Mark 9:30-32

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.

As you read Mark 9:30-32, keep in mind everything that has happened since Jesus began talking about his death and resurrection at the end of Chapter Eight.

There is a growing sense of urgency in the unfolding story of Mark’s Gospel. From a declaration of Jesus’ true identity as the Messiah, to a hard teaching on the nature of following Jesus, to the affirmation of Jesus by God the Father witnessed by three disciples and Moses and Elijah, to Jesus’ descent from the mountain and his encounter with the wavering faith of his followers. And now Jesus, fully cognizant of what lies ahead, delivers a crucial message to those who will carry on his mission when he is gone.

Consider for a moment that you have left your profession to follow and work with a rising cultural influencer. How do you think you would react to the message that the person in whom you have placed your hope is going to die?

Read Mark 9:30-32 again imagining yourself as one of Jesus’ closest followers hearing his words.

The disciples have seen Jesus take control of nature and bend the limits of the possible, and they have witnessed his authority over disease and spiritual forces. Yet they still struggle with the concept of Jesus rising after being killed, and they are afraid to ask him for an explanation. Is it that resurrection is a foreign concept? Are they afraid of an explanation that would let the air out of their hopes and aspirations? Are they terrified that they may have made a mistake by following Jesus?

How do you hold the idea of Jesus’ ability to do the impossible along with the thought that following Jesus requires picking up your own cross?

If the story ended at the cross, it would certainly be a sorry tale, but it doesn’t. What significance does Jesus’ resurrection from death have for you?

Consider for a moment that Jesus is master over nature, illness, spiritual oppression and even death. How does this effect your ability to trust him?

Talk all this over with Jesus and then take time to be still and listen. If you sense Jesus urging you toward an action, make a plan for following through.

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.