Coming into Focus!

Bridge Bible Church 2.2.2025 (Mark 8:27-38)

Introduction:

How many of you remember the old CRT projectors with three lenses? They looked like this. Looks kind of weird now… but when they first came out.. they were cutting edge! But here is the catch. When you turned them on… at first all you would see was three blurry colored (blue/green/red) pictures. But… as you brought each colored lens into focus… eventually you had one unified … perfectly clear picture. If you didn’t take the time to bring the lenses into focus… you would not ever get a clear picture of what was being displayed.

Our growth as disciples is similar. In order to understand clearly, we need to bring several important truths into focus. (who Jesus is…. His mission… and how we are to follow.)

We don’t have to understand everything to confess Jesus as Savior. Most of us were able to respond in faith without understanding everything. It’s a process of growth and maturity. But, we do need to understand the right things about Jesus to make sure we are able to accurately and faithfully follow Him!

Today, as we walk through our text, Jesus is going to help the disciples bring their understandings into focus… so that they would be able to truly confess Christ…. and then be ready (and able) to truly follow Him!

Would you open your Bible’s with me to Mark chapter 8?

Jesus has just miraculously fed over 4000 people from seven small loaves and a few fish, warned the disciples about the danger of the Pharisees sinful lack of faith, and then, after all they had seen, the disciples are in the boat concerned about they are going share one loaf of bread! Their boat ride ends with Jesus questioning the disciples in order to expose their own lack of understanding! “Do you not yet understand?”

Jesus tries to help the Disciples understand that they are seeing… but not with eyes of faith… they are experiencing all that is happening but not with understanding!

In verses 22-26, Jesus uses the healing of a blind man as a teaching moment, giving his disciples an illustration of their own lack of “sight”. As Jesus heals the man, he gives an initial “first touch” where the man can now see… but he doesn’t see clearly. Then, Jesus touches him a second time… after that second touch… the man sees clearly.

The current spiritual condition of the disciples is being illustrated. They have been with Jesus… they have seen all that He has done… and all about who He claims to be…. but yet they are still not seeing the picture clearly… their understanding is still “out of focus”!

As we come to the end of chapter 8, the truths that Jesus will reveal will not only bring this entire chapter to its climax, but it will also set a few of the disciples up to experience something that has never happened before! (that will take place in chapter 9.)

As we walk through the rest of the chapter, Jesus will provide clarity about who he is and what it means to be his disciple. Jesus will explain that being a disciple means: Confessing Jesus!, Seeing Jesus!, and Counting the Cost!

Let’s start reading together in verse 27.

Mark 8:27–9:1 ESV

And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to 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 the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

Through his question and Peter’s inspired answer, Jesus helps us understand that the first mark of being a true disciple is Confessing Jesus!

I. Confessing Jesus! (27-30)

Peter illustrates that a lack of understanding can often lead to a misguided response.

Leading up to verse 27, Jesus has done and taught many things to help his disciples understand. But at thisp oint they are still struggling with a lack of understanding of Jesus and the kingdom of God.

To help provide clarity… in verses 27-30, Jesus asks two questions.

(1) Who do people say I am? —> They answered…. “Some say John the Baptist… other say Elijah… others say one of the prophets” —- To most people…. Jesus was a great guy! They were very impressed with all he could do… and with his prophet like character…. but they didn’t have a clue that he was the Messiah.

Like a good teacher, he grabbed their attention with this first question, so that he could give them the real question…. (2) “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” Peter, answering for the group in verse 29 says, “You are the Christ!”

yes! Peter and the disciples finally get it!!! They have finally followed all the bread crumbs to the truth that Jesus has been leading them to!

Matthew’s gospel records Jesus’ response…

Matthew 16:15–17 ESV

… And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

This answer Peter gives was from the Lord! Yes, Jesus is the Christ!… the Messiah!… the Anointed One who had been promised throughout the Old Testament had finally come! Amen! Hallelujah!!! This is a conclusion that only could come by the grace of God! Fireworks are going off….. a parade spontaneously busts through the scene… The disciples start selling Jesus is the Messiah merch….

Actually, verse 30 tells us a different story.

Mark 8:30 ESV

And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

Odd. Jesus has been leading his disciples to this conclusion…. why would he… once it seems like they are actually starting to understand… tell them not to tell anyone?

While Peter makes this monumental confession, enabled by God Himself…. as we keep reading we will see that he and the disciples seem to still have an inadequate understanding of what Jesus really came to do.

Why do I say that? Peter has just made this monumental confession…. enabled by God Himself…. and as Jesus explains what that confession actually means, in verses 32 Peter actually rebukes Jesus.

Peter’s actions indicate that he lacks understanding of Jesus’ mission and purpose… and that while his faith response is genuine…. he believes that Jesus is the Messiah…. his understanding of Jesus’ mission and why he had to do it is not yet complete. He doesn’t understand and believe the right things about Jesus… not yet.

There is an aspect in this passage where Mark could be pointing out that a lack of understanding often can lead to an incomplete faith response.

Peter and the disciples confessed faith in Jesus! They believed!… But what were they believing?

At this point, it seems like their understanding of Jesus’ mission was not in alignment with Jesus’.

(Has that ever happened to you? You are talking with someone about Jesus and you think you are on the same page…. then all of a sudden the person says that they believe something that is drastically different from what the Bible says? (ex. Jehovah’s witness/ mormon) —- When that happens… I hope you stop and say…. something is up. This person might say that they believe… but which Jesus are they believing in? … it is not the Jesus of the Bible

Later, the disciples actions will confirm that this confession expressed by Peter… and agreed with by the rest… was that Jesus was the One Israel had been waiting for since the time of David! Their superhuman leader who would overthrow Israel’s enemies, gather God’s people from the far reaches of the earth… and make Jerusalem the center of the world… establishing the perfect reign of God! The Messiah was finally here and He would fulfill all of the political Messiah focused hopes that they all had! The Messiah they wanted had finally come to solve all of their problems….!!!

At some point… the disciples understanding of the Messiah… started to part ways with the real character and mission of Jesus. They had the Scriptures… they thought they knew what the Messiah would do…. but they (as well as many others) had not been able to successfully put all the prices together yet. The image was still out of focus….

That brings us back to verse 30.

So, Jesus warns… with the force of almost a rebuke… them not to tell anyone about him.

Why? Jesus knew that their understanding was inadequate… Jesus knew that the masses of people in the towns and villages lacked understanding…. yes, they were responding in faith… they were believing some truths about Jesus… but their understanding was not yet complete. (like a puzzle… When you put together a puzzle, you probably put the outside pieces together first. Why? Because they are the easiest ones to find and place. But.. if you stop with all the “easy pieces” you’ll never know for sure what the finished picture looks like. You might have a good idea, but you would miss out on understanding all of the detail and an overall final understanding of the scene.

The disciples had all the boarder pieces put together… and a number of the other pieces in place where they could start to see the picture form. They knew that Jesus was the Messiah… but they hadn’t put enough pieces together to see what that actually meant…. not clearly!

Jesus also knew that there were those who were doing all they could to build a case against him… and he did not want to force a confrontation…. It wasn’t time…. not yet.

Having strongly warned the disciples, Jesus shifts gears and begins to teach them.

The overarching truth that is repeated throughout this passage is:

The Jesus you confess is not the one who came to solve all of your problems, but the One who came to suffer for all your sins!

To help the disciples grow in their understanding of this truth, Jesus begins to teach some things that none of them had ever imagined Jesus would say. Once the disciples hear these truths taught they will have an opportunity to see Jesus for who he really is!

II. Seeing Jesus! (31-33)

Peter helps us to illustrate that the truth we need is often a truth that we don’t want to hear.

The disciples lack of understanding of what it meant for Jesus to be the Messiah (8:29, 32) is now going to be contrasted with Jesus’ own understanding of His true role as the suffering Messiah (v. 31).

In verses 31-33, Jesus doesn’t leave anything out.

Look at verse 31,

Mark 8:31 ESV

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Sound familiar? What Jesus shares is very similar to what the Prophet Isaiah said would happen to the Messiah!

Isaiah 53:3 ESV

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Jesus is intentionally connecting his next steps with what was foretold about the Messiah in Isaiah 53:3.

In verse 32, we are told that Jesus is speaking plainly. Mark wants to make sure we understand that Jesus is not teaching in a parable…. he wasn’t using an illustration or exaggeration. Jesus was being literal and serious.

Jesus intimately describes the sufferings that he will soon endure, he mentions the groups of people that were plotting against him… who would also officially examine… and reject him….. Jesus even mentions his resurrection….. He doesn’t leave anything out.

The disciples were shocked!!!… I’m sure they thought…. this is ridiculous! This makes no sense!

They didn’t want to hear… or believe what Jesus was saying!

While the disciples didn’t want to hear what Jesus was saying… Jesus knew that they needed to hear it… understand it… and embrace it!

In Peter style, he boldly says out loud what all the other disciples were thinking… “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him”…

The language suggests that Peter took Jesus aside with an attitude of protective superiority.

Imagine being that guy….. who listens to Jesus give one of the most clear accounts of what will happen… and what he came to do as the Messiah…. and then takes him aside… puts his arm around Jesus…maybe patting him on the back a little and says…. Jesus we believe that you are the Son of God…. the Messiah… … but you’ve got it all wrong! You really need to stop talking like that or you’ll loose all your credibility… you’ll start to scare people off.

The disciples were repulsed at Jesus’ words. The truth they very much needed to understand… was a truth that they didn’t want to hear.

Jesus, probably visibly upset…. understood that while the disciples didn’t want to hear what he had to say… they needed to hear it… and embrace it.

As Jesus turns to confront Peter, he probably sees the other disciples approving of what Peter had said…. then with an explosive shift, Jesus rebukes Peter and the disciples directly!

Mark 8:33 ESV

… “Get behind me , Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Aren’t we guilty of that too? Man.. that hurts…. How often do you find yourself being so focused and occupied by the things of this world… and never take the time to stop and look at the situation you are in or life from God’s perspective. How often to do we get overwhelmed, passionate or frustrated with things of men… but can’t get passionate or overwhelmed by the awe of who God is… or what He is doing in the world?

Peter had unknowingly become the bearer of demonic attack. What Peter says is almost at the same level that of attack that Jesus faced in the wilderness when Satan tempted him to abandon the Father’s will and seek and “easy way”.

The words Jesus uses to rebuke Peter in verse 33, “Get behind me” Satan!” (literally, out of my sight Satan!) is the exact same word that Jesus used in Matthew 4:10 when he spoke to Satan after his temptation in the wilderness.

While the disciples were probably in shock…. I think it also gave him and the disciples a needed wake up call. It is not enough to confess the Jesus that we want…. the one who we can lead, guide, and control… the One who gives us what we want… and helps us out of a jammm…

No! We must confess and embrace the Jesus who really is…..who not only came to seek and save those who are lost… but to suffer many things and be rejected and killed…. in order to pay for our sins.

Salvation could only come through a suffering Messiah….. there was no other way.

Why were the disciples rejecting this idea? Because it is out of step with all human reasoning!

Who would ever design a method for saving the world that would include such dispair and death?

Human reasoning says a savior must come with position and power!

Jesus says, if you think like the world then “you do not have in mind the things of God”

All of us need to think more like the mind of God… and less of the things of men!

Confessing Christ means embracing a suffering Messiah!

Next, Jesus continues to share that embracing the suffering Messiah is only part of what a disciple must do…. In verses 34-38 Jesus shares the model for living each disciple must choose to embrace. This lifestyle does come at a cost. Jesus challenges his disciples to count that cost.

III. Counting the Cost! (34-38)

Jesus clearly teaches that Following Him costs more than you think.

For the purposes of today’s study, let’s focus on two thoughts.

A disciple will look like Jesus.

Look at verse 34 again.

Mark 8:34 ESV

… “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

You say you are a follower of Christ. You say you want to be a disciple of Jesus. If that is true… then this is what it will look like.

Deny self: This phrase literally means “to say no to self”. What does this look like. Luke 14 gives us a great example. I challenge you to read that chapter. When you read through it you’ll find a group of people who put their self-interests (new land purchase, livestock purchase, newly married) before following Jesus. In the end, each person walked away because their self-interests came before Jesus. Saying no to self means saying no to your self-interests.

Carry your cross: Part of denying self…. includes saying no to your safety and security. Here is where we come to one of the most familiar phrases in Scripture… but one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted phrases in Scripture. If you have been part of the church for any length of time, you have probably heard someone say… “we all have our crosses to bear”…. or “this is my cross to bear”. With almost 100% certainty I would say that if you heard someone say that, it was out of context and a misinterpretation of this passage. Let’s take a moment to correct any misunderstandings there might be. When Jesus says “if you wish to follow me then you must take up your cross”, let me tell you what image came to the people’s minds. “A few years before Jesus began His ministry, a man, by the name of Judas, gathered a large band of Jews who sought to overthrow Rome by force. They lost. The soldiers lined the streets of Galilee with the crosses bearing the bodies of these insurrectionists, with Judas himself, being the leader. So this is the picture when Jesus says, “If you wish to follow Me, take up your cross.” One problem is that we have turned the Bible into an American book. We say, “Jesus is referring, in this passage, to a bad back; to arthritis; to a grumpy employer; to a spouse who is unforgiving; to a rebellious child . . .”. That is not what Jesus is referring to in this verse. He is referring to a literal cross. He is saying, “If you will follow Me, you must deny security and safety…. and you might actually end up on a cross!!!” Our crosses come from the level of our dedication to Christ. The inconveniences and difficulties in our lives are not an indication or our cross-bearing. The difficulties in our lives for the sake of Christ are… So, before you say something like… this is my cross to bear… make sure whatever difficulty you are enduring is directly related to suffering for Jesus… even to the point of death….. nothing else counts.

Let me read you, as history records, what kinds of crosses the disciples ended up bearing:

Matthew suffered martyrdom by being slain with a sword in Ethiopia.

Mark died in Alexandria, after having been cruelly dragged through the streets of that city.

Luke was hanged upon an olive tree in Greece.

John was put in a pot of boiling oil and was later, branded to death at Patmos.

Peter was crucified and, in fact, his wife was crucified first. When it was Peter’s turn, he asked that he be crucified upside-down, as he was unwilling to die like Christ.

James was thrown from the pinnacle of the temple and then, beaten to death with a club.

Bartholomew was skinned alive.

Andrew was bound to a cross from which he preached until he died.

Thomas was run through with a spear.

Jude was shot to death with arrows.

Matthias was stoned and then, beheaded.

Barnabas was stoned to death.

Paul, after various tortures and persecutions, was beheaded at Rome by the emperor Nero.

Each of these men lived out what it meant to be a disciple. They literally lived out verse 34.

Are you ready for that?

Our problem is that we live in such comfort that we cannot understand this passage. So, we soften it. Friends, there may come a day in our lifetimes when we will be faced with this kind of reality for following Christ. Make sure you are ready!

The last part of “denying self” that Jesus outlines in verse 34 is, saying no to your own self-management when he says “follow him”.

Follow Him: This may sound simple, but it is something that we easily and practically forget. If we are following Jesus… then it means He is the one in front. He is calling the shots. He is managing us. He has the reigns. — that is a hard thing for most people…. to say… I’m not the one in control…. I’m following someone else… Friends, if you can’t say that Jesus is shepherding you… he is out front… he is leading… he is managing… then Jesus is not your Shepherd…. and you may not be his disciple.

Jesus lays out the terms for any who would follow Him. He doesn’t sugar coat it. He lays it out pretty plainly. But know this. Jesus never expects his disciples to do anything that He hasn’t already done.

He denied self… he took up his cross…. he laid down his life… He lost his life… so that we could keep ours. He lived the perfect paradox that we also need to follow… losing in order to keep!

Now He challenges anyone who would follow him… to look like Him. That brings us to the second thought in this paragraph…. those who look like Jesus will need to be ready to be treated like him.

2. A disciple will be treated like Jesus.

Mark 8:35 ESV

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

A genuine disciple of Jesus will identify with His character… You will become like him. When that happens, you will also identify with his rejection. Just as Jesus was accepted by some and rejected by others, we should expect the same. As we live our lives in a way that confesses Christ…. we will naturally be treated just like Him.

So, yes, if we are truly living out what it means to be a disciple of Jesus… then we too will be rejected.

People won’t want to listen to us.

People will come against us.

People will make fun of us and look at us like we are aliens from another planet!

The world will reject you.

But… while as disciples we will be rejected.. like Christ…. we will also gain access to the promises and power of Christ!

While the world will meet us with rejection…. the Father will greet us with reward.

The question is: Do you look enough like Jesus… to be treated like him?

Conclusion/ Application:

Now that Jesus has given us such a complete explanation of who He is and why he came… is your understanding becoming more clear?

Are you believing and embracing the truths of who Jesus is to the point where your faith is coming into focus?

Remember,

The Jesus we want to confess is the one who came to solve all of our problems. (That Jesus doesn’t exist!).

The Jesus we need to confess is the One who came to suffer for all of our sins. (That is the Jesus of the Bible… the One that Mark has been calling us to believe in…. the one and only Son of God!)

A true disciple of Christ will:

Confess Jesus! (growing in understanding of who Jesus is will result in a more complete faith response)

See Jesus for who He is. (Jesus might not be the savior that your sin nature wants… but He is the Savior that you need!)

Look like Jesus and be treated like Jesus! (Have you counted the cost… it is higher than you think)

Our Response:

Confess the Jesus of the Bible! (not some make believe Jesus that fits your personality and grants all your wishes) — are you growing in your understanding of Jesus so that you can whole-heartedly confess Him?

Embrace Jesus for who He is (not who you think he is.. who you want him to be… or what you want him to do)… we need to embrace the Jesus that came to suffer and sacrifice to pay for our sins!

Live so much like Jesus that others treat you like Jesus. (That means that you need to prepare to receive the the sufferings and rejections of Christ…. as much as you prepare to receive the promises and blessings.