Mark 8:34-38

Jesus has just explained to Peter and the rest of the disciples that he would suffer greatly, be rejected by the religious leaders of his day, be killed, and then rise from the dead. This came as a great surprise to Peter and the disciples who had always dreamed of the coming of Messiah as a glorious event as he established his reign on earth. But Jesus revealed to them that they were not seeing things as God sees them. And a human perspective here is deadly.

The prospect of the Messiah suffering and being murdered has implications for all who desire to follow him and be his disciple. We read in Mark 8:34 that Jesus addressed the crowd along with the twelve disciples. This is surprising given that, according to verse 27, Jesus seemed to be alone with the Twelve. Clearly Mark is communicating to us that what Jesus spoke next applies not just to the Twelve but to anyone else who wants to be a follower of Jesus. This is also indicated by the gnomic words: “if anyone.” Jesus then proceeds to give three requirements for discipleship. And these are the same requirements for anyone who desires to join the Jesus movement. Notice that I said these are requirements. The verbs deny, take up, and follow are imperatives. These are commands.

I. You must deny yourself

If you want to be a follower of Jesus, in the first place, you must deny yourself. But what does this mean? It is instructive that the only other time Mark uses this verb (14:30, 31, 72) it refers to Peter’s denial of Jesus. The effect of Peter’s denial was more than just saying it was untrue that he was associated with Jesus. Peter was not just lying, he was denying. And by denying he was expressing opposition[1] (EDNT, 1:153).  He was severing a relationship with Christ that was previously existent. He was cutting all ties with Christ.

So to deny myself is to sever all ties with myself. It means “to act in a wholly selfless manner.”[2] We are not naturally inclined to act in this way, but it is an imitation of the life of Christ. He was the Christ—Messiah—and yet he had come to suffer, face rejection, and be killed. He did not view his equality with God as something to use for his own advantage, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8).

But far too few of us who claim to be Christ-followers get the full force of what Jesus has said just here. These are radical words. They hint at a way of life that leads eventually to death, and this becomes more obvious in the next command. We tend to reduce this command to practices of self-discipline. As R. T. France notes in his commentary, “Such ‘self-denial’ is on a different level altogether from giving up chocolates for Lent. ‘It is not the denial of something to the self, but the denial of the self itself.’ ”[3] Indeed, what is commanded here is not asceticism. It is not self-hatred. “It is to renounce the self as the dominant element in life. It is to replace the self with God-in-Christ as the object of affections. It is to place the divine will before self-will.”[4] Don’t reduce Jesus’ command to mere abstinence from things. To be a follower of Jesus we must give up our pursuit of our own glory and radically give ourselves to the pursuit of God’s glory. We have to live in such a way that we demonstrate to everyone that Jesus is our greatest Treasure.

II. You must take up your cross

If we get the full force of denying ourselves, we won’t be surprised that such denial ultimately leads to martyrdom. The words of Jesus here would not have been misunderstood. “To take up one’s cross” could only remind a first century hearer of the excruciating death of Roman crucifixion as the condemned person was forced to carry the cross upon which he was about to die. Jesus did this himself, (cf. John 19:17), so again we see that the requirements of following Jesus refer to following his example. Today crosses are popular symbols, so don’t succumb to the temptation to view Jesus command here as mere enduring of irritations and burdens. If “denying oneself” involves giving up everything dear in life, here Jesus is commanding us to give up even life itself.[5]

But what does this mean for us in the West, where martyrdom is uncommon? What does it mean for us who really want to follow Jesus? How shall we “take up our cross”? Jesus is not commanding us to jump off of a cliff. There is a difference between sacrifice and suicide. But he is calling us to follow him in such a way that we do not retreat from danger when he is calling us to it. And if we are truly willing to give our lives for him, then we will not hesitate to suffer in a thousand other ways. We’ve got to change our thinking that Jesus wants his followers content with the comforts of this world. God does not call us to pursue safety and comfort but risk and danger.

III. You must follow Jesus

It seems redundant to say it, but one cannot be a disciple of Jesus unless he follows Jesus. He has laid out the kind of life that a follower of Jesus can expect. Are you willing to trade in dreams of self-glory for the costly life of following Jesus? You cannot be his disciple unless you do.

A. Is It Worth It?

But perhaps you wonder if it is worth all of that. Is there anything that makes it worth denying oneself and taking up one’s cross?

In verses 35-37 we find out that it is more than worth it. Jesus says that if we want to save our lives we will lose them, and that the only way to truly save our lives is to lose it for his and the gospel’s sake. To understand what Jesus is saying here we need to recognize that the word life (used 4 times in these 3 verses), has a range of meanings and there are two different ways the word is used here. Accordingly both the NIV and the NASB translate the word as life in verse 35 and as soul in verses 36 and 37. But it is the same word in each place, and this forms an intentional wordplay as Jesus argues that there is a true and eternal “life” that is found only in the forfeiting of “life” here on this earth. In other words, Jesus says that if we choose not to deny ourselves and take up our cross, and follow him, choosing rather to cling to all that we can achieve in this life, we will actually end up losing the life found beyond the grave. And since this earthly life is temporary, it does us no good to cling to the pursuits of this life. Even if you should succeed in gaining the whole world, you would only end up losing your eternal life. Hear Jesus’ words clearly in verse 37: there is nothing, nothing that one can attain or achieve in this life that is worth forfeiting eternity over.

B. Consider the Cost

On the other hand, Jesus says, the one who loses his earthly life for his sake and for the sake of the gospel, will ultimately gain a true and eternal life. To lose our life for Jesus’ sake is to deny ourselves and follow him. To lose our lives for the gospel’s sake is to join him in his mission. This is a mission that is likely to meet with persecution and even death. It is a mission of declaring the supremacy of Christ to the nations of the world.

The risk of losing our life for the gospel’s sake reminds us that the gospel is not merely showing the love of Christ and doing good deeds. It is hard to imagine that such things were the main activity of Christ’s followers given that he warned them of the real danger of martyrdom. Discipleship is not simply imitating Christ’s way of life; it is boldly proclaiming the message, a message that is prone to get you killed. The risk is very real.

This is a foolish way to live unless Jesus has already given you new life. We are not talking about earning one’s way into God’s favor. No one can accept these hard words from Jesus and carry them out unless he has already, in his mercy, given you an ability to see the value of the kind of life he offers as opposed to this life on earth that we are all experiencing. To those who do not believe, it is Jesus’ way that seems foolish. The preaching of the cross is always foolish to those who do not believe.

Jesus warns that if we do not honor him and his words now--in the midst of a hostile culture--he will be ashamed of us on the day he does establish his kingdom in glory (verse 38). All of us will have to go against culture at some time or another. Either we do so now in allegiance to Christ and the gospel, or we will do so in his glorious reign, and be an outcast forever.

Yes, Jesus will come in glory. This is the promise that is made to all who will follow him. Jesus next (Mark 9:1-13) gave some of his disciples a glimpse of that glory. The glory will far exceed the sufferings of this present time (Romans 8:18). Following Christ is costly, but it is temporary. We will be greatly rewarded.

C. Why is this the way?

We should end here by asking the question “why?” Why does Jesus make the requirements of discipleship so painful? Why does he call us to die? It is not enough to say, “Well, because that is the example he gave.” True. But why did he leave us that example? He did not have to die. It is not enough to say, “Well, because that is the only way to eternal life.” True. But why is it the only way? Does God take some masochistic joy in our suffering?

The answer involves the wisdom of God in manifesting his glory. His glory shines best in human weakness. When we treasure Christ in life more than life’s gifts (denying ourselves), and treasure Christ in death more than life itself (taking up our crosses), then Jesus is shown to be the all-satisfying Treasure that he is. And when he is glorified in this way, we who follow him will experience a joy unsurpassed by anything else.

“If you follow Jesus only because he makes life easy now, it will look to the world as though you really love what they love, and Jesus just happens to provide it for you. But if you suffer with Jesus in the pathway of love because he is your supreme treasure, then it will be apparent to the world that your heart is set on a different fortune than theirs. This is why Jesus demands that we deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him.”[6]

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[1] W. Schenk, Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament (EDNT), ed. Horst Balz and Gerhard Schneider, 3 vols (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990), 1:153.

[2] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (BDAG), rev. and ed. Frederick William Danker, 3d ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 97.

[3] R. T. France, Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text, The New International Greek Testament Commentary, ed. I. Howard Marshall and Donald A. Hagner (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 2002), 340.

[4] James A. Brooks, Mark, The New American Commentary, ed. David S. Dockery (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1992), 137.

[5] Brooks, Mark, 137.

[6] John Piper, What Jesus Demands from the World (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2006), 71.