Chapter 8

Mark 08

This Desolate Place

MARK 8:1-21

1 In those days, when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples and *said to them, 2 “I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat. 3 “If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance.” 4 And His disciples answered Him, “Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?” 5 And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.” 6 And He *directed the people to sit down on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve to them, and they served them to the people. 7 They also had a few small fish; and after He had blessed them, He ordered these to be served as well. 8 And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces. 9 About four thousand were there; and He sent them away.

10 And immediately He entered the boat with His disciples and came to the district of Dalmanutha.

11 The Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. 12 Sighing deeply in His spirit, He *said, “Why does this generation seek for a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” 13 Leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side.

14 And they had forgotten to take bread, and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. 15 And He was giving orders to them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 They began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, *said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? 18 “HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? And do you not remember, 19 when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They *said to Him, “Twelve.” 20 “When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they *said to Him, “Seven.” 21 And He was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

MARK 8:1-9

This Desolate Place

This is the second miraculous feeding recorded by Mark. The first was for five thousand men (women and children were not counted) and twelve baskets were left over [Mark 66:37-44]. This time it is four thousand men and seven baskets are left over. The primary difference is that the first group Jesus fed was Jewish. This group consisted of Gentiles.

In both cases, Jesus is motivated by compassion. But the Romans, to whom Mark was writing, would find this an important sign. Jesus felt compassion for the hungry — among the non-Jews — as much as for the “shepherd-less” among the Jews.

Compassion was the driving force for both of these miracles. However, two other aspects stand out as well. Together they reveal the three components that create a recipe for the miraculous.

The miracles occur in “the desolate.” This was another word for the wilderness or the desert. The word for desolate [G2047 Eremia] also meant deserted. The first miraculous feeding was among the desolate (deserted) of Israel. “Sheep without a shepherd [Mark 6:34].” This second miracle shows Jesus’ compassion the desolate of the rest of the world. They were a different people, a different culture and a different religion. Remember, the word Mark used when he said, “Everyone [G3956 Pas]?” Everyone meant all people, all kinds. That is whom Jesus fed.

Jesus gave thanks [G2168 Eucharisteo]. In Mark 6:41, Mark says, “And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all.”

Whether thanking God or blessing the food, Jesus’ attitude is one of continual gratitude and — note this — he blesses and thanks God even before the miracle occurs. Compare that to the small-minded attitude of the disciples who wanted to chase the deserted away.

Jesus reveals three prerequisites to the miraculous life.

Let intense compassion direct your life

Go to the desolate place and find the deserted people.

Give thanks and blessing for what is before you. Present what is available and God will turn it into the unbelievable.

MARK 8:10

And immediately He entered the boat with His disciples and came to the district of Dalmanutha.

The district of Dalmanutha

The district of Dalmanutha is believed to have been the area where Mary of Magdala met Christ. We know little of Mary from the actual scriptures. We do know she was among Jesus’ innermost circle of the female disciples. She was one of the group of women known as the “ministering women.”

Luke 8:1-2

1 Soon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out.

We also know the she was present as one of three women who cared for the body of Jesus and support our Lord's mother following his death.

John 2:1-2

1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene *came early to the tomb, while it *was still dark, and *saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. 2 So she *ran and *came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and *said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

Finally, she was the first person that Jesus appeared to after his death.

Mark 16:9-11

9 [Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.

There is far too much conjecture about Mary of Magdala. There is no reason to believe that Jesus had a relationship with her that was “more special” than any other person (or woman). There is certainly no verifiable indication Jesus had an illegitimate child with her. It would have actually added credibility to Jesus’ reputation among the Jews if he had taken a wife and had children. So it is highly unlikely that there is some sort of intrigue of which only the Knights Templar had knowledge (though it makes for great fiction).

The most marvelous aspect of Mary’s story is not the creative intrigue we could insinuate. But the fact that Jesus goes to a no-name village, heals a woman possessed by seven demons who then goes on to be the first person — man or woman — to see the risen savior. Ahead of all the apostles, Jesus’ family members and the Chief Priests of the land, this woman is the first to run out to the world with Creation’s greatest news.

God’s great news always seems to spring forth unexpectedly from desolate places and deserted people.

MARK 8:11-13

“Sighing deeply in his spirit…”

“Sighing deeply in his spirit,” this is not a statement of anger, it is a sign of exasperation. The religious leaders didn’t want signs, they wanted ammo. They wanted evidence to convict Jesus. They wanted Jesus to prove his Messianic claims but they had already judged him. You can’t improve a closed mind and their close-mindedness exasperated Jesus. At one point, Jesus compares them to whining brats:

Luke 7:32-34

32 “They are like children who sit in the market place and call to one another, and they say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.’ 33 “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon!' 34 “The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’”

Would Jesus have wanted these men to embrace truth and find salvation? Look at how the Father pleads for the elder brother to join the family in the remarkable story of the prodigal son.

Luke 15:28

“But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him.”

The conditions of the miraculous do not exist in these religious leaders. They despised the desolate, they chose ritual over compassion and they had no gratitude in their hearts. They would never be able to see the Messiah. They exasperated God’s Son.

How will Jesus find me! It all depends. Do others look at me and find a person who exudes compassion, seeks the desolate and lives in gratitude? Will he constantly find me demanding more evidence of his claims? Will the Son of God find me exasperating or expectant of the miraculous?

MARK 8:14-21

They began to discuss with one another...

It must have been very lonely to be Jesus. As the disciples witness his power and see evidence of his claims they begin to communicate less in a direct manner with him and more in an indirect manner with each other. In an apparent addendum to the story of the foreign followers who forgot their food, the disciples also forget their bread when they go out on this journey with Jesus. In the previous story, they are more-than-willing to send away the poor and have them get their own food. Yet in this scenario, they don’t know what to do when it is they who have made the oversight.

It is one thing to castigate others for their plight and walk away in self-righteousness. But what if I was the forgetful — and hungry — one?

Jesus hears their muttering. Perhaps he is sad they won’t approach him. Perhaps he is disappointed in their lack of faith. Whatever the case, he states; “HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR?”

Look at these words a little closer:

“Do you not see [G991 Blepo]?” This would also be translated as, “Are you not on guard, are you not aware?”

“Do you not hear [G191 Akouo]?” This could also be interpreted as, “Are you not alert?” and again as, “Are you not aware?”

What’s the common thread? Be aware! To be educated without being aware is like a professor flunking a student from religion class because he or she was volunteering at a homeless shelter. To follow Christ without being aware is to murmur doubts among ourselves without going directly to Jesus. That is what the apostles were doing.

It must have been heartbreaking to Jesus. His own apostles treating him as if he were clueless of their situation. Is it possible that I would ever make Jesus feel lonely? Isolated from me? Do I grumble and complain about things without turning to him in prayer? I must remember that the Lord cares for me individually as much as the world corporately.

Luke 11:9-10

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 “For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.”

Jesus ends his reprimand with the words, “Do you not understand [G4920 Suniemi]?” The word “understand” is the compilation of two other words that mean “to send together.” It is as if the Lord were asking; “Don’t you realize that we have been sent together?”

Why would any of us want to keep something from Jesus when he so longingly wants to “journey with us” — to understand us? Let us form our lives around the habit of giving him all our thoughts, needs and desires until our wills blend together for God’s great glory.

This reading tells us there is no need too small to bring before Jesus. He longs to fill our lives with purpose and hope. There is no need for us to live any longer in desolate places.

Mark 8:22-26

Do You See Anything?

MARK 8:22-26

22 And they *came to Bethsaida. And they *brought a blind man to Jesus and *implored Him to touch him. 23 Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.” 25 Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. 26 And He sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

Implored him to touch him

There are a number of miracles where Jesus responds to petitions made on behalf of others. This teaches us about the special power that intercessory prayer can play in the life of a follower of Jesus.

In this story, we witness a contrast between two groups of people in the same community. There are the ones faithfully interceding for their friend, but there are also others who disgust Jesus with their self-righteousness and lack of compassion (we will talk about them later). We never consider that our faith could sour our Lord’s stomach, but it can. Selfish prayers, judgmental religiosity and requests devoid of action — all of these raised the ire of Jesus.

However, the people who bring this blind man before the Lord have a faith that overcomes the antagonistic behaviors of the rest of the community. They “implored [G3870 Parakaleo]” Jesus to touch this man. This phrase means “to plead for comfort or encouragement.” It is also the root Greek word for Holy Spirit. Here lay the two things God will not resist: Empathic prayers on behalf of the needy and people who act upon their requests for restoration and justice. The combination compels God to respond.

Are my prayers solidified by my actions? Do my prayers flow from the roots of an empathic and humble heart? Those attitudes create the climate for a God who delights in our requests.

“Do you see anything?”

Jesus had to work for this miracle. Do you notice that in some cases, Jesus doesn’t even have to be present for a miracle to occur? Examples of this would be when he heals the Syrophonecian woman’s daughter and the Centurion’s servant. Yet, in this instance, Jesus has to take three steps and then repeat two of them before the blind man is fully restored. Look at his actions:

He takes the blind man out of Bethsaida.

He spits on the man’s eyes.

He lays hands on the man’s face.

Still, the blind man doesn’t see clearly so Jesus has to repeat the second and third steps.

Then Jesus closes with these ominous words, “Do not even enter the village.”

Jesus doesn’t say that about other villages. Sometimes he says. “Don’t tell anyone about this.” To the Geresene Demoniac he states:

Mark 5:19

“Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”

But this blind man is told to never even enter Bethsaida again. Why? Look at what Jesus has to say about this town and its partners in sin, Chorazin, Tyre and Sidon;

Matthew 11:20-21

20 Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”

What were their sins? They had seen miracles and did not repent. Let’s look at these words — miracles and repent — before we analyze the sin of these communities.

Miracle [G1411 Dunamis], this is the word for acts of unexplainable power. One definition of miraculous is “God’s intervention in our lives.” How often does God intervene in our lives? How often do we notice? How expectantly do we live?

Miracles are usually seen in retrospect. When we have gone through something that really challenges our fiber and come out the other side. Some people become prideful and say, “Look what I did.” Others become humble and say, “I couldn’t have done this without my family, friends and God’s continual guidance.”

Which attitude do you think leads to a miraculous — a “dunamis” life?

Repent [G3340 Metanoeo], we see this word a lot in the New Testament. More important than how often it is used (26 times) is who uses it. John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter and John the Beloved; all of them made this word a central part of their spiritual vocabulary.

We recognize the word, Meta, as being “greater than” or “superseding.” As in Metaphysics — beyond physical laws. The Greek concept of knowledge (Gnoia) was radically different than “to know [H3045 Yada]” in Hebrew. The Greek interpretation implies a cognitive grasp of a concept, the Hebrew implies personal intimacy with the author.

This difference becomes evident in the interplay between Nicodemus and Jesus. Sure, Nick had head knowledge about religion. But it was pride in his conceptual knowledge of religion that was actually keeping Nicodemus from intimacy with God. Far better for the illustrious member of Herod’s Sanhedrin to know God as a dependent child, indeed, to even be born again [John 3:3]. Yada meant warm devotion, to cohabitate or be intimately aware. For these deeply spiritual leaders — John the Baptist, John the Beloved, Peter and Jesus — repentance would not be steeped in guilt and sin. It would be an invitation to rest on the “bosom (safety) of God.”

The sin of Tyre, Sidon, and Bethsaida was that they had seen the dynamic power of Jesus but felt no humility before God and held no wonder or mercy in their hearts for others. Their obstinate attitudes were so palpable that Jesus had to take this blind man outside the city walls in order for him to be healed.

What do we learn from this? There can be unbelieving people who won’t see the miraculous, but there can also be unbelieving communities where no miracles will be seen. Jesus even calls his generation an “unbelieving and perverted generation.”

Matthew 17:14-17

14 When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 “I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” 17 And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.”

There are no miracles for the cynical. If we want to see the power of God in our relationships, families, schools, churches or nations, we have to rid our lives of the sarcastic. Sarcasm has no place in a healing community.

Instead, Jesus offers us the miracle of pure humility and liberating joy. Think of the blind man from the cynical village who was healed of his malady. How much more humbling could it be than to accept someone’s spittle on your face? Yet, how much more joyful than to be able to see again?

Do I want to see again? More than just “stick figures?” More than just through a “mirror dimly [1 Corinthians 13:12]?” Then I must ask; “Am I willing to be humble before my Lord and expect the miraculous in my life?”

Mark 8:27-38

Who Do You Say I Am?

MARK 8:27-38

27 Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.” 29 And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter *answered and *said to Him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And He warned 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 was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and *said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 35 “For whoever wishes to 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 will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

MARK 8:27-28

“Who do people say that I am?”

All of us first learn of Jesus by what someone else says, models, or perhaps writes. It might be a parent, a teacher or even a friend who tells us the first words of everlasting life. Yet ultimately, we cannot rely on the faith or experience of others to provide for us a relationship with Christ. Ultimately, faith has to culminate in the very individual question; “Who do you say I am?”

As Jesus prepared his disciples for the “ultimate question,” he proffered a preparatory inquiry examining the experience of others; “Who do people say that I am?”

The answer given to Jesus reveals three things:

The disciples really had been listening to what the people were saying

The people had no clue about Jesus’ identity and the disciples themselves were confused about this issue

The disciples were only going to share the “good stuff” with Jesus. They seemed to have left out the “bad stuff” others were saying as well. For example, many religious leaders had been calling Jesus “Beelzebub” or one of his minions.

It is not unusual that the people who had witnessed Jesus from a distance were confused about his role. He had broken upon the public scene by casting out demons, forgiving sins, feeding the poor, healing the sick and crippled and “preaching with authority.” Yet, like many of us, the people had quit believing that really good news could happen in their lives or lifetime.

So, instead of daring to call him Messiah — they thought:

He might be a prophet as foretold in the writings of Moses in Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 18:18

“I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.”

They thought he might be the great prophet Elijah returned to earth 1 Kings 17-21 and 2 Kings 1-2; for Elijah never died — he was lifted into the heavens in a whirlwind

II Kings 2:11

As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. (NIV)

Or, they thought — because of his incredible preaching — that Jesus must be John the Baptist returned from the dead and restored to health

They could believe just about anything except that Jesus was actually the Messiah.

Many of us are like these people in so multiple ways. We believe in God — we might even believe in a loving God — but we fall short of believing that God would love us! Or, we might believe in a loving God but only a God who loves those who believe in my beliefs.

It is hard for us to grasp that the promise of fulfillment and joy from the Old and New Testaments could become fruitful in our own lives or beyond our own limitations. Many of us don’t believe that we can claim God’s power, his healing and the fruits of his spirit. As a result, those fruits go untasted in our lives.

Yet, the Messiah was indeed among these people. All the prophecies and signs pointed right to Jesus and yet these people missed him. Let’s not make the same mistake. Jesus is among us through his Holy Spirit and his power is vibrantly within our grasp. We need to move beyond wondering, “Who people said he was,” and into, “Who he can be in our lives.”

We need to quit denying him and start applying him for we will not know the depth of his promises until we stand upon them!

MARK 8:29

And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter *answered and *said to Him, “You are the Christ.”

“But who do you say that I am?”

Finally Jesus asks his disciples the ultimate question (to which he expects a definitive answer). An answer that does not hinge on the responses of others. Jesus asks the Apostles for their personal response, their own individual reply. He wants an, “I say…” not a, “Some say…”

This is our situation too. Christ will not accept second-hand testimony from us. No hearsay testimonial. Quotes from books, the beliefs of our parents or the fact that we attend church or hang around people who act “Christian”; none of that makes a difference. Jesus seeks nothing less than our personal response to his query:

“Who do YOU say I am?”

No other question will ever be as important to us as this one question:

“Who do YOU say I am?”

Each of us must weigh the message personally and decide for ourselves whether heaven is attaining our nirvana (state of perfection) or entering into an intimate relationship with the one, holy, God through the gift of his Son. Each of us must decide if this humble carpenter who lived for a mere thirty-three years and yet upset the sensibilities of the whole world is who he claims to be or a very convincing liar.

“Who do YOU say I am?”

Each of us must decide if God’s gift — his only begotten Son — was necessary for us to enter into heaven or just a nice gesture. Yet, what kind of father would condemn his only child to death if there were any other way, any other possibility? If we could make it on our own God’s sacrifice of Jesus would serve to be the cruelest act of a most vain god. That is what we are left believing if we believe that Jesus was not a liar or insane.

“Who do YOU say I am?”

It is not just a question of salvation; it is a question of present and unfathomable joy. If we say that Jesus is “the Christ” then we must move aside from the throne of our own life and let him rule. If he was the greatest offering of love that could be given to humanity then we must embrace that love and live each day in the knowledge of just how much God loves us.

“Who do YOU say I am?”

John 3:16-17

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.”

“Who do YOU say I am?”

“You are the Christ.”

Mark paints an amazing canvas for us in this story. We are halfway through this Gospel and it is the pinnacle moment. The setting could not be more ironic. Caesarea Phillipi is out of Herod Antipas’ reach. This is his brother Philip’s domain and it was the center of worship for many pagan gods. The headwaters of the River Jordan were in this city and this was the home of the Roman god, Pan. His pagan worshippers would have been everywhere. It is also here where Philip built a temple to Caesar, Tiberius, who was also proclaimed a god by the Romans. At the top of the city, overshadowing the entire area, was the Emperor’s shrine. In just such an alien landscape, Peter would pledge his devotion to a carpenter-turned-prophet named Jesus. It is here the word “Christos” was finally spoken by a human.

Finally, it was stated. Across the generations over thousands of years the name of the Anointed One [G5547 Christos] had been waiting to be breathed by a human. The Anointed, the Messiah, the Christ! In truth, this Name had awaited its proclamation since the first breath of Creation:

John 1:1-4

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Before God created us, God breathed salvation to win back the hearts of those who had fallen. And the name of salvation is Jesus the Anointed, the Messiah, the Christ!

Biblically, the act of anointing goes back to Aaron and his descendants. They were designated by God to serve as his holy priests:

Exodus 28:41

“And you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him; and you shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, that they may serve Me as priests.”

Any person who was assigned a mission by God was anointed with special oil. This also applied to any material objects that were to be used solely for God’s purposes.

Exodus 40:9-15

9 “Then you shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and shall consecrate it and all its furnishings; and it shall be holy. 10 “And you shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar; and the altar shall be most holy. 11 “And you shall anoint the laver and its stand, and consecrate it. 12 “Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 13 “And you shall put the holy garments on Aaron and anoint him and consecrate him, that he may minister as a priest to Me. 14 “And you shall bring his sons and put tunics on them; 15 “And you shall anoint them even as you have anointed their father, that they may minister as priests to Me; and their anointing shall qualify them for a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations.”

Anointing was reserved for people or objects that were consecrated [H6942 Qadash], which means to be pronounced or observed as ceremonially or morally clean. Consecration served to set apart, proclaim, purify and sanctify an item or a person for a holy task.

Kings had been anointed, prophets and priests as well. All were consecrated for an ordained purpose. Yet, only one person in all of history would be anointed the Christ, the Messiah, and that was Jesus. Only Jesus was to be proclaimed the Holy One of Israel.

Luke 1:30-33

30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end.”

John 6:68-69

68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 “And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

And, what is the Gift of this Holy One of God; the Anointed of all time?

I John 4:15-18

15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

The gift of the Christ is nothing less than unmitigated access to God. To stand forgiven at the judgment and know perfected love. This was the gift of the Blessed One. This is the inheritance that the rightful heir of salvation passes on to all who “believes” and “loves” in his name (character).

I John 5:1-2

1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God; and whoever loves the Father loves the {child} born of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.

Whoever believes, whoever loves, becomes a child of God. Love incomparable, love indescribable, love immeasurable; that is the blessing of the Appointed One of God.

MARK 8:30-31

30 And He warned 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.

He warned them to tell no one about Him

We frequently see Jesus warning people not to tell others about their healing but — in this instance — Jesus tells the Apostles not to talk to others about their revelation. There is a marked difference. He told people to not talk about their healing because he didn’t want throngs of followers seeking him for merely external purposes and thereby overriding his singular mission on earth. Such disciples — when they appeared — saw Jesus only as a spectacle and the fullness of his purpose went ignored and unheard by them. Look at this example from the first chapter of Mark:

Mark 1:44-45

44 And He said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.” 45 But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news about, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.

So we can see our Lord’s purpose in trying to silence those whom he healed. Yet, why would he silence those who had just discovered the truth about Jesus’ Messiahship? Jesus not only censured them; he castigated them forcefully! Mark uses the word “Epitimao” [G2008] meaning to rebuke or admonish. Let’s look at two possible causes for Jesus’ emphatic rebuke:

They were so new to their revelation that they did not have an intimate knowledge of Jesus’ mission with which to back up their emotions. They still sought a conquering king not a suffering servant right up to the resurrection of Jesus.

Another reason becomes evident if we look at a reading from Mark 9. Here we see that the disciples were making personal statements about Jesus from the biases of their ideology about the Messiah and not by the grace of the Holy Spirit. As a result, their perspective of Jesus completely off-target:

Mark 9:9-10

9 And as they were coming down from the mountain, He gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man should rise from the dead. 10 And they seized upon that statement, discussing with one another what rising from the dead might mean.

Jesus knew that the proof of his messianic claim was only a short time away. He was on the cusp of turning towards Jerusalem for the final time. His time of teaching was almost over. Very soon, the disciples would not just be able to say what they felt but they would be able to testify to what they had seen and experienced.

Acts 2:22-36

22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know — 23 this {Man} delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put {Him} to death. 24 “And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. 25 “For David says of Him, ‘I was always beholding the Lord in my presence; for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken’”

26 ‘Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue exulted; moreover my flesh also will abide in hope; 27 Because Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay. 28 ‘Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; Thou wilt make me full of gladness with Thy presence.’”

29 “Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 “And so, because he was a prophet, and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat {one} of his descendants upon his throne, 31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. 32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.”

33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. 34 “For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, 35 Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet.’”

36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ — this Jesus whom you crucified.”

Is it possible that we can also run about making statements about God based upon our biases and not based upon the verified movement of the Holy Spirit? I fear that this is all too easy. We might even say this is the greatest fault of the religion of Christianity. We ascribe our issues to Jesus, we project our prejudices upon him and we make him out to say what we want to hear pronounced. It is a discipline to learn to speak in the Spirit and not from human emotion. The result is that far too much damage is done when we don’t hold our tongues until our opinions are verified by prayer, fruits of the Spirit and the support of vibrant and just community.

I pray I can learn to weigh those things that pop into my head based on my opinions. I need to hold my thoughts and see if they become more concrete with prayer or just wisp away like vapor. My words are from the Holy Spirit only when they become a flame I cannot contain. My thoughts and feelings are simply too deceptive. If I am supposed to say something God will cleanse my mind and words to his purpose:

Isaiah 6:5-7

5 Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 And he touched my mouth {with it} and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.”

We need to let the Holy Spirit affirm our words and coax them out — almost reticently — from the depth of our being and not just the top of our heads.

The Son of Man must suffer

The term “suffer” is one of the most important concepts in the bible, both in the Old and New Testaments. We simply cannot understand Jesus if we do not understand suffering.

We suffer in this world because humanity has broken communion with God. In truth, the surest sign that we are distant from God is that we are too comfortable. For it is impossible for a truly Godly person to be unaware of the effects of sin in this broken world around us. We would have to purposely close our eyes to injustice (which is a Sin of Omission). It is the sin of Dives, the rich man, who walked by Lazarus everyday as the beggar suffered at the rich man’s gate [Luke 16:20-31]. Truly the greatest sin to God was the sin of leaders (political and religious) who slept in comfort while widows and children shivered in poverty.

Yet the Christian’s suffering is always tempered by the foreknowledge of hope. We live in the expectation that we are suffering the pains of new birth in Christ:

Romans 8:17-28

17 And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Our suffering is not the mindless thrashing of a world drowning in hopelessness. Our suffering is identified instead by a word that is at the root of Christian growth; endurance:

II Timothy 2:11-12

11 It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; 12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us.

This word, endure [G5278 Hupomeno] is liberally sprinkled throughout the letters to the churches, used by nearly every writer. Indeed, one could legitimately say it was the theme of the early Church. They did not suffer meaningless hardship; they endured purposeful hardship because the promise of salvation was already given them by the Christ.

Where is perseverance today? On one hand, I see much suffering among the most vulnerable. A sense of helplessness, a sense of systemic abuse, a cry of advocacy and an awareness of being forgotten by the very people who claim the compassionate one as their Lord [Matthew 25:41-44].

On the other side, I see churches jacked up on emotional highs as if the Kingdom had already come. Who will stand in the gap between the two? Who will stand between the hopeless suffering of the vulnerable and the ecstatic zeal of the comfortable?

Romans 12:15-16

We are called and ordained for this purpose to: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.”

That call is the biblical cry of persevering justice and enduring righteousness (which means to “make things right in God’s eyes”).

Yet we can persevere (suffer with purpose) because someone already endured the greatest agony on our behalf. That one was the Paschal Lamb, the Suffering Servant. The crucial word Mark uses in this verse — ”for the Son of Man must suffer” — is Pascho [G3958]. It is the word from which we get pathos, tragedy, passion (in the sense of agony — as in the agony or passion of Jesus in the Garden of Olives).

Jesus was the Paschal Lamb, the blood sacrifice given for our sins. He suffered so that we could persevere. He took our agony and experienced our hell (total separation from God) so we might have the option of salvation rather than the condemnation of sin.

This is what was ordained and Jesus knew it. It was neither cloudy nor confusing to him that he would be rejected, abandoned, betrayed and murdered by the very ones he was called to save. It had been exclaimed by God’s ordained prophets and written in tears and toil by the Psalmists, the Messiah is the paschal (suffering) servant of God.

Isaiah 42:1-9

1 “Behold, My servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one {in whom} My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. 2 “He will not cry out or raise {His voice,} nor make His voice heard in the street.

3 “A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. 4 “He will not be disheartened or crushed, until He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”

5 Thus says God the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk in it, 6 “I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, and I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations,

7 To open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, and those who dwell in darkness from the prison. 8 “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven images.

9 “Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; before they spring forth I proclaim {them} to you.”

Isaiah 49:1-6

1 Listen to me, O islands, and pay attention, you peoples from afar. The LORD called me from the womb; from the body of My mother He named me. 2 And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has concealed me, and He has also made me a select arrow; He has hidden me in His quiver.

3 And He said to me, “You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will show My glory.” 4 But I said, “I have toiled in vain, I have spent My strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely the justice {due} to me is with the LORD, and My reward with My God.”

5 And now says the LORD, who formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, in order that Israel might be gathered to Him (for I am honored in the sight of the LORD, and My God is My strength), 6 He says, “It is too small a thing that you should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make you a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Isaiah 50:4-9

4 The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens {me} morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. 5 The Lord GOD has opened My ear; and I was not disobedient, nor did I turn back.

6 I gave My back to those who strike {me,} and My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting. 7 For the Lord GOD helps me, therefore, I am not disgraced; therefore, I have set My face like flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

8 He who vindicates me is near; who will contend with me? Let us stand up to each other; who has a case against me? Let him draw near to me. 9 Behold, the Lord GOD helps me; who is he who condemns me? Behold, they will all wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them.

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

13 Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up, and greatly exalted. 14 Just as many were astonished at you, {My people,} so His appearance was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.

15 Thus He will sprinkle many nations, kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; for what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will understand.

CHAPTER 53

1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no {stately} form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

3 He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely our grief’s He himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being {fell} upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.

7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke {was due?}

9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. 10 But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting {Him} to grief; if He would render himself {as} a guilt offering, He will see {His} offspring, He will prolong {His} days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.

11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see {it} and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the strong; because He poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet He himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors.

Even the last words and moments of Jesus had been proclaimed a thousand years before they were uttered on a splintered cross board on a hill overlooking Jerusalem.

Psalm 22:1-31

1 My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning. 2 O my God, I cry by day, but Thou dost not answer; and by night, but I have no rest.

3 Yet Thou art holy, O Thou who art enthroned upon the praises of Israel. 4 In Thee our fathers trusted; they trusted, and Thou didst deliver them.

5 To Thee they cried out, and were delivered; in Thee they trusted, and were not disappointed. 6 But I am a worm, and not a man, a reproach of men, and despised by the people.

7 All who see me sneer at me; they separate with the lip, they wag the head, {saying,} 8 “Commit {yourself} to the LORD; let Him deliver him; let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.”

9 Yet Thou art He who didst bring me forth from the womb; Thou didst make me trust {when} upon my mother’s breasts. 10 Upon Thee I was cast from birth; Thou hast been my God from my mother’s womb.

11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near; for there is none to help. 12 Many bulls have surrounded me; strong {bulls} of Bashan have encircled me.

13 They open wide their mouth at me, as a ravening and a roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; it is melted within me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and Thou dost lay me in the dust of death. 16 For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet.

17 I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; 18 They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

19 But Thou, O LORD, be not far off; O Thou my help, hasten to my assistance. 20 Deliver my soul from the sword, My only {life} from the power of the dog.

21 Save me from the lion’s mouth; and from the horns of the wild oxen Thou dost answer me. 22 I will tell of Thy name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise Thee.

23 You who fear the LORD, praise Him; all you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel. 24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither has He hidden His face from him; but when he cried to Him for help, He heard.

25 From Thee {comes} my praise in the great assembly; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him. 26 The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him will praise the LORD. Let your heart live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will worship before Thee. 28 For the kingdom is the LORD’S, and He rules over the nations.

29 All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, all those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, even he who cannot keep his soul alive. 30 Posterity will serve Him; it will be told of the LORD to the {coming} generation.

31 They will come and will declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has performed {it.}

All of these readings pointed to one thing: “The Son of Man must suffer…”

From the beginning of creation, God knew (and therefore Jesus knew) what role the Paschal Lamb would play in eternity. The Creator knew that, given free will, we would sin and that the wage of sin was death. Yet God created us anyway because his love was simply that expansive. We were not created to fail, we were created for salvation and our salvation is dependent on the One who suffered willingly for our sins.

MARK 8:32-33

32 And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and *said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him

It is not hard to understand Peter; he is just like most of us. We think we have a handle on the eternal and want to take over for God. Then, we fail miserably…

Jesus walks on water, so Peter expects to do the same thing on his own power (and fails miserably until the Lord lifts him from the roiling seas)

During the transfiguration, Peter thinks he is fit to advise Moses, Elijah and Jesus (and then cowers before the presence of God like an “animal digging into the dirt”)

When the Lord states that Peter will deny him, Peter says, “Never!” (And then does it three times)

When the Lord lowers a sheet with food (that is unclean to a Jew) and commands Peter to eat it, Peter tells the Lord, “Never!” (And then eats it)

In this reading, Peter considers himself worthy of “rebuking” Jesus to dissuade the Lord from his ordained role as the “paschal” sacrifice.

Which Peter am I today?

Am I the one who thinks he can do the miraculous without God’s help?

Am I the one who catches a brief glimpse of God’s glory and wants to keep it to myself?

Am I the one who thinks I can walk on water and don’t need Christ’s assistance?

Am I the one who won’t break with my own habits and traditions to include others?

Am I the one who refuses to follow Jesus into tough circumstances? Into sacrifice? Into the toughest parts of discipleship where the world is hostile to God’s plan?

Which Peter am I today?

It’s quite possible that — by the end of the day — I will probably have had the opportunity to play every role of Peter and to fail on every account.

Yet what is most important about Peter (and how we should be most like him) is that Peter is veritable a boomerang for Jesus. He never quits coming back, even when it is bleakest and most embarrassing. Look at this incredible interchange between Boomerang Peter and the forgiving Lord after the Christ’s resurrection:

John 21:15-17

15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, {son} of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.”

16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, {son} of John, do you love me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.”

17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, {son} of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “tend My sheep.”

There are so many subtleties to this story but that is for another time. What we need to look at in this passage is how hard it must have been for Peter to be questioned and probed so deeply by Jesus. Jesus was reminding Peter of his pride and folly — but only to reveal to Peter the depth of our Lord’s love.

Yes, Peter failed... but Peter returned. Peter kept boomeranging and Jesus knew that Peter wouldn’t quit trying — yet Jesus also knew that Peter would fail again and yet, again.

Thus, Christ commissions Peter with an unimaginable challenge and responsibility:

John 21:18-19

18 “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself, and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to {go.”}

19 Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow me!”

Peter carried out that charge. Still failing at times — but always “boomeranging” to serve the Lord and the infant church. Tradition tells us that Peter was crucified upside down in Rome, while first being forced to watch his wife’s (Miriam) crucifixion for two days. It is said that all the time she was dying, he was chained to a nearby post and his greatest encouragement was to cry out, “Remember the Lord.”

Here is the Rock that Jesus planted. Here is a man that the church depended upon because of his passion to follow Christ — even to his own cross.

However, we must add one last caveat. Even as he receives this valiant commission, Peter is already blowing it again:

John 21:20-22

20 Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following {them;} the one who also had leaned back on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21 Peter therefore seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?”

22 Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what {is that} to you? You follow Me!”

Once again Jesus rebukes Peter, the Peter who failed, the Peter who tries again; the boomerang Peter. “It’s not YOUR concern what others do — YOU follow me!”

Did Jesus state this with a smile hiding just behind the sternness of his command? Did he think; “Peter, you are my rock and my rockhead?”

We must also remember that despite his failings, Peter was never dishonest. The Gospel that we have from Mark — a gospel that became the bedrock of both Matthew and Luke — is a gospel from Peter’s aged lips to Mark’s youthful ears. Peter didn’t sugar coat his failures. He wanted Mark to tell the world that Christ was perfect while Peter was not.

Most of us have a résumé that focuses on our strengths and points away from our weaknesses. Peter wanted the world to clearly hear; “I was headstrong, weak, and hindered my Lord at every turn. Still, Jesus loved me through all that to make me the man that I am today.”

Now, that’s the type of preaching people need to hear from the pulpit!

So, which Peter am I — today? The belligerent Peter advising God? The weak Peter hiding in the courtyard? The terrified Peter wallowing in self-pity by the dung-heap? Or, am I ready to be the Peter who leads by sheer honesty. Returning to the Lord each time he fails, yet unafraid to admit: “Christ perfected me in spite of my inadequacy.”

“Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s”

Could any words have ever cut a heart as deep as this sentence publicly spoken by Jesus to the man who would become “the rock of the church?”

The accusation is that Peter has set his mind [G5426 Phroneo] or “placed his affections” on the comforts of this world. How can we, as humans, blame him? This was just after the conclusion of the public ministry of Jesus. Our Lord had taken his closest disciples aside for their final teaching and preparation. They had him to themselves for a brief, but precious moment in time. And, Peter didn’t want to give that up.

How often do we see that in our churches too? “This is my pew.” “This is the way we worship.” “We don’t want those people in our congregation.”

Don’t we like to keep God to ourselves as well?

Yet, the words of Jesus could not — in any terminology — be more condemning. The part of us that wants to keep Jesus to ourselves, the part that wants to keep others out, the part that doesn’t want to reach out to the vulnerable and welcome them in — that is no less than Satan alive in us!

Could the words be stronger? Not likely!

Jesus doesn’t call Pontius, Satan. He doesn’t call Herod, Satan (a fox maybe — but not Satan). Jesus doesn’t call Caiaphas or Annas (the high priests), Satan. He calls one of his own Apostles, Satan.

One of his closest! One of his most faithful! One of his strongest! The very one to whom was given the words pronouncing Jesus as Messiah. That is the one whom Jesus is calls; “Satan!”

It is plain to see that whenever followers place their own needs or comforts first or whenever we desire to keep Christ to ourselves and not give him as freely to others as he gave himself to us, then we too run the risk of the greatest condemnation. “Get thee behind me, Satan.”

Let us never put ourselves in front of Jesus or in between Jesus and those he has died for lest we too hear the words of eternal terror: “Get thee behind me, Satan.”

MARK 8:34-35

“He must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me”

There could be no harder words for a comfortable person to understand than these words of absolute self-denial. To know Jesus, one has to deny [G533 Aparneomai] self and instead lift up [G142 Airo] the cross: The lowest form of criminal death known to the people of Jesus’ time. Jesus tells us that the “self” must die a humiliating death in order for us to fully know him.

And the cross! The apostles must have been stunned. We, modern Christians, have a reference point to discuss “the cross.” We’ve been steeped in it, we’ve heard it preached in our congregations and wear the symbol about our necks like it is an adornment. However, the poor apostles had no reference to the cross save one:

Deuteronomy 21:22-23

22 “And if a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.

It was a horrible reference. A reference that anyone who died on the cross (on the tree) was accursed by God. How could this be the banner and the mission to which Jesus was pointing them?

To us it would be like saying that we must be so willing to testify to Christ that we would accept hanging or serve a life sentence for our witness. Indeed, I have grown cautious of the gravity of the word “witness” ever since I learned that the root word of witness and testimony is martyr [G3141 Marturia]. It means to be willing to die for one’s testimony. Of course, this was something that all of the twelve were willing to do. They all eventually died horrible deaths — save for John the Beloved who spent much of his life in forced exile.

Our faith calls us daily to leave behind patterns of selfishness and even prudence. It calls us to radical obedience that may lead to a loss of prestige, job and income and yes, even our lives. Throughout the ages and most predominantly in our world today; Christian witnesses (martyrs) who have taken their roles as advocates for Christ in the form of the vulnerable have lost all of these worldly things in their service of God. In fact — in light of what Jesus said — we should be most concerned if our faith is not tested, if our lives and beliefs are not questioned or our hearts devoid of passion for those denied justice.

In these days, as in Christ’s day, the time for pleasant conversation about the subtleties of religious doctrines is not an option to us. Injustice is entrenched in many of our institutions. Ideologies about the poor have usurped compassion and Satan is stealing every soul he can get his claws into. This is a time when Christ calls every proclaiming believer to; “Deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”

Whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

This revolutionary statement turns all of modern psychology and most of our theologies completely on their ears. Joy, Christ tells us, is not to be found in self-service, self-searching or self-focus. No, our Lord reveals joy is found in self-sacrifice for a heavenly purpose: “To do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God [Micah 6:8].”

How antithetical to the gurus of our pop culture who speak about “happiness through having more,” or even the pseudo-eastern philosophy that peace is found through self-fulfillment. Is that where the lives of prophets, apostles and martyrs end up? Is “nirvana” and “personal harmony” a worthy goal for a follower of Christ? Not if I read this statement of Christ correctly. If I have any sense of Christ’s statement it is that the Gospel always consists of personal transformation and communal restoration.

Drawing close to Christ means; “I must decrease and he must increase [John 3:30].” It means “less me and more him,” until it is finally “no me and all him.” Then, I will know the inner truth about salvation, the joy of absolute service, of being able to abandon myself to the joy of loving God recklessly and my neighbor radically.

There are five terms that will help us focus on the meaning of this phrase in our faith:

“If anyone wishes”

The term “to wish” [G2309 Thelo] has a sort of happenstance quality to it that is out-of-place in the context of this statement. The more appropriate translations are “to desire” or “to will,” not “to wish.” Following Christ is not a whim; it is a resolution. Are we willing (or do we even desire) to have our innermost pride and sin crucified for the sake of Jesus and his Good News?

“Whoever loses”

To translate the word used in this statement [G622 Apollumi] as “lose one’s life,” is to water it down. Apollumi is translated as “to lose” ten times in the KJV. It is also translated as “to utterly destroy” seventeen times and “to perish” fourteen times. The term does not imply someone who sort of wanders away from his sensibilities one morning. Rather, it is more like a person who intentionally sets out on a course that will more than likely cost him everything worthwhile from a worldly perspective in exchange for a great and just cause.

“His life”

Christ was talking about even more than giving up our lives [G5590 Psuche]. He wanted us to give him our hearts, souls and minds. That’s the fullest meaning of this word. A Christian may never be called to physically give his life for Christ; but we are always called upon to give our hearts, souls, and minds. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that one could even give his life for the poor, but; “If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing [1 Cor 13:3].”

God wants our love, passion, and thoughts — our hearts, souls, and minds. Does that sound like a “weekend commitment?” How much of our faith makes it out of the parking lot on Sunday morning? How many of us are so enamored by the call of Christ to the Gospel that we leave worship Sunday morning and find ourselves in service to the poor on Sunday night?

“For My sake and the gospel’s”

For My sake [G1752a Heneka] means “because of me” or “on account of me.” Jesus tells us that if we lose our life because we live like him then we will gain the eternal prize. He also tells us that if we lose our lives on account of the gospel [G2098 Euaggelion] we will gain complete intimacy with our God.

It is not an either/or; either be ready and willing to deny ourselves for Jesus or for the gospel that he proclaimed. It is an “and”; be ready and willing to die for Jesus and the gospel that he proclaimed. We give our lives to Jesus and we live our lives by the gospel. However, the gospel that Jesus professed was not sitting in a church and listening to someone preach comforting news to us. It also doesn’t mean going out and thumping people’s foreheads with a twelve-pound, gold-embossed, study bible.

Repeatedly, we find that Jesus tells us that we cannot be comfortable just using his name like a prayer mantra or putting a fish symbol on the back of a luxury SUV. No, to be a follower of Christ means that the poor call us Good News.

“Will save it”

To save [G4982 sozo] is to be brought safely through trials. Remember that this term could me to be brought to full restoration after being victimized, returned to our family after being kidnapped or even a pony released in a ripened pasture.

To the Follower of Christ, salvation is all that and more. It is restoration, wholeness and the delight of fresh pastures at the end of great trials. Yet, above all else, it is relationship: To be one with God and to work towards justice for those wronged. These concepts are some of the oldest beliefs in our bible. It is the bias of God!

Followers of Christ purposely set off in a direction that may cost their life — but that matters not — for they’ve already given their heart, soul and mind. Death is a small consequence to someone who loves extravagantly; it is living outside of that passion which, to the beloved, is worse than death.

MARK 8:36-37

36 “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? 37 “For what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”

What does it profit?

Each of us must not only ask, “What does it profit?” but also, “What is profit [G5623 opheleo] to a Follower of the Way?” Or, “What would we give in exchange for our soul?”

Unfortunately the erosion of a person’s life is rarely a singular decision. It is a series of choices that increases distance from God over time. Sin creeps into life until one day, what was once obviously wrong, is now viewed as a slight oversight or minor indiscretion. The line of good and evil becomes a faded grey and wrong becomes relatively correct “given the circumstances.” This is how most souls are given away. We fall asleep at the castle gate and wake to find new guards around us. The wrong guards, the other guy’s guards, and we’re caught wondering; “How in the world did we get in this predicament?”

MARK 8:38

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

Ashamed of Me

Ashamed [G1870] Epaischunomai] is a vivid Greek word. It has two roots, Epi [G1909] and Aischunomai [G153] which mean to be appallingly embarrassed by a disfigurement. To be ashamed of Christ is an especially poignant sin given the disfigurement, public abuse and the mockery Jesus went through for us.

Matthew seems to have the most vivid remembrance of the words of Christ in this instance:

Matthew 10:32-40

32 “Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 “But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”

34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 “For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.”

37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”

39 “He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it. 40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

In a world where we are cautioned not to speak about politics or religion, these words of Christ can cause a great deal of discomfort. For this reading basically states, “If we don’t speak on behalf of Christ (in his most vulnerable form) he won’t speak of us.” To confess [G3670 Homologeo] Christ is to publicly acknowledge him (like a homily or a sermon). It means, “one person speaks out” or to “speak with a singular focus.” We know that the singular focus of Jesus was to restore us to our loving Father. Do we speak with focused singularity — whether or not anyone else agrees with us? Will we stand in court and argue the dignity of the most forgotten child even when the rest of the world condemns him or her? That’s what Jesus does for us through the Holy Spirit.

Many churches consider evangelism (becoming Gospel to the poor) as an option — or a yearly drive to recruit new members or bring back old ones. However, that has little (if anything) to do with real evangelism. Evangelism [G2097 Euaggelizo] means to “announce the good news,” to “declare grand tidings,” to be “an angel in the streets” or to “be an official representative of the King carrying his message throughout his kingdom.” The messenger doesn’t change the King’s message just because the town folk don’t like it. He is not responsible to them; he is responsible to the King.

These were the tasks that were at the heart of what Jesus was called to the earth to do:

Mark 1:38

38 And He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, in order that I may preach there also; for that is what I came out for.”

Luke 4:18

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden.

And it is at the heart of what Jesus sends us out to do:

Matthew 10:7-8

7 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 “Heal {the} sick, raise {the} dead, cleanse {the} lepers, cast out demons; freely you received, freely give.”

Mark 3:14-15

14 And He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to have authority to cast out the demons.

Mark 16:15-18

15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. 17 “And these signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly {poison,} it shall not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Preaching the Gospel — evangelizing — is neither optional nor seasonal; it is fundamental to the heart of our relationship with God. We “are not allowed” to either keep the Good News to ourselves or change the King’s message to appeal to the crowd.

2 Timothy 4:3-5

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but {wanting} to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths. 5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

We are commissioned — yes, even ordained — to speak the Good News of Christ “in season and out” (meaning when it feels comfortable and when it doesn’t).

2 Timothy 4:1-2

1 I solemnly charge {you} in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season {and} out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction

This is a commission to make the Gospel a living, breathing part of all of our relationships, the core of who we are and whatever we do. It is an invitation to live the Gospel in line with the wonderful statement attributed to Francis of Assisi; “Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary use words.”

Our preaching takes effect in the way that we listen to others as we work beside them. As we do dishes with our loved ones or random acts of hospitality and yes, even when we drive out of the church parking lot on Sunday morning. Our preaching takes place in a healing ministry of relationships with the vulnerable and forgotten, it occurs as we make ourselves available for the Holy Spirit to move through us in compassion, generosity and acts of mercy.

The greatest compliments might come in statements like:

“When I am with you, I feel like a totally different person, you make me feel like I am significant. That I matter and can make a difference. That I am not just a victim of life.”

“How can you be so passionate about what you do — and yet, so at peace?”

“How can you be so calm under so much turmoil? Can you teach me how to be like that?”

These comments will usually come from people who observe God working through you in the lives of the vulnerable. They see God’s light and power flowing out of your heart and they are attracted to its vibrancy.

Even at the moment of death, I have seen nurses and staff members drawn to the faith of people who were obviously embraced in the Creator’s presence. Will it be said of us that compassion was our loudest pronouncement and those in need called us “good news?” Will we accept the commission of the early church to love like Christ loved?

Philippians 2:1-5

1 If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; 4 do not {merely} look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:12-17

12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

14 And beyond all these things {put on} love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms {and} hymns {and} spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, {do} all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Lord, let the Good News be exemplified in our actions and compassion be the power we choose so that justice and mercy might become the hallmarks of our lives and love be the motive of our days.

Chapter 8

Mark 08

This Desolate Place

MARK 8:1-21

MARK 8:1-9

This Desolate Place

MARK 8:10

The district of Dalmanutha

MARK 8:11-13

“Sighing deeply in his spirit…”

MARK 8:14-21

They began to discuss with one another...

Do You See Anything?

MARK 8:22-26

Implored him to touch him

“Do you see anything?”

Who Do You Say I Am?

MARK 8:27-38

MARK 8:27-28

“Who do people say that I am?”

MARK 8:29

“But who do you say that I am?”

“You are the Christ.”

MARK 8:30-31

He warned them to tell no one about Him

The Son of Man must suffer

MARK 8:32-33

Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him

“Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s”

MARK 8:34-35

“He must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me”

Whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

MARK 8:36-37

What does it profit?

MARK 8:38

Ashamed of Me

Mark 07

Mark 09