Mark 8:34-37 - FOLLOWING JESUS.
Mark 8:34-37 (NLT) Then, calling the crowd
to join his disciples, he said, If any of
you wants to be my follower, you must turn from
your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow
me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you
will lose it. But if you give up your life for my
sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will
save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain
the whole world but lose your own soul? 37 Is
anything worth more than your soul?
INTRODUCTION
Jesus paradoxes are statements that seem
self-contradictory and opposed to common sense, yet express
profound truths. [College Press NIV Commentary]
WORD STUDY
DENY SELF
Cease to make self the object of his
life. [NIV SB]
Requires a total commitment to turn
from selfish ways (Mark 8:34-35). [One
Year NLT SB]
Self-denial is nothing more or less
than choosing Gods will when that
will conflicts with what some part of
ourselves wants to do. [Victor Bible
Background Commentary]
Without denying our self worth, Jesus
asks us to deny our self-
centeredness so that his priorities
become ours. [Quest SB]
Deny oneself does not mean to hate
oneself or to go without something, but
to give full control of their life to
Christ. [Passages Of Life SB]
TAKE UP YOUR CROSS
Taking up one's cross is a metaphor
for giving up one's life to follow
Jesus. [One Year NLT SB]
FOLLOWING JESUS
Is staying close to Him, living in
intimate daily relationship, [Victor
Teachers Commentary]
Christ calls us to follow Him,
regardless of the cost, and He has never
promised that our path will always be
smooth.... But in the midst of the
suffering, trials and temptations, He
will provide His peace, joy and
fellowship.... In the midst of every
situation of life He can give an
inner calm and strength that you could
never imagine apart from Him.
Billy Graham [Time With God SB]
COMMENTARY PEARLS
Time Does Tell
A while ago, I ran into a guy that I once
hung out with in school. I hadn't seen him in
about twenty-five years. He had called to say that
he was coming to hear me speak, so we arranged
to meet beforehand.
As we talked, he told me he had been
married twice and was presently divorced. Then he
said, "I basically drank my marriages away." He
went on to explain that he had fallen prey to
alcoholism and had never gotten free of it. It had
ruined his life.
I told him, "You know, in the Bible, God
says, 'You will seek Me and find Me......' "You
can quote your book, and I'll quote mine," he
said. "I'm in fellowship too - I'm in a
twelve-step program." We used to hang out and party
together, but although I left that lifestyle at age
seventeen, he never did. As I look at the course his
life has taken and the course my life has taken,
it's clear who really gave up the most.
There might be times as a Christian when
you look at unbelievers and think, I don't know.
Maybe they're having the good time, and I'm not.
It might look as though they are having fun
today, but there is a price for sin. You will reap
what you sow.
If you live for Christ, if you determine
to do things God's way, you won't regret it.
You won't find happiness or fulfillment through
sex, drugs, or drinking. You won't find it
through relationships, success, possessions, or
accomplishments. YOU WILL FIND HAPPINESS AND FULFILLMENT BY
WALKING IN YOUR CREATOR'S TRUE PURPOSE FOR YOUR
LIFE: A LIVING, DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. [Every Day with Jesus by Greg
Laurie]
Chasing Happiness
We live in a selfie culture. In fact,
people have literally died by trying to capture the
ultimate selfie. We want to look good and project an
image of having it all together. Were a
self-obsessed society.
Interestingly, the Bible says that
narcissism will be one of the signs of the last days:
In the last days there will be very difficult
times. For people will love only themselves and
their money. They will be boastful and proud,
scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and
ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred (2
Timothy 3:1-2 NLT).
Isnt that an accurate description of
today?
However, selfish people are unhappy
people. Studies have confirmed this. We actually get
a momentary burst of what we might call
temporary happiness when we do something selfish.
One expert pointed out that selfish acts
bring us happiness, but only for short-term
periods of time. Then our selfish happiness fades
quickly and ultimately drives us to more selfish
behavior.
On the other hand, selfless acts bring
happiness. We know this from experience after we do
something for someone else.
In contrast to our narcissistic culture,
Jesus said, If you try to hang on to your life,
you will lose it. But if you give up your life
for my sake and for the sake of the Good News,
you will save it (Mark 8:35 NLT).
Jesus is effectively saying, If you
get your priorities in order and deny yourself
instead of loving yourself and being obsessed with
yourself, you will find fulfillment in life.
Theres Nothing Wrong With Wanting To
Be Happy. In Fact, Jesus Is Really Telling Us
How To Be Happy. But It Isnt By Chasing
Happiness.
SO WE WONT FIND HAPPINESS BY PURSUING
IT. RATHER, WELL FIND IT BY PUTTING GOD FIRST
IN OUR LIVES AND FOLLOWING HIM. [Greg Laurie
from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
If You Want to Follow Jesus
We adorn our churches with crosses, use
them as fashion accessories, and even get into
lawsuits over where we can display them. But I think
our society has a lot of misconceptions about
the cross today.
In the first century, the cross was a
repulsive symbol. It was an incredibly horrible way to
die. The Romans didnt invent crucifixion, but
they perfected it, so to speak. And they saved
crucifixion for the worst of criminals.
If you saw someone surrounded by Roman
soldiers and carrying a cross, you knew that person
was about to die a horrible, painful, torturous
death.
Yet Jesus said, Whoever desires to
come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up
his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to
save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his
life for My sake and the gospels will save
it (Mark 8:34-35 NKJV).
These words of Jesus to His first-century
disciples still ring true for His followers today. But
what does it mean to take up the cross and follow
Him?
Jesus began by saying, Whoever desires
to come after Me, let him deny himself. The
word deny means to say no to yourself. It means
to put Gods will above your own.
What it doesnt mean is enduring
whatever issue or difficulty you may have. That
isnt what it means to bear the cross.
TO BEAR THE CROSS MEANS ONE THING: DENY
YOURSELF AND PUT GOD FIRST.
Ive been a Christian for 50 years, so
Ive seen a lot of things. As time passes, Im
not so much impressed by charisma as I am by
character and longevity. Im impressed by a
Christian who weathers the storms of life and
continues to give glory to God because thats what
following Jesus is all about. [Greg Laurie from
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
The Bible calls us to take up our cross
daily and follow Jesus (Mark 8:34). But what does
that really mean? How do we do that? Does it mean
caring for a chronically ill family member, or
maybe putting up with a melancholy spouse who
doesn't communicate, or living paycheck to paycheck.
It may mean some of those things, but it's also
something more. Since Jesus died for our sins on the
cross, then taking up our cross means dying to
those same sins. Giving them up. Casting them
aside. That's what it means when Paul in today's
Scripture reading tells us to become like Jesus in His
death. A cross is an instrument of death, and when
we take it up daily, we learn how to die to
ourselves, to our selfish wants and wishes. But take
heart! The cross also means life. Not just life
eternal, but joy and peace and power in the very
midst of today's hardships and worries.
Lord Jesus, I'm so glad You spoke about
taking up my cross daily. Each new day gives me a
fresh opportunity to do that. Maybe I didn't pick
it up yesterday or the day before, but I can
pick it up today. Today, I will put You first.
Today, I will place Your desires before mine. [A
Spectacle of Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada and Larry
Libby re Philippians 3:7-11]
COMMENTARY
A follower is never the one in control.
It is the leader who determines where to go,
how to get there, when to leave, and when to
arrive. Jesus describes what his leadership means
for his followers. Implicit in his description
is the promise that Jesus will lead us. It is
our choice, however, to follow his lead.
Jesus doesn't really promote his
leadership by advertising its benefits either. Rather,
he's mostly warning the crowd about the costs of
following him. He's not trying to deceive them into
following him. He wants them to know what they're in
for.
He does tell them they will save their
lives, but only "save" them, not "get the VIP
treatment" - and only after somehow first giving up
their lives.
Control and privilege are two things we
must give up to follow Jesus. They are two things
we must be giving up constantly - even
repeatedly. These two things precede following Jesus.
"Turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross,
and follow me" (Mark 8:34). Hardly a day will go
by that we won't need to give up our desires
for control and privilege. Reaffirm with God
your choice to follow him today. [One Year NLT SB
re Mark 8:34, 35]
What Does It Mean To Be A Follower Of Jesus?
One of the core purposes of Mark's Gospel
is to help his readers understand and accept
the call to take up their cross and follow
Jesus. This call is addressed not only to those who
would be Jesus' apostles but to all who desired to
follow him (Mark 8:34). For some, the call to
discipleship is very hard, but God provides grace (Mark
10:24-27). Others find it easy to respond to Jesus'
call (Mark 2:14-15).
For everyone, following Jesus requires a
total commitment to turn from selfish ways (Mark
8:34-35). Taking up one's cross is a metaphor for
giving up one's life to follow Jesus even to death,
as illustrated by Jesus' crucifixion. For
example, Peter, Andrew, James, and John left their
homes and their sources of income to follow Jesus.
For a rich man, turning from his selfish ways
required selling all he had and giving the proceeds
to the poor. Following Jesus also means being
identified with him without being ashamed, and being
faithful to Jesus and his teachings (Mark 8:38). It
requires removing anything that would interfere with
following Jesus, regardless of how painful doing so
might be (Mark 9:43-48). It requires entrusting
one's life entirely to Jesus (Mark 5:34) and
repenting of sin (Mark 6:12). It even requires putting
loyalty to Jesus above loyalty to one's own father
and mother (Matthew 10:37). Jesus explicitly
commanded his disciples to proclaim his message
(Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus and the apostles, through
their teaching and example, call Jesus' followers
to proclaim the Good News wherever they may be
(see Mark 4:20; Romans 10:14-15; Colossians
1:23).
Alongside Jesus' demands for discipleship
are the rewards of following Jesus. Those who
follow Jesus are promised entrance into the Kingdom
of God. They receive his forgiveness for their
sins, and they become members of the family of
God. They are saved from judgment and obtain
eternal life. [One Year NLT SB re Mark 3]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
I designed you to live in union with Me.
This union does not negate who you are; it
actually makes you more fully yourself. When you try
to live independently of Me, you experience
emptiness and dissatisfaction. You may gain the whole
world and yet lose everything that really counts.
Find fulfillment through living close to
Me, yielding to My purposes for you. Though I
may lead you along paths that feel alien to you,
trust that I know what I am doing. If you follow
Me wholeheartedly, you will discover facets of
yourself that were previously hidden. I know you
intimately-far better than you know yourself. In union with
Me, you are complete. In closeness to Me, you
are transformed more and more into the one I
designed you to be. (Mark 8:36; Psalm 139:13-16; 2
Corinthians 3:17-18) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
Mark 8:34 - Want To Follow Jesus?
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210611-1113.html
Luke 9:23 - FOLLOWING JESUS.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210410-0922.html
Matthew 10:39 - Living for Jesus or for Self?
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20200202-0944.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
