MARKAN MEDITATIONS

Meditations in the Gospel of St.Mark

St. Mark 8:34-9:1

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THESE FEW verses are very searching and challenging. Notice how Jesus not only gathers his disciples to hear these words but also the crowd all around. When Jesus evangelised he did not simply tell people the blessings, but also the cost of following him, and receiving his salvation. It is impossible to come to Jesus merely to be saved from the consequence of our sins. Saving faith in Jesus involves the surrender of our lives to Jesus, so that he becomes our Lord as well as our Saviour. There is involved in faith unto salvation a real repentance where we are not only sorry for the sins we have committed, but we turn away from all that is an offence to God. This is the challenge and cost Jesus places before us in these verses.

Firstly Jesus tells the people that to follow him means denying ourselves and taking up our cross to follow him. There is much nonsense talked about what is often referred to as cross bearing. Taking up our cross is often equated with bearing ordinary human troubles without complaint. People talk about their cross for example as a difficult neighbour or colleague, or some bodily infirmity which is incurable, or similar ordinary troubles and trials like this. The cross which comes to us through following Jesus has nothing to do with this. It is something beyond human trials common to all.

Following Jesus and being saved by him involves taking sides. In this case it is taking the side of Jesus. This means we renounce for good the side of the world, with its ways and philosophies, its desires and claims. It means renouncing the authority of Satan for the authority of Christ. This will involve denying all the desires of the flesh which run contrary to the will of Christ for us. This may mean the sacrifice of earthly prosperity and advancement, and even earthly security. Further Jesus suffered the hate of the world, even the hate of the organised church of his time. This hate and opposition, which brings attack and abuse, is what Jesus means by the cross we will have to bear. The cross is all the suffering and trouble which comes to us from our allegiance to Jesus and our seeking to do his will. It means all the sacrifice that we have to make of earthly pleasure and comfort in order to live for Jesus and do his will. The disciples experienced this cost when Jesus called them to follow him, and they left their fishing and families to follow Jesus. It is a cross, very often, of accepting the risk of relying on Jesus only for our temporal needs, because we have no large or sometimes no secure income in earthly terms.

The flesh and its needs press upon us. The flesh cries to be saved from all this trial and sacrifice. Jesus places before the people the stark reality. To live for the flesh means to lose our lives, that is our eternal security. It means to be on the broad road that leads to destruction and hell. For immediate comfort, we sow an eternity of sorrow and suffering. However Jesus points out that to lose our lives, that is surrender ourselves as slaves of Jesus, actually means that we will save our lives. The reason is clear. To surrender to Jesus means we are forgiven and inherit eternal life. Further, strangely enough, life with Jesus is more fulfilling and satisfying, in spite of all the troubles and sacrifices it will bring, than any living for the flesh. Those who have lived for the flesh, as they grow older they find they have less and less joy, and nothing to look forward to. They amass more wealth and worldly success, but there is no satisfaction. They gain the acclaim of the world, that is they gain the whole world, but they lose their souls, and end up in hell.

Even though the flesh calls and demands in the present, and shrinks from the suffering of following Jesus, the trade of the soul for the comfort of the present is a very bad trade. It means in the end eternal loss. A poor illustration of this is when a person, seeking present pleasure, fails to provide for their old age when they can't work and earn a living. When they retire, they have no pension and they suffer the loss of all the pleasure they had lived for.

The truth of the matter is that Jesus is the mediator between God and humanity. We must have him as our Saviour if we want to gain acceptance with God. It is only his presenting his merit and work for us to the Father on our behalf which gains our acceptance, justification and sanctification before God. If we are ashamed of him in this life, then we will find him ashamed of us before his Father in the life to come.

To surrender to Jesus and accept him as our Saviour and Lord, though not without great cost, is the only way to life and true joy, now and in eternity.

Jesus ends this discourse with a prediction. It is a prediction of his victory, which reassures all who give themselves in obedience and faith to him. It is assurance that he is the victor, and the kingdom of God has come and is advancing in this world, overcoming the kingdom of Satan. Jesus says that some of those listening to him would see his victory before they died and left this life, as the kingdom of God comes in power in this world. Jesus was predicting the glory of Pentecost where, after the Spirit had been poured out, the kingdom of God advanced with power, and thousands believed on Jesus and were saved from their sin, and released from Satan's authority.

So Jesus places the cost of discipleship clearly before the people, but assured them that to take up their cross and follow him, would mean no real loss, but to find themselves on the side of life, victory and joy. No doubt, however, there will be many sincere followers of Jesus who will be overcome by a sense of often failing, remembering so many times when the world and the flesh have seemingly won the day. They will be overcome by a sense of having been ashamed of Jesus, and this will cast them down, and may also terrify them. It must be remembered that Jesus does not judge us on individual outward actions and failings. Jesus looks on our hearts. He reads the deep desire of the heart and soul, revealed truly by a troubled spirit over such failings as we have outlined, and will know that, deep within, we are not ashamed of him, but we are his totally his, and will not be ashamed of us. These failings are not the expression of the real person within, through new birth, but the expression of the sinful flesh which still is in our body until we die.