Mark 8:36-9:1 36For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and to forfeit his soul? 37For what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 1And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”
Jesus asks two more rhetorical questions to the crowd that should cause would-be disciples to consider their motives deeply for following or not following Jesus. What is life really about? The way people live says something about their priorities. Some people value the wrong things and realize it too late. One of the biggest temptations today is the gain of material things. Compare the values of today with the values of the gospel: profit versus honor, principle versus popularity, temporal instead of the eternal. People are faced with two questions: What do people think? And, what does God think? Do we want the cheapest item on the shelf, or do we want to pay more for the best quality? Cheap things never last. Why sacrifice eternity for a moment? The promises of the world are enticing and offer promises of happiness, peace, and comfort, but these promises are only temporary at best.
Each part of verses 36-38 is linked together with the consequential connector for. Gaining even the whole world results in forfeiting one’s soul. Those who attempt to gain the world and follow its ways may be tempted to be ashamed of Jesus and the gospel. Jesus lays out the terms of the choice very clearly in verse 38. Shame is a powerful social force that entices people to act in certain ways. The choice Jesus gives is basically shame before the world or shame before him. One reason people choose the world’s promises is that they are anxious about material things and not willing to trust in Jesus. We find our true meaning and purpose when we give up ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
The reality is that we will one day stand before the throne of God and have to give an account of what we did with the message about Jesus. Those who follow Jesus in this life will be honored before God, but those who reject Jesus will be shamed. The assumption in verse 38 is that the consequence of shame will be judgment. Experiencing shame in this life is nothing compared to shame before God.
The coming of the Son of Man will be in fulfillment of Daniel 7:13-14 and Zechariah 14:5. Jesus will come with full power and sovereignty over all nations. His rejection on earth will be answered by his exaltation in heaven. He will come with the full glory of the Father, the same glory that no one in the Old Testament could fully experience, and the glorious image of the invisible God to which we are being transformed like Adam and Eve were first created.
Chapter 9 verse 1 is a prophecy about the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and not a promise that the disciples would see Jesus return again. The Spirit would come after Jesus was exalted. The gathered disciples would see God’s kingdom come with power in fulfillment of Jesus’ words. This promise should have given the disciples comfort that the disciples would not face death or have to forfeit their life before that point. They would participate in the spread of God’s kingdom by being faithful followers of Jesus.
For older posts, click here.