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 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 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, to 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.  My study Bible calls Jesus' question, "Who do you say that I am?" the greatest question a person can ever face, for the reason that it is this question that defines Christianity.  Peter answers correctly, and this answer prevents the Christian faith from being understood as just another philosophical system or path of spirituality.  In St. Matthew's Gospel, St. Peter adds to his answer here; he says that Jesus is "the Christ, the Son of the Living God."  This is a unique, singular identity that excludes all compromise with other religious systems.  My study Bible comments that St. Peter's understanding cannot be achieved by human reason, but only by divine revelation through faith (1 Corinthians 12:3).  Christ means "Anointed One," and is the equivalent of the Hebrew title "Messiah."  Moreover, my study Bible points out that Jesus first draws out erroneous opinions about Himself.  He does so in order to identify these incorrect ideas, as a person is better prepared to avoid false teachings when they are clearly identified.

 

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."  Following the confession of St. Peter, made on behalf of all of the apostles, Jesus now reveals the true nature of His messiahship.  This is the mystery of His Passion.  My study Bible comments that it was expected that the  Messiah would reign forever, so the idea that Christ would die was perplexing to Peter and remained scandalous to the Jews even after the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 1:23).

Peter unwittingly speaks for Satan, as the devil did not want Christ to complete His mission and save humankind through His experience of suffering and death.   

 

 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."  The cross was the most dreaded instrument of Roman punishment, crucifixion being reserved for the worst of criminals.  But for Christians, and in the language of Jesus here, it's a symbol of suffering in imitation of Christ.  My study Bible explains that we practice self-denial for the sake of the love of God and the gospel.  This does not glorify suffering in the sense that to accept it is not a punishment, not an end in itself, but rather a means whereby the fallen world is overcome for the sake of the Kingdom, and the flesh crucified with its passions and desires in exchange for higher purpose (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."  My study Bible comments here 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, we gain eternal riches that are unimaginable (1 Corinthians 2:9).

 

"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."  Jesus asks, "What will a man give in exchange for his soul?"  My study Bible comments that this question emphasizes the utter foolishness of accumulating worldly wealth or power, for none of this can redeem a person's fallen soul, nor will 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."  My study Bible suggests that this is a reference to those who would witness the Transfiguration (which follows in our next reading), as well as to those in every generation who will experience the presence of God's kingdom.

 

Jesus asks, "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?"  With language like this, Jesus makes it clear that -- at least spiritually speaking -- there is an exchange taking place, and this is one that is always with us, whether or not we recognize it.  There is the way of the world, that seeks to gain the whole world, and then there is the way of the soul.  That is, there is a way not simply to gain one's soul, but to feed and magnify it, even to save it.  This language puts life and the ways in which we face life and our choices in life into stark contrast.  We have two ways, apparently, to choose.  There is the way of the world (also sometimes referred to as "the flesh") and the way of the cross, the way for the soul.  We might think of "passions and desires of the flesh" noted by my study Bible as those things which belong strictly to the body, but this would be a false kind of equivalence, a wrong inference.  These would be akin to that which seeks to gain the whole world, and yet cannot recognize the loss of the soul, nor the value of the soul.  It is a kind of material focus that does not recognize the great value of the soul, our potential for all the things of the soul, including beauty and holiness, and the possibility of eternal life.  The Cross in this perspective offers us an exchange, and it is all about what we choose.  Through His Passion and death on the Cross, and His Resurrection and Ascension, Christ brings about the potential for union with the divine for all of us, the potential for eternal life with Him.  Had He chosen instead the "worldly" life of ease and forgetfulness, not heeding His divine mission, we can imagine what would have been lost for the entire world, and the whole history of humankind and of creation.  In a similar sense, our own personal crosses offer us that same kind of exchange.  We can follow our faith to save, magnify, and feed our souls for all the potential of the soul and the spiritual reality Christ offers to our lives (both in this world and beyond), or we can follow the way of "the flesh" or "the world" and be distracted from every spiritual joy and beauty, seeking only that which feeds us in the moment, ignoring grace, seeking a foundation in what is temporal and does not touch the heart of a human being in the inner life.  Jesus chooses His mission from the Father, for all of us, but He invites us, too, to take up our own crosses and do likewise.  For we may all participate in His life, Passion, death, Resurrection, Ascension.  We are meant for greater things than survival, consumption, the distraction of competition around us, what the "worldly" can offer to us.  There is a transcendent joy promised in faith, a way to build for a future we don't quite know, for values that accrue within us through grace, a life built upon the rock that is the foundation of faith.  When Jesus says to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan" He makes it clear that it is through His own forbearance, even His suffering, that it becomes possible for the divine to sanctify what is human, to offer to all of us the chance for holiness, to be "like God."  This is not something reserved only for the great saints of history, but on offer -- even commanded in discipleship -- for all of us.  Jesus says, ""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 we are meant to be mindful not simply of the things of men, but of the things of God, and in that exchange to be capable of something much greater.