Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me

 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

Yesterday we read that the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Jesus, 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 do 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 He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him 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; 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.  Here is the great question:  "Who do you say that I am?"  It's the question that defines Christianity, and our relationship to Christ.  My study bible says that Peter's correct answer to this question  prevents the Christian faith from being seen as merely another philosophical system or path or spirituality, because it names Jesus as the one and only Son of  the living God.  This understanding doesn't come through human reason alone, but rather by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," equivalent to  "Messiah."    My study bible draws our attention to the fact that Christ first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself.  This is a way to identify incorrect ideas.  When false teachings are clearly identified, a person is better prepared to avoid them.  It encourages us to understand the importance of identifying heresy, and understanding good theology based on the true identity of Christ.  We note also that it is not time for the disciples to teach others who Christ is; everything depends upon correct timing and unfolding of Jesus' ministry.

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."  Jesus' first "news" to the disciples after the revelation of His identity as Christ is that He will suffer.  He offers them the mystery of His Passion.  Popular expectations were the opposite, that in fact the Messiah would reign forever.  The idea that Christ would die was confounding to Peter and would remain scandalous even after the Resurrection (see 1 Corinthians 1:23).  Peter speaks unwittingly for Satan, as the devil did not want Christ to fulfill His mission, says my study bible, and save mankind through suffering and death.

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."   Jesus speaks of the cross, a dreaded instrument of Roman punishment exceedingly cruel.  It's also a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Christ.  Tradition teaches that Christians practice self-denial for the sake of the love of God and gospel, says my study bible.  Accepting this suffering or sacrifice is not a punishment, nor an end in itself.  Rather it's a means of overcoming a cruel and fallen world for the sake of the Kingdom.  It is a sense in which the flesh is crucified with its passions and desires for the sake of deeper courage, purpose, and truth (Galatians 5:24).   Here is a key core of the Christian message, that in grasping for the temporal, we may lose the eternal.  But giving up everything in this world to God, we gain eternal riches which are unimaginable (1 Corinthians 2:9).  To save one's soul is to realize life as transcendent of what we know, a kind of eternal blessing of life itself.  To pursue the accumulation of worldly wealth, power, or attractions as one's primary goal is foolish.  This can't redeem a soul, nor benefit a person in the life to come.  Those who will see the kingdom of God present with power are those who will witness the Transfiguration (tomorrow's reading) and also those in every generation who will experience the presence of God's Kingdom. 

The paradox of Christianity has been a central key to the richness of its theology and understanding for 2,000 years.   Particularly for the early Church Fathers who developed the central core of theology and those of the early Councils of the Church, it was paradox that defined the true reality of their faith.  Christ or Messiah was supposed to be a kind of eternal king, one that would restore the fortunes of Israel and bless God's people with plenitude.  Instead, the shocking truth of the revelation of Christ's mission in the world is one of sacrifice and death -- and of course, Resurrection.  Not only that, but our Messiah asks of us to follow in His footsteps, to be like Him.  That is,  it is not the temporal things of the world that guide our faith, our courage, our lives, but rather it is our faith in Him that does so.  What that says to us sets up a great paradoxical perspective.  Just as Christ refuses all temptation to produce a miracle or sign as proof of His divinity, so we should expect in our own lives that outcomes may not always be in accord with our understanding, our desires, and particularly our human expectations.  How we are led through life, and through the course of our faith and its development, testing, and challenges, won't always be the path that we assume is best from our perspective.  Jesus speaks of a kind of exchange, where our perspective is met with another.  We are invited, through faith, to accept a place where our priorities and personal desires may not be considered part of a longer-term goal or even what is truly best for us.  The Cross presents us with this kind of exchange, and with a question:  which way are we going to choose?  Jesus, as Messiah, presents Himself as a suffering servant, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah (see Isaiah 53).  His sacrifice on the Cross turns selfishness upside down.  It teaches us what it is to be truly "great."  That is, He teaches that there is far more to what we are as human beings than appetites and worldly desires; rather we are capable of embracing a fullness of life and purpose beyond our imagining.  The Cross in some sense affirms the mystery of God's life for us as revealed in the book of Job, when God asks Job:  "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? . . .  When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:4,7).  We are asked to enter into a grander, deeper, far more profound reality of life than our own worldly perspectives.  This is the exchange, and the choice always comes to us as paradox.  It is the Cross that asks us which way we will follow.