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

 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

- Luke 9:18-27

Yesterday we read that Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And he said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him. And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.  When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."  My study bible notes here that as in every generation, what the crowds have to say about Jesus is usually unpredictable and misguided.   We note that here Christ is alone praying when His disciples join Him.  It is another important juncture of His ministry -- the revelation that Jesus is the Christ in Peter's confession on behalf of all the disciples.  Again, according to my study bible, Who do you say that I am? is the ultimate question in Scripture and in all theology.  How each answers this question defines the universe, it says.  Christ (Messiah in Hebrew) means "Anointed One."  This declaration by Peter that Jesus is the Christ of God is a revelation that He is not simply another anointed king or prophet.  He is instead the long-awaited Savior of Israel.

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  Immediately Jesus prophesies to His disciples what is to come; that He will suffer many things and be rejected.  Even His death and Resurrection are immediately told to them.   My study bible tells us that He wishes to keep His identity as the Christ hidden from the crowds in order to avoid popular political and theological misunderstandings.  It is only after His Passion and Resurrection that His identity as Messiah can be correctly understood.

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels."  Immediately here Jesus admonishes His followers that they, too, must be like Him.  My study bible asks us to note two things here.  First, Each person must take up his own cross.  Every person's worldly burden is different for each, and each has been given particular struggles for one's own salvation and the salvation of those around oneself.  Second, one's cross is to be taken up daily.  The commitment to following Christ isn't a one-time kind of slogan or event.  Instead, it is the continual practice of faith and obedience, day by day and moment by moment -- and even to times of shame and persecution by the world.

"But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."  My study bible tells us that this is a reference to the disciples who will witness the Transfiguration (tomorrow's Gospel reading), as well as to those in each generation who experience the presence of the kingdom of God.

What does it mean to take up one's own cross?  If we look at Jesus' words, they are really much stronger than simply advising us that we must each take up our own cross.  He says, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."  Let us look at this conditional statement that He gives.  If anyone wishes to come after Him, they must first deny themselves, and take up their cross daily, and follow Him.  He is suggesting that without these two factors of self-denial and a daily taking up of one's personal cross, one cannot then follow Him.  This is the logical or rational impact of Christ's statement, as He frames discipleship here.   In a modern Western context, we can hardly imagine such a "sales pitch" for joining a group or movement.  Self-denial?  Taking up one's own personal cross daily?   That doesn't sound like much fun.  But to be a follower of Christ, He's telling us, this is the requirement.  It's what we must be prepared to do in order to truly follow Him.  We might not find this sounds very appealing, but it is a recipe for healing what ails us.  It is a way to truly find ourselves.  It is a way to bring meaning into our lives.  To deny oneself is really to acknowledge that there are deeper truths and meanings than what it is we learn from "the world."  In other words, Christ takes us to places where we have to find the bedrock of who we are, in the heart.  We are offered all kinds of appealing things in a worldly sense, to gain one thing and another materially.  Now that we move toward a nominal holiday season, we have our senses appealed to in varied ways for gratification and potential fulfillment of raised expectations.  But Christ asks us to put aside what seems immediately or impulsively "good" and focus on what He offers first.  To take up one's own cross daily may have to do with particular burdens we face in life.  The hardship of illness, or perhaps a childhood affliction, the effects of harsh circumstances or trauma come to mind.  In reaction to any one difficult experience, we may find ourselves with all kinds of impulses to find any kind of gratification as a response.   This sort of "loop" is what Christ pulls us out of.  Old hurts, injustices, bad experiences, things difficult to bear, even the false hope of unrealized expectation -- in Christ's light, these all become part of the cross we take up daily when we put them in His hands and seek His solutions for our lives, His way to bear them.  To deny ourselves, in His terms, is to look beyond ourselves and to find His way to handle our problems, rather than our own immediate and limited impulses.  Christ shows us a way that is meant not only to take us beyond what we know, and below the surface of our immediate experiences, but also to heal ourselves -- and in so doing, the world around us.  This is why my study bible comments that each one of us has been given particular struggles for our own salvation and the salvation of those around ourselves.  A harsh childhood may leave us, for example, with rage or anger issues.  It is a simple thing to transfer that anger to our own children, someone who is vulnerable around us, and can't really fight back.  They offer a convenient source for venting frustration.  But to deny oneself would be to question that rage, to give it up to Christ, rather than simply indulging in its impulse within us.  To take up our cross would mean recognizing the wound from childhood we bear, and asking instead for the light of Christ for not only our own healing, but for better ways to cope with the affliction we've suffered.  If we look at His words through this lens, we can understand His teaching that these two things form our preparation for following Him, for being His disciple.  He offers us a better way, a way to heal ourselves and those around ourselves, and this is our salvation.  Can we do the work?  Can we find it?  He may not offer us "feel-good" temporary solutions, or self-indulgent fantasies.  But instead, if we so desire, we are offered truth, reality, the be-all and end-all of life's meaning -- and the capacity to make significant choices that change our own experience of reality as well as those of others around us.  Which one do you think you'd find more truly satisfying for yourself?  Which one offers you to become the bearer of true wisdom? 

What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

 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."  Here is an astonishing transformation (if we can call it that) in Jesus' ministry.  Until now, the various signs He has made -- the great healings and the feedings in the wilderness -- were "signs" of the presence of the Kingdom, Christ's power, and the life that was in Him.  But here, just after Peter's confession that He is the Christ (in yesterday's reading, above), we are in new territory. He has revealed to them that He will suffer, and die, and will rise again.   Now, the theology of the Cross is revealed.  It is the key to eternal life.  My study bible says that the cross, which was 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.  To accept this suffering is not punishment and neither is it an end in itself.  It is rather, 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).  The Cross becomes a symbol of life and the transfiguration possible with God.

"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 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).   It is of note also that the exchange we make of one life for another is also one that enriches, expands, and blesses us with gifts of life and Christ's renewal even in this world.

"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."  The question Jesus asks, What will a man give in exchange for his soul? is a central emphasis.  It indicates the complete foolishness of accumulating worldly wealth or power without considering the soul, for which these can provide no benefit.  These are powerless to redeem a fallen soul, or to 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 is considered to be a reference to those who will witness the Transfiguration (our next reading in chapter 9), as well as those in every generation who will experience the presence of God's Kingdom.

Jesus speaks of an exchange.  What will we give for our souls?  There are times in life when we can clearly feel the hurt to our souls.  There are things that make us feel we've somehow cheapened our lives, or perhaps given something valuable (yet intangible) away that we'd give our heart's desire to get back.  There are times when we're tempted to feel that somehow our lives are lessened by the ways that others may treat us.  The Cross is the redeeming instrument of power for all of these ills.  It teaches us that the world does not determine our value, but rather that there are those things that come from within -- with God's help and power -- that make our lives richer, more vibrant, more meaningful.  There are qualities within ourselves that we may develop with God's grace that will surprise even us.  And there are things about ourselves, habits which are unattractive and undesirable, secret pains and hurts, disappointments, even humiliations, that need the power of exchange that the Cross can give us so that we may see ourselves and our lives in a right way, that sets us on a good path.  And in that Cross is the power and the depth of the love of Christ which is the life of Christ.  It is a love that covers all things and gives life even where there is death in any form.  And this is the final and ultimate transfiguring power of the Cross.   Our Lord will go to His death and suffering voluntarily, participating fully in the human life He has in the world, so that He will exchange by participation all our suffering and death itself for His life.  This is not a payment; it is the "prince of this world" that would demand payment and ransom for what is not his, like a thief and oppressor.  It is rather a free and liberating gift of love for the life of the world.  He reclaims all of us as His, and our key to this life He offers is simply faith.  He says it right here:  we exchange one life for another if we participate in His life and take up our own crosses.  This is an invitation to a relationship far deeper than what we think of when we use the words "faith" or "worship."   This is a depth of exchange of life for life:  we exchange what we know or think life to be for the life He offers us.  Through love, we enter into deep territory, the heart of the soul, and we share the life He offers us.  This may involve difficult exchanges of things we hold dear for the better ones He offers.  Like a doctor, who gives medicine in order to heal, the struggle of the Cross is the offer of life itself in exchange for that which we know but what is harming us.  All the gospel message Christ gives, all of His commands, lead us to this medicine for the fullness of life, and ask us to exchange the things that stand in the way of its burning and blazing light in us.  Can we take up our cross?