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

 

 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 8:34—9:1 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus 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.  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."  My study Bible explains that the cross, a dreaded instrument of Roman punishment, is also a symbol of suffering by Christians in imitation of Christ.  We practice self-denial for the sake of the love of God and the gospel.  Accepting this suffering is not a punishment, nor is it an end in itself, but it is a means to overcome the fallen world for the sake of the Kingdom and to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 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."  Jesus gives us a way to walk through this world, a purpose (for My sake and the gospel's), which indicates a particular journey of faith.  My study Bible comments that the central paradox of Christian living is that in grasping for temporal things, we lose the eternal; but in sacrificing everything in this world (that is, being willing to give up what stands in the way of living the life of faith), we gain eternal riches that are unimaginable (1 Corinthians 2:9).  

"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."  Jesus asks, What will a man give in exchange for his soul?  First, to clarify for a modern audience, the Greek word translated as man (ἄνθρωπος/anthropos) also means human being, a person.  So Christ's question applies to all people.  According to my study Bible, the question emphasizes the utter foolishness of accumulating worldly wealth or power, as none of this can redeem man's fallen soul, nor can it benefit a person in the life to come.

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."  This statement is considered to be a reference to the event that will take place in the next lectionary reading (Mark 9:2-13), the Transfiguration (Greek Μεταμόρφωσης/Metamorphosis), which is commemorated in most Christian denominations on August 6th.  In the Armenian Apostolic Church, it is a moveable feast celebrated on the 14th Sunday after Easter.  Jesus also speaks of those in every generation who will experience the presence of God's kingdom.  

What do we make of Jesus' categorical statements here in today's reading?  There is first of all His reference to the cross.  He has just finished telling the disciples for the first time about His Passion.  In the words of yesterday's reading (above), Jesus told 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."  There was no specific reference made to the Cross, and yet the reference is already clear here in Jesus' teaching to His followers.  One thing that is explicit is the specific reference to the importance of the gospel, and to Christ Himself:  "whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it."  Here there is no mincing words at all.  As Jesus has begun to experience persecution and hostility by the religious leadership, and rejection in certain towns and places (like Bethsaida or His hometown of Nazareth) the choice becomes more stark and clear.  There is no compromise in the sense of the essential importance and significance of the gospel of the Kingdom and of Christ Himself.  We may find that we have many choices in our lives, and it's frequently our work to compare one choice to another, the relative negative points and advantages.  But in choosing Christ, and His gospel message, there is no compromise, for nothing else can be worth its value.  Nothing else can measure up to its importance and meaning for our lives.  For, just as is alluded to in today's reading, Christ's very Person and His gospel of the Kingdom is meant to transform, to transfigure our lives.  It is His work in us that gives our lives value and meaning, transfiguring the choices we make into those that ask us for our love of God, and our participation in the grace of the One who can offer us "life abundantly" (John 10:10).  There might be ways we can live our lives to put other things first, like the acquisition of wealth, or possibly of many friends, maybe toward chasing many pleasurable things.  But the accumulation of things can't offer us the life of the gospel.  It can't offer us a depth of meaning and purpose that nourishes the soul, or gives us a sense of an infinitude of riches in the mysteries of the Kingdom.  We may consider that blessings are purely material acquisitions, but the blessedness of the Kingdom is something else altogether (Matthew 5:1-10).  What Christ is saying, it seems to me, is that when it comes to the soul, the very fabric of who we are, there is only one Person, one place, one choice that offers us an interior richness that adds to our own person, that brings a fullness to our identity in an ontological sense.  That is, in the sense of our very being, beyond the appearances of the world and the material things we may acquire.  This interior wealth transforms everything else:  it adds meaning to our lives and to our choices, it more than doubles our sense of what love is, how truth works within us, and clarifies what may be easily muddied through our own confusion and the endless manipulation of the worldly.  This is the prize worth all the rest (Matthew 13:44), the one thing needed (Luke 10:42), the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45-46).  This is the wealth we cannot manipulate or buy our way into, for it's a gift of love from God who is love (1 John 4:8).  This is why there is no compromise for this gospel nor for His sake, for it is worth more than all else.  St. Paul writes in Hebrews 4:12:  "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."  Another way to understand what Christ is saying is to understand that His gospel is that which gets between everything, piercing more deeply into us than anything else.  If we have relationships we cherish, then God's love will help us to learn love better, to build and teach us what a good relationship is.  If we cherish justice, then the righteousness offered through Christ's gospel will teach us what real justice is, adding to it mercy and discernment.  If we wish to keep close to us those whom we love, the gospel will help us to truly find what the good is -- for us and for others.  Do we come from a broken or abusive background?  His love will teach us what love is, and what it is to cherish the value of the soul.  Christ and His gospel is the one thing that should pierce between ourselves and everything else, teaching us values and discernment, and not to make an idol out of what is not worthy.  Jesus teaches, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).  This Kingdom is worth every sacrifice, as Jesus will indeed show us when He goes to the Cross -- and in so doing, He will transfigure a world and destroy death for us all.