²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(A)unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ^25 (B)Whoever loves his life loses it, and ^(C)whoever ^(D)hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him ^(A)deny himself and ^(B)take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For ^(C)whoever would save his life^[a] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For ^(D)what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or ^(E)what shall a man give in return for his soul? ^27 (F)For the Son of Man is going to come with ^(G)his angels in the glory of his Father, and ^(H)then he will repay each person according to what he has done. ²⁸ Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not ^(I)taste death ^(J)until they see the Son of Man ^(K)coming in his kingdom.”

¹⁶ And he told them a parable, saying, ^(A)“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, ¹⁷ and he thought to himself, ^(B)‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my ^(C)barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up ^(D)for many years; relax, ^(E)eat, drink, be merry.”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ^(F)‘Fool! ^(G)This night ^(H)your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, ^(I)whose will they be?’ ²¹ So is the one ^(J)who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”