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Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?" So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ." Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.
And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me, and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power."
- Mark 8:27-9:1
In yesterday's reading, we first read that the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. but He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation." And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread." But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And o you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?" They said to Him, "Twelve." "Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?" And they said, "Seven." So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?" Then they went to Bethsaida, where a blind man was brought to Him, and they begged Jesus to touch Him. So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking." Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."
Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; . . . My study bible has several notes on today's passage, and I'll endeavor to quote them for the information they give us. Here, it notes, "Caesarea Philippi, a major city rebuilt by Herod's son Philip, who named it after Tiberius Caesar and himself, was located some 20 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus chooses this Gentile area to challenge His disciples with the messianic question in private, apparently wishing to avoid popular repercussions among Jews."
. . . and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, "Who do men say that I am?" So they answered, "John the Baptist; but some say Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said to Him, "You are the Christ." Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him. My study bible notes here: "Peter, on behalf of the disciples, confesses Jesus as the Christ. The Hebrew equivalent of Christ is 'Messiah,' meaning 'the Anointed One.' Because this title was fraught with popular nationalistic misunderstandings, Jesus uses it only rarely, but accepts it when questioned at His trial before the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:61, 62). The understanding of Christ's identity cannot be gained through human reason; nor do miracles divulge it. It comes only by revelation from the Father in heaven (Matt. 16:16, 17)." Recently, we've observed in Mark's gospel the many expectations people have of the Messiah, and how Jesus has sought to keep His identity secret, even the miracles He has performed, by forbidding the healed to speak of them. We can see the glimpses of revelation even in the various answers the disciples give as to who people say Jesus is. We have also been told, for example, that Herod fears Jesus is John the Baptist returned from the dead. But over and over again the message is clear to us that Jesus' ministry is to have a specific purpose and meaning in its revelation of just who and what the Christ is. He is not to cater to popular expectation and understanding, and in this same purpose, He will not provide anyone with a sign despite their demands (see yesterday's reading).
And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. Here, my study bible says, "Son of Man is a veiled Old Testament messianic title (Daniel 7:13) which Jesus uses frequently as it is more suitable than 'the Christ' for this stage in Jesus' ministry. Jesus must suffer: This is the inscrutable divine will, and the very heart of His redemptive work. Suffering marks Jesus' redefinition of messiahship (see Isaiah 53). Peter is shocked by this unprecedented notion. But Jesus is preparing His disciples -- and Christians today -- for adversity." Again, we are treated to waves of revelation about Messiah, unpleasant, unexpected, unthinkable. But they are things that must be accepted. What Messiah does, and who Christ is are things that are not ours to name nor to control, and, as my study bible puts it, how Christ works in our own lives is something that remains in this category -- outside of our control and expectations. We can be sure that even though we may deal with suffering in this world, we live in relationship of love to Christ, and it is that love that shapes and forms our identity in Him, as bearers of His love.
But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." A note here reads, "Peter unknowingly serves the intent of Satan rather than the plan of God in attempting to lead Jesus away from the path of suffering." We see who is clearly in the lead; Marks' gospel teaches us in so many ways about our own expectations of our faith, and our trust in Christ. Jesus has to turn around to face Peter and to tell him, "Get behind Me." It is Christ who leads us, not we who determine how Christ will lead our lives and our discipleship with Him.
When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." My study bible says here, "After Peter's confession, Jesus injects a new, solemn tone into His ministry by speaking about suffering and by teaching the people and the disciples the cost of discipleship: self-denial, carrying one's cross (a symbol of suffering), and obedience to Christ. By saying let him deny himself, and take up his cross, Jesus means His followers should separate themselves from their sins and from the inclination of their hearts towards evil (Gen. 8:21), crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires (Gal. 5:24)."
"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it." My study bible says here: "To save one's life means to base one's earthly life on self. This is the opposite of self-denial, and ultimately results in the loss of eternal life. To lose one's life is to accept suffering and sacrifice for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom, which ultimately brings salvation. Discipleship is costly; it requires giving up all claim to everything the world holds dear."
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me, and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Another note reads: "Soul (Gr. psyche), also translated 'life' (v. 35, [above]), can refer to our spiritual nature or the whole human being. Nothing is more valuable to us than our souls."
And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power." My study bible says, "The kingdom of God present with power is connected to the previous words about the Son of Man coming in glory (8:38). A foretaste of this glory is granted at the Transfiguration, which anticipates future revelatory moments of God's great power: the Resurrection of Christ and Pentecost, as well as the consummation of the Kingdom." Jesus connects our souls with this eternal Kingdom and its presence in the world. We wish to have the fullness of our own lives present with the fullness of this Kingdom.
I've found often in my life that suffering comes because of an endeavor to do the right thing; or rather, while I endeavor to follow Christ's teachings I still may suffer great injustice at the hands of those who don't care, or who may be tremendous hypocrites in their piety. Perhaps as a result I have to learn to live without some things I counted on, and even cherished. This is my experience, and I think in a certain sense it reflects the experience of countless Christians who also follow in the shadow of the Cross of Jesus who is ultimately the model for all those who "take up their cross." In other words, we may suffer in an imperfect world, one in which the "strong man" still holds sway in a certain sense, and we may suffer for the Kingdom. But I feel there is a great difference between "business as usual" or, if you will, life as usual among those who practice deceit or injustice or other forms of cruelty, and in that place where we endeavor to meet any form of oppression or injustice or suffering (such as we see in the Gospels) with Christ's way for us to go through that suffering. If we are truly "God-bearers" or participants in the life of the Kingdom to whatever extent we are capable in our faith, then that creates a "new" dynamic in the world. I believe that taking up one's cross in such circumstances is really following Christ in the sense that we actively exchange one "worldly" way of life for another, for the work of the Kingdom that Christ promises us. In that sense, we become Kingdom-bearers into the world, true disciples. Thus our souls are magnified; we are related in Christ to the rest of the world. We can still bear His love and righteousness. This is not easy; often we may be disappointed. But ultimately to bear that cross becomes a life of love, of service to something that unites us in love to the things that give us life in abundance, and a depth of faith that teaches us what God's love is all about. So let us understand that suffering -- as we live in an imperfect world -- may take all kinds of forms in our lives. But to take up His cross is to respond as He asks of us, and to be united to His love in the process. We just may find our souls uplifted with an abundance of life that we can't quite explain to those who may wonder, even as we give up some cherished beliefs or expectations along the way. The Cross becomes an exchange, a greater gift whose effects we can't predict.
