²⁴ Then Jesus said to his followers, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow me. ²⁵ Those who want to save their lives will give up true life, and those who give up their lives for me will have true life. ²⁶ It is worthless to have the whole world if they lose their souls. They could never pay enough to buy back their souls.