Following Christ

Mark 8:27–38 ESV

27 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?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him. 31 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. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 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.” 34 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. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 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.”

Following Christ

After spending much of his ministry in Galilee and the surrounding area, Jesus takes his disciples several miles north to the Roman city of Caesarea Philippi on the slopes of Mt. Hermon. If you climb high on a clear day, you can see down into the Jordan valley to the south along the Sea of Galilee and towards Jerusalem.

Our passage today takes us to the center point and turning point in the gospel of Mark. Up to this point, Jesus has been focused on his healing and teaching ministry. He now sets his sights to Jerusalem and the primary intent of his incarnation - the cross. Last week’s story of the healing of the blind man receiving his sight and the blind disciples gaining insight highlights the path that we have taken through the gospel up to this point. The disciples who have been with Jesus during his earthly ministry are still missing the full extent of what Jesus came to do. He takes the disciples far from the crowds and the bustling around the lake to a place where he can disclose to them in secret because his mission is about to get even more dangerous.

This idea of danger becomes more apparent as Jesus makes his way toward Jerusalem. But before they begin that journey, the disciples must understand that following Jesus on this mission means that they are in danger as well. Although their eyes are beginning to open more and more, they are still unaware of all that is happening or that will happen even as Jesus tells them plainly what will be. There is still an element of blindness on their part moving forward.

However, we are 2,000 years beyond the cross and the resurrection. We have the full revelation of scripture at our disposal to see what the disciples missed along the way. This does not mean it is any less dangerous for us. We may not physically follow Christ from Mt. Hermon to Jerusalem, but we do follow him as we walk with him through life. Our passage today gives us insight on what it means for us to be a disciple of Jesus. It means a different kind of life. Over the next several weeks, we are going to be asking the question, “What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus?,” as we continue through the gospel of Mark. Everything from this point to when Jesus goes to the cross is about discipleship and following Jesus.

1. Following Christ begins with confession. (vs. 27-30)

Romans 10:9–10 ESV

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Jesus begins their retreat to Caesarea Philippi by asking the disciples an objective question, “Who do the people say that I am?” The disciples have heard from various folks along the way what they thought of Jesus. There were large crowds that followed him. He taught and did miracles like the prophets of old. Some thought that he might be Elijah returning to usher in the coming of the Messiah. Other people, like Herod Antipas, thought he might be John the Baptist come back from the dead. The people see all of the great things that Jesus has done, and they assume that his ministry is something special and are trying to find an explanation from their history of what might be happening with Jesus. But most people are of the mind that he is just a prophet like from the stories they heard from the Old Testament.

Jesus then turns the question back on to the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” He is indicating here that a better answer is still needed, and that the disciples as they have witnessed Jesus’ miracles and teachings are to supply this answer. They of all people should be in a position to accurately evaluate the situation and give a reasoned answer to Jesus’ inquiry. Peter, representing all the disciples, responds emphatically, “You are the Christ.” The disciples at this point recognize that Jesus is more than a prophet. He is the one that the Jewish people had been waiting for for centuries. Peter and the disciples’ confession at this point in the gospel is not about defining Jesus as divine or even the Second Person of the Trinity. That comes later. It is really about the politically dangerous and theologically risky claim that Jesus is the true King of Israel, and the final heir to the throne of David. The disciples were not expecting a divine redeemer; they were looking for a king. Jesus is a prophet, announcing the kingdom of God: the long-awaited moment when God would rule Israel, and ultimately the world, with the justice and mercy which the scriptures had spoken and for which Israel had longed.

But we are 2,000 years past these events. We know that Jesus is not just a prophet or a political messiah that will bring about the rise of Israel once again. He is so much more. His kingdom is greater than this world. Although he will rule on the earth when he returns, we know that Christ rules now in the heavenlies. He has given himself on our behalf. And we, too, must make a confession about who he is. He is not just a prophet of old. He is God incarnate who has come to redeem the world by offering the sacrifice of his body on the cross. It is when we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and that he was raised from the dead that we will be saved. The salvation found in Jesus by confessing him is the beginning our lives in him. It is the foundation of our relationship with God. It is the beginning of our discipleship and growth to be more and more like Jesus.

2. Jesus’ mission is to suffer for sinners and be vindicated in victory. (vs. 31-33)

Daniel 7:13–14 ESV

13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Jesus’ followers were used to the danger that surrounded them. They lived in a time where revolutions built upon the hope that God would deliver them ended up in someone getting crucified by the Romans. The disciples knew that they were taking a great risk in following Jesus. But there was also something different. In response to their confession, Jesus begins to teach the disciples. This lesson is not just about the danger that may be ahead because of their confession. It is a lesson in the fact that Jesus was about to walk straight into that danger. It was a lesson in what Jesus’ true purpose and mission was - his death and resurrection. He had come to suffer for all people who call him Lord. He would be rejected by those who were supposed to be the wisest and most knowledgeable regarding the scriptures.

But the larger question is why did this have to happen? Mark will explain it in the coming chapters, but what is alluded to is that the “Son of Man” must have all this happen to him. It is only when the suffering of Jesus takes place that it will usher in the kingdom of God and he says that some standing there will see it happen (9:1). In part, Jesus is quoting from Daniel 7:13-14 “13 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” The Son of Man represents God’s people as they are suffering at the hands of pagan enemies. He will be vindicated, after his suffering, as God sets up the kingdom at last. Jesus is warning his followers that this is his mission and that they must prepare to follow in his steps.

But Peter’s first reaction to this is to call Jesus out. Jesus must be mistaken about what the mission really is. It’s not about him going to his death. It is about setting up the throne of David in Jerusalem. With all good intentions, Peter has put himself in the place of Satan as one that is trying to get Jesus to deviate from his purpose. God’s purposes are not our purposes. God’s plans are not our plans. The way God will set up his kingdom on earth will not happen in the ways that we predict but in the ways that have been divinely orchestrated from the beginning of time. This includes Jesus’ death and resurrection. The kingdom of God must be populated by those who love and worship him. The only way that is truly possible is through Jesus providing a way for us to be in relationship with God through his righteousness. The death that was set in motion by the scribes and the chief priests will be overcome by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The throne of David will not be one made with human hands, but one that is set up in the heavenly places where Jesus will ascend and sit at the right hand of the Father to rule and reign over his kingdom.

3. Following Christ is to deny ourselves and take up our cross. (vs. 34-38)

Ephesians 5:1–2 ESV

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

After Jesus has spent time speaking specifically to his disciples, he calls a crowd that has formed around him to join with him and his disciples as he speaks about their role in what Jesus is about to do. The reason for this is because what he is about to say is an essential element to discipleship and begins the next section of this gospel that focuses on what it means to be a disciple and truly follow Christ.

There are two points that Jesus makes: we are to deny ourselves and take up our cross. The denying of self is a direct result of the confession that takes place in our lives. Without our confession that Jesus is Lord, the denial of self has no real purpose. By confessing the lordship of Jesus in our lives, we are in essence denying our self-determination in all things. In other words, we do not follow the path that we choose but the one that is chosen for us by Christ. We are to surrender our own interests and control of our destiny to God. We are called to an abandonment of our identity and follow Jesus to the place of death. Just as Paul calls to us in Ephesians 5:1-2 “1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” So self-denial is on a different level than giving up chocolate during Lent. “It is not the denial of something to the self. It is the denial of the self itself.” Our lives are not our own because Jesus is our Lord.

In our culture, it can be considered honorable to either conceal or outright deny Christ. We see this in the deconstruction stories of famous Christians like Kevin Mac from DC Talk, Joshua Harris, the author of “I Kissed Dating Goodbye,” women’s authour, Jenn Hatmaker, and countless others in the past few years. There is a denial of the truth of who Christ is by those who used to profess him based on the whims of culture rather than on the truth of the message. These have gained honor in the eyes of the world because of their denial. However, there are others who do not deny their faith who are standing in harms way. They are literally dying for Christ in places like Afghanistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and others. These who are ashamed of Christ now to gain earthly honor will receive that same treatment by Christ when he comes in the glory of his Father and with the holy angels.

Our calling is to be a people who do not deny Christ but shout his name from the rooftops. Our confession of Jesus as Lord is the beginning of our new life in him. That new life is one that will lead us down a path of ridicule and shame in the eyes of the world. Are we prepared for that? Are we willing to lose our lives in order to gain our lives in Christ? Do we hold on to the things of this world more than we do the things of eternity? These are questions we must ask and answer as we look to the future of our country and world because there will come a day when we all must be accountable to our answers. What will we do?