"Who do you say I am?"
Mark 8:27-29 (NIV) says, "Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, 'Who do people say I am?' They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.' 'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I am?' Peter answered, 'You are the Christ.' "
Mark 8:29 is a watershed moment in the gospel of Mark! Finally! The disciples are beginning to grasp Jesus' identity! They are starting to believe! At this point in the gospel of Mark they have been with Jesus at least a year, maybe two. Who knows? They have seen more miracles, signs, and wonders than anyone else, and they have heard more teaching also. The pieces are starting to come together. At first the disciples saw things dimly, but now things are starting to become clearer.
You would think that after all he has been through with his disciples, Jesus would take a Polaroid picture here and savor the moment. You know, a hard fought battle has been won. A seed has taken root. A page has turned. A new chapter has begun. But no! Faith is just the starting point. It's the place where a life of discipleship begins. It's the place where our expectations begin to collide with that of Christ's kingdom.
In Mark 8:30-32 (NIV) it says, "Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this..."
Upon his profession of faith, the very last thing Peter expected to hear was that Jesus must suffer, be rejected, must be killed, and after three days rise again. Forget about the resurrection! Peter didn't sign up for personal suffering, rejection, or death. He signed up for victory and conquest. He expected Christ to ride a wave of popular support, first to Jerusalem, then to Rome, then to the ends of the earth. But suffering? Rejection? Death? That wasn't part of the equation.
Peter rebuked Jesus.
The rest of Mark 8:32 (NIV) tells us that when Peter heard these things, "Peter took him (Jesus) aside and began to rebuke him." This same word is found throughout Mark. Whenever evil spirits would confront Jesus, Jesus would rebuke them. But now it's one of Jesus' disciples who is doing the rebuking. In Matthew 16:22 (NIV) Peter says, "Never Lord! This shall never happen to you!"
I wonder how many of you, back when you first trusted Christ, thought following Christ would be one thing, but have since learned it is quite another? We don't always do a good job of helping one another count the costs of following Jesus. And when our expectations of following Jesus don't quite pan out, we find ourselves at odds with the King of kings and Lord of lords!
In Mark 8:33 (NIV) it's Jesus who turns to the twelve disciples and rebukes Peter. " 'Get behind me, Satan!' he said. 'You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.' "
This rebuke of Peter should send chills up our spine. We don't dictate the terms of discipleship to God. Yet this is precisely what we try to do! We want to follow God according to our whims, our desires, and our own expectations. We don't always have in the mind the things of God. Most of the time we have the things of men in mind.
Jesus taught people to count the costs of following him.
We see it in Mark 8 in the parable of the sower. Jesus always helped people count the costs so that they wouldn't be surprised or disappointed later when hardships arose, or temptation came, or Satan reared his ugly head.
Mark 4:16-19 (NIV) says, "Others (some people), like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word, and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word making it unfruitful."
The point of this parable is that Christ sets the terms of discipleship. It's not God who needs to change, it's you and me. Our position is following behind Christ. He's Lord. He's the King of kings. He's the potter, but we are the clay. He's creator God, while we are being recreated in Christ.
Mark 8:34 (NIV) says, "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.' "
I mentioned that we don't always do a good job helping one another count the costs of following Jesus. Let's talk about the costs of following Jesus.
Following Jesus means coming after Jesus.
The first cost you must pay in following Jesus is submission. This is why Jesus refers to Peter as Satan, and says, "Get behind me, Satan." Satanic activity is when you assume a position of authority over God. It's when God speaks and you say, "Never, Lord." As a Christian, never must never be part of your vocabulary!
Faith is an act of submission. "God, I trust you and I believe your words." Confession is an act of submission. "You are my Lord. You are my King. You do the leading. Your word binds me." Repentance is an act of submission. Water baptism is an act of submission-- a pledge. It's why the Pharisees bristled at the thought of accepting John's baptism in Luke 7:30. They were effectively saying, "We submit to no one. Never, Lord!"
An unwillingness to believe, confess, repent, and be baptized is rarely an intellectual matter. These acts cut to the core of inner being and lay our hearts bare. They show at once whether we are people under Christ's authority, or an authority unto ourselves.
Following Jesus means denying self.
So think about this for a moment. We spend most of our lives saying yes to ourselves. Ephesians 2:3 (NIV) describes how we once went about, "gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature, and following its desires and thoughts." You know, Ephesians 2:3 doesn't just describe pagans. It describes a lot of would-be Christians.
Warren Wiersbe says, "A life of discipleship saves us from a wasted life." You want to know what a wasted life is? It's living according to your cravings, and urges, and desires, and thoughts. It's never saying no to yourself! "I smoke, I get high, I drink, I party hard, I fornicate, and I'll live in sin. I lie, I steal, I break copyrights, I will not forgive, I'm a glutton, I lust, I fantasize, and I view my porn. I commit adultery, I'm lazy, and I leach off others. If it feels good, I do it. I live hard and die young."
If any of us would follow after Christ, we must deny self. We must learn to say no to ourselves so we can say yes to God, yes to righteousness, yes to holiness, and yes to obedience.
Following Jesus means taking up your cross.
I'm sure you have noticed it by now, but no two crosses are alike. Your cross is different than my cross. Your pain, your temptations, your vulnerabilities, your past, your family life, your circumstances, your DNA, your health, your pressures, your afflictions, and your consequences are not mine. No cross ever seems just. Yet every cross is perfectly fashioned to accomplish God's purpose in our life. A cross is not a crutch. It's an occasion to walk in obedience, to be changed, and to experience God's grace. It's an occasion to experience God's faithfulness.
Following Jesus means living with a new purpose.
Mark 8:35-37 (NIV) says, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?"
This past week I watched the tribute to Phil on "Deadliest Catch". I don't know anything about Phil's faith, his relationship with Jesus Christ, or any of that. But here was a guy who had three Harley Davidsons in his living room. He had the fastest cars, the most elaborate birdhouses, and the quickest boat in the crab fleet. Over his lifetime he probably made millions. He was living on top of the world. He was the envy of his family, friends, and fans. As he lay dying in his hospital bed, he sent his son to get his gold necklace.
When we follow Jesus, we're asked to lay down our nets and become fishers of men. This means living for God, living for his kingdom, and living for his gospel-- not for things. There is nothing more precious in God's eyes than the souls of men. Not for "things", but for men's souls, was Christ willing to give up everything! What are you willing to lay down for Christ's kingdom?
Following Jesus means facing rejection, even persecution.
In Mark 8:38-9:1 (NIV) Jesus says, "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels. And he said to them, 'I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.' "
Following Jesus puts us at odds with our culture. Our only vindication will be on the last day, when the Son of Man comes in the Father's glory with the holy angels. On that day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. But until that day, we must follow Jesus in everyday life. We shouldn't expect the endorsement of family and friends, political figures, government agencies, media outlets, or Hollywood. We should expect to be treated in the same way Christ was treated. And indeed we are.
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