Jesus’ Call for You to Die (Mark 8)

We continue in Mark for our Summer Reading Challenge of 2022.  Today’s reflections from Mark chapter 8 address how Jesus describes what it looks like to follow him.

• Mark chapter 8 has 5 main movements: (1) Jesus feeds the Four Thousand (8:1-10); (2) Jesus confronts the “leaven” of the Pharisees and their demand for a sign (8:11-21); (3) Jesus heals a blind man (8:23-26); (4) Peter confesses that Jesus is the Messiah (8:27-30); and (5) Jesus foretells His death & resurrection (8:31-9:1).
• Today’s episode focuses on the latter half of the chapter – specifically where Peter confesses the Lord; how Jesus explains he must suffer, die, and rise again; and finally, how that is all connected to the call to follow Jesus.

THE GOOD CONFESSION

• As we begin our examination of discipleship, it is fitting to begin with Mark 8:27-30.  In this passage Jesus asks His disciples who the people say He is (8:27). 
  • This is where we often start a discussion about Jesus – what do people say about him, what kind of views or positions are held by various groups, what kind of claims has Jesus made.  And while these things are a good start, Jesus takes his disciples as step further.
  • “But who do you say that I am” (8:29)?  And that is the question which we all face today.  Who do you, my friend, you – watching this right now – who do you say that Jesus is?  Of all the questions you will answer in your life, this is perhaps the most important!
• Peter responds with what has been called “The Good Confession” – he answers Jesus, “You are the Christ” (8:29).  We read a vary similar confession in every Gospel account:
  • Luke’s account of this event includes the words “of God” after the confession that Jesus is the Christ (Luke 9:20)
  • Matthew records Peter’s extended answer – “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:16)
  • Martha, in John 11:27, confesses: “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
• Each of these confessions states that Jesus is the Christ – that is from the Greek word ‘christos’ which is a translation of the Hebrew word for Messiah.  So, these individuals are confessing that Jesus is the Messiah – the fulfillment of all God’s promises of a coming King, a figure to redeem His people, and deliver them from all their oppressors!  As we examine more and more of the New Testament revelation, we see clearer and clearer those passages which point to the coming Messiah in the Old Testament.
  • While Peter certainly did not understand all that the Scriptures had to say about the coming Messiah (which will be clear in the next section), Peter did understand enough to proclaim that Jesus is the fulfillment of all God’s promises!  For more on this, see the first two episodes in Mark talking about the Son of God and the Son of Man.
• Once Peter makes this good confession, Jesus begins to explain more of His mission as the Christ, the Son of Man. And this leads us to the next section.

PETER’S BAD THINKING

• In Mark 8:31-33 we see Jesus foretell His death and resurrection (this will happen three times before what we call “Holy Week” – Mark 8:31; 9:31; and 10:33-34).  Specifically He teaches them that three things must happen: (1) The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the leaders; (2) He must be killed; and (3) after three days, He must rise again.
• As Jesus was speaking this plainly (8:32), we read that “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.  But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan!  For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but the things of man” (8:32-33).
  • What a whiplash from the previous passage.  At first, Peter’s confession is spot on!  ‘Jesus you are the Messiah!’  And now, after Peter tells Jesus He should not suffer and be killed – now he is rebuked and told that his thoughts are not only is set upon the things of man, but is actually in line with Satan!
  • How in the world are we to understand this?
    • First, Jesus has explicitly stated that HE WILL SUFFER, DIE AND RISE.  Peter is contradicting the Lord himself!
    • Second, not only has Jesus stated this clearly, as we learn through the New Testament, the teaching that the Messiah would have to suffer is the teaching of the Old Testament prophets (this is most clearly seen in Isaiah 53).
      • We might say, then, that the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus has been God’s plan of redeeming mankind from the beginning.
    • And if this is the case, Peter is not only rejecting Jesus’ immediate words, but his objection to Jesus suffering and dying is a rejection of God’s plan of redemption — a rejection of the very purpose for which Jesus came!
• In Jesus’ rebuke of Peter he says, “Get behind me, Satan” – is He saying that Peter himself is Satan? Note the next phrase, he says, “for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
  • Jesus is saying this only of Peter’s thought – not that Peter himself is Satan.
• But we consider this statement about “setting your mind” — Peter’s rebuke of Jesus revealed some of Peter’s misplaced assumptions about the mission of the Messiah.  And further still, his statement reveals something of ALL of our presumptions about what it means to live for God in this world.  And on that note, we turn to the next section.

THE CALL TO COME AND DIE

• At this point, Jesus calls the crowd to himself, together with His disciples.  And Jesus unfolds for all of us what it looks like to follow Him. 
  • He says: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:34-38)
    
• This invitation, just like others we read in the Gospel accounts (such as “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink,” John 7:37), this is an invitation for all who would follow Jesus.  In these verses, however, we do not immediately see the promises and happy benefits that others do — in these verses, we see the cost of discipleship.  So, let us consider these three actions to which Jesus calls anyone who would follow him: (1) Deny himself; (2) Take up his cross; and (3) Follow Jesus
  • What does it look like to follow Jesus? (1) Deny yourself. The first thing that Jesus requires is that a person denies themselves.  This means putting the call and commands of Jesus before our own will.  Letting our passions, the desires of flesh, the direction of our lives, letting them YIELD to the passions, desires and directions of the Lord!
    • What does it look like to deny ourselves?  If we flip this on its head, it is pretty easy to understand.  What would it look like to deny Jesus?  We would read his word, see what he desires for our lives, read his commands, and decide that they are not as important as what we want to or are doing. If Jesus tells us to forgive others, and by our actions, we tell him “You cannot tell me what to do!” We deny the Lord!
      • What then does it look like to deny SELF?  Flip it around – If everything in me screams that I cannot forgive someone who wronged me, I respond “I belong to Jesus, oh you may rage – but you cannot tell me what to do, Jesus is the Master of my life!”
      • I think it is profound that this passage about the cost of discipleship follows immediately on the heels of the Good Confession.  What we really believe about who Jesus is — this is borne out in how we respond to this call of Jesus!  Do I truly believe that He is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the fulfillment of all that is promised in the Old Testament, the very Way, and Truth, and Life?  If I do, I will follow Him, regardless the cost! 
    • Friend, if you are unwilling to deny yourself, you will not be able to do the other two actions Jesus lists here.
  • What does it look like to follow Jesus? (2) Take up your cross – If denial of self was hard – what in the world could taking up a cross mean?  In the first century, taking up your cross was not really seen as a good thing.  The cross was a means of public shame and excruciating execution.  Taking up your cross was a death sentence.
    • The testimony of the Scriptures is that we should consider ourselves “dead to self” and “dead to sin” that we might live for God!
    • While it certainly sounds strange to our ears, this is actually foundational to how we are able to make all kinds of sacrifices unto the Lord, and how – should the day come – how we can face intense persecution.
      • The world can only take what pertains to the physical world – wealth, possessions, physical comforts, employement, our physical life — and only at the permission of the Lord (consider Job).
      • BUT the world cannot take what is not their’s to give – namely, eternal life, contentment, supernatural joy, unshakeable hope, a mind an heart at peace with God, a conscience resting secure in the sacrifice of Jesus.
    • What does this all mean?  Letting go of the throne of our hearts, yielding to the Lord — seeking to know and understanding His will — letting your life be a vessel for the work of God to flow through!
  • So, what does it look like to follow Jesus? (3) Follow Jesus – If we have denied ourselves, relinquished our self-determination, and have reconned ourselves DEAD TO SELF — the commands of Jesus become joyful!  We can replace our self-dependance with dependence upon the Lord!  When the Lord sets before us a mission to tackle, or an attitude to define our hearts, we joyfully seek to make them realities! 
• So friend, have you responded to the call of Jesus to follow him?  We can conclude this section with a rather well known quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer from his book, “The Cost of Discipleship” ‘- “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”^[1]

Conclusion:

• I know today was a longer episode, but let us summarize and conclude with some questions: Have you answered Jesus’ question here in Mark 9?  Who do you say that He is?  Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ?  Perhaps you have been a believer for a while — does your thinking line up with how Jesus  describes following Him?  Or have you set your mind on the things of man?  Hear Paul’s words in Colossians 3:2-3 – “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
  • Have you read Mark chapter 8 yet?  What was your reaction to what Jesus said to Peter?  When you honestly read Mark 8, have taken Jesus’ words seriously?  How would your life look different if you took Mark 8:34-38 seriously?

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“The Cost of Discipleship,” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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