As I thought about this question of what is real discipleship (what does it mean to really follow Jesus?) I turned to the middle of mark which is a major turning point of the gospel.
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. (Mark 8:29, 30 NIV)
This is the turning point of Mark and of Jesus ministry I think. In fact this is the exact middle of mark that splits it in half. A friend on InterVarsity staff James Butler said that Jesus from this point turns toward Jerusalem and sets his ministry on that course to the cross to suffering and death. And you can feel the heat as Mark continues. Even Peter is blown out of the water. For in the church we often stop at the question: who do you say Jesus is? And if you say Savior and your Lord check you are pretty much in. But Jesus is only just getting started in his discipleship of Peter and the others. It gets more and more intense.
This is how Jesus goes on from Peters declaration the Jesus is the Messiah:
He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Mark 8:31-33 NIV)
Even Peter who had given up almost everything to follow Jesus to be a disciple doesn't come close to getting it. It's the most radical plan ever. Jesus who we just finally get confirmation is the Messiah is knowingly going to suffer and die. And what I think Peter doesn't get is that is the way of Jesus suffer and die, but then in death you will rise eternal.
And then Jesus turns to the disciples and to you and me and says:
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? (Mark 8:34-36 NIV)
Jesus invites us all to something radical I don't think even Peter or the disciples understood until later it became reality.
Jesus invites his followers to suffer and to die to this world. Only in death following Jesus will we rise to eternity and our lives or our souls will be saved. And he certainly has the authority to call us to this because he walked that road first. He is the first to die and the first to rise and so we follow in his footsteps.
But now I ask myself: how far am I willing to go? Will I suffer and die in order to stand and rise with Jesus? I don't think it's an if. We often say would we be willing to do it if it happened. But Jesus didn't say no if. He said we must deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him. And Jesus carried his cross to his death. There is no if about it. I am becoming more and more convinced of what it really means to follow Jesus. Not just for a few not just for missionaries or Christians in other countries, but for all of us. Not the few radical exceptions but the norm the standard the beginning for all of us.
For death to this life in following Jesus is the beginning of eternal life in the kingdom of God.
And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” (Mark 9:1 NIV)
For they will see the kingdom of God and know that the kingdom of God has come with power!
But the kingdom is not far off for Jesus also said as recorded in Luke:
Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” (Luke 17:20, 21 NIV)
And so the 3 disciples of Jesus: Peter James and John got to see some compelling evidence that the kingdom of God has already come with power. In Mark immediately following this:
After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. (Mark 9:2 NIV)
So what will I choose: to lose my life and find it in Jesus or not?
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