Mark 8:34-35 34And after calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for the same of me and the gospel will save it.
These words are perhaps some of the most difficult and challenging of the entire New Testament. Jesus reinvites his disciples to follow after him, just like in 1:16-20, but this time, they must bear a cross. The scene has transitioned from Peter being alone with Jesus, to Jesus being with the disciples, and finally to Jesus speaking to the whole gathered crowd. This invitation was open to all who would listen, including the Pharisees who seemed to keep chasing him down.
Unlike the disciples, we have the advantage of knowing how the story ends with the empty tomb, but we nevertheless struggle with Jesus’ call to cross-bearing. Christians go to church hoping to learn how to be happy, and preachers are tempted to fill the hour with cheerful music and happy talk. Ironically, churches that avoid mentioning the cross (both Jesus’ and ours) after a while shrivel up and die on the vine. Those churches that keep the cross at the center of their worship experience the power, presence, and fruit of the Holy Spirit. At some deep level, people recognize the necessity of disciplined discipleship. The gospel is not a matter of convenience but of investment.
Jesus outlines a threefold requirement for those who wish to follow after him. He lays out the terms of discipleship in clear terms using three imperatives or commands given as conditions for following him. The first condition is denying oneself. Self-denial requires saying “no” to one’s selfish impulses, instincts, and desires of self-seeking and self-will and saying “yes” to Jesus. Jesus does not say deny things but deny oneself. The self made sovereign gets in the way of Jesus’ lordship and was the problem the disciples were still wrestling with at this point. Jesus never tried to make discipleship an easy way but a transforming journey of a change of allegiance. The call to follow makes the central focus of life Jesus rather than self. We no longer live for self-gratification but to live for Christ. We do not have the power to save ourselves but only to lose ourselves.
Second, Jesus calls his disciples to bear their cross. The disciples had probably seen many Roman crosses during their journeys. Crucifixion was a notorious form of execution that was both a cruel form of physical punishment and a humiliating exposure to onlookers. The Roman cross was the sign of a criminal and meant death. For Jesus, the cross meant full submission to the Father’s plan of redemption and the necessary road to saving humanity from sin. For disciples, the cross represents aligning one’s will, purpose, and life with the same plan. The journey to the cross leads to resurrection life. This journey will require walking the narrow path that, at times, may seem less appealing than the broad path of culture that everyone else follows. However, the path to and through the cross leads to paradise. As a great leader, Jesus did not call his followers to face something he was not willing to face himself. If we die with him, we will also live with him; and if we share in his suffering, we will also share his glory (Romans 6:8).
Third, Jesus calls his disciples to follow after him. He repeats the same word (akoloutheitō)as the previous clause but now as an inviting command. Following is usually difficult for us because we have to change our thinking to align with the one we are following. Following requires humility and submission to the leader. The leader sets the agenda and direction. Following Jesus calls us to imitate him and become like him in our thinking and behavior.
We may think that the cross is heavy to bear and sometimes hear talk of carrying our heavy cross. We say, “I have such a heavy cross to bear.” Remove your cross and take up Jesus’ cross, for he says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30). The paradox of the gospel is that God’s power is seen in the weakness of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18ff). We can either lose our life now or lose it later. Jesus is the model of perfect obedience to God’s plan and purpose, and for him, this required the journey to the cross .
Life is not about trying to gain and make life more comfortable. If we think it is, we are seriously misguided. Life is all about giving and loving unconditionally. Jesus asks a rhetorical question that should cause us to think deeply about discipleship. The Greek word for “life” used here (psychēs) can express life, soul, or one’s very existence. What is worth the value of our soul? This question addresses the disease of our age: materialism. People try to gain as much as they can in this life only to lose it all at death. The choice is very clear. Thomas A Kempis wrote, “You must lead a dying life; the more a man dies to himself, the more he begins to live unto God.”
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