16:25

"For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it." — Matthew 16:25 (ASV)

For the sense of v.25, see comment on 10:39. Verse 26 furthers the argument by asking twin rhetorical questions, showing the folly of possessing all created abundance and wealth at the expense of one’s “soul.” The focus is eschatological, and the loss of one’s soul is the eternal loss of one’s life or self.