Mark 8:31-9:1

Find a way to separate yourself from whatever’s going on around you so you can fully enter into today’s passage. if you haven’t read the introduction to Mark’s Gospel, read it here.

Try to read Mark 8:31-9:1 with fresh eyes and ears. Try to imagine how the disciples would feel about the things Jesus is saying.

We’ve already seen that Jesus is not interested in marketing his ministry. Throughout the Gospel of Mark so far, we’ve seen him heal people in private away from the eyes of the crowds, and we’ve heard him warn the disciples and the people he healed to keep the miracles and his identity to themselves. But in this passage Jesus moves to whole other level.

The message is clear: Jesus will suffer and die, and anyone who wants to be his follower must die to their way of thinking about earthly life in order to gain true life.

Jesus’ rebuke of Peter’s reprimand may seem harsh, but Jesus’ remarks unearth the very core of Peter’s fear. In Chapter Four, Mark gave us the briefest description the temptations Satan hurled at Jesus in the wilderness, but Matthew and Luke will later include the nature of those temptations - one of which was a suggestion by Satan that Jesus bypass the suffering ordained for him. Peter’s confusion about Jesus’ purpose and the means to that purpose are an echo of that temptation. Jesus again rebukes Satan for this deception and sets the disciples straight. Jesus will follow the plan of his Father.

Read Mark 8:31-9:1 again noticing any emotion that rises in you as you read Jesus’s words to the disciples and the crowd beginning in verse 31.

Jesus is life, and his way is the way of life. The enemy of our souls would have us believe that the ways of the world will bring us happiness, but the enemy is a liar.

What fears do you have about yielding your life completely to Jesus? Stop for a moment and have an honest conversation with Jesus about this.

What hopes, dreams or aspirations are you holding onto so tightly that you may not be able to receive the life Jesus has for you? Again, talk to Jesus about this.

Jesus last remark in this passage is that some of those standing there would see the Kingdom come in great power. And many did see Jesus after he conquered death and rose to new life.

The more we yield our lives to Jesus, the more we will see and experience the Kingdom of God. It has not come in full, but the Kingdom is among us now because of Jesus and what he did for us.

End your time today asking Jesus to give you his vision for a life well lived. If you don’t have a desire for this kind of life, ask him to give you that desire so you can experience the abundant life found in him.

If these meditations are helpful to you, please forward them to couple of friends.

Interested in going deeper? Check out The Everyday Jesus Follower’s Guide and blog.