Bible Study series: Mark 8:34-38. These verses may be the most important ones for our discipleship. We must kill our sins and vices and selfish ambition and foolishness and stubbornness (etc.).
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At that link, I also offer more commentary and a Summary and Conclusion, geared towards discipleship. Scroll down to the bottom and check it out!
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Mark 8:34-38
34 Then he called for the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For anyone who wants to preserve his life will lose it. Whoever will lose his life for my sake and the gospel will preserve it. 36 What does it benefit a person to gain the whole world and suffer damage to his soul? 37 What will a person give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever will be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father and with the holy angels. (Mark 8:34-38)
Comments:
34:
A large crowd was in the vicinity, following far enough away that he calls for them or summons them to come closely enough to hear an important announcement. Are they following him for the healing benefits? For the free bread? Have they counted the cost? If they really want to be his follow him to the very end, in full commitment, then they need to do two things: (1) take up their cross—an instrument of death and execution—and (2) follow him. He will explain that they must follow him and die for him, as they live for him.
“disciples: see v. 1 for more comments.
Lane writes insightfully of v. 34:
By calling the crowd Jesus indicates that the conditions for following him are relevant for all believers, and not for the disciples alone. This had important implication for the Christians in Rome and elsewhere. It indicated that the stringent demand for self-renunciation and cross-bearing extends not only to Church leaders but to all who confess that Jesus is the Messiah. It was the Lord’s intention that those who follow him should not be detached observers of his passion, but men who grow in faith and understanding through participation in his sufferings. Only in following on the way to the cross is it possible to understand either the necessity of Jesus’ humiliation or Jesus himself. The common address of these sober words to the crowd and the disciples recognized that there is no essential difference between them when confronted with the sufferings of Christ: both alike have very human thoughts uninformed by the will of God (8:33), and it was imperative for them to know what it means to follow Jesus.
In other word, everyone must be willing to pick up their cross and follow Jesus, not just leaders.
35:
Here we have the Great Paradox. A paradox takes place when you join two seeming contradictory statements, yet they can be resolved, in a startling way.
Which statement is the paradox? (See also v. 48.)
1.. You gain your life by your own power, drive, and ambition.
2.. You gain your life by surrendering and giving it to God through Christ Jesus.
The world chooses the first one every day. It is not the paradox.
Jesus calls us to the second one. You win by giving up; you win by losing. That’s the paradox.
Now let’s allow Jesus to unpack what he means.
This verse may be the most important down-to-earth verse in the Gospel of Mark for followers of Jesus. Theological truths are good and necessary, but it is difficult to follow a theology, and easier to follow a person. Many follow a theology and will even die for it. But are they willing to follow Jesus, even to the point of dying to themselves? It is better to follow a person than a theology. However, a word of warning: false doctrines about Jesus have arisen, and false Messiahs will come and deceive many, so be sure to stick close to the biblical Jesus (Matt. 24:23-24). But once you have the biblical Jesus, be ready to give up everything for him.
The key word is “if.” Do they really want to follow Jesus? If they do, then they must die. Die to what? Die to their old sin nature, their shortsighted desires and blinded will. And people better not think that their desires and will can lead them to a full life. Their own untamed, unsurrendered desires and wills can lead them only so far, but at the end of their lives, they will come up empty. They will discover that after they were climbing the ladder of success and got to the top, the ladder was leaning against the wrong building.
One has to say something like this every day: “Lord, I cling to the cross. I surrender my life to you. Not my will, but yours be done.” Do you trust him that his will is best? If you do, then you are on your way—his way! It’s an adventure. If you do not, then you will stumble around and get easily angry and frustrated.
If you save your life—do as you please—you shall lose it. If you run and manage your life, then eventually you will lose it, despite your best effort to preserve it. When you climb up your self-built ladder, you will have to climb down again or you might come crashing down, depending on how fast and furiously and carelessly you climb. But when you give your soul or life to him, he will give it back to you repaired and even brand new by his miracle. You can be born again.
“preserve”: it is the verb sōzō (pronounced soh-zoh). It could be translated as “preserve” or “protect” or “rescue” your life. If you keep or preserve the status quo or your present condition, then you shall lose it. You were made for God. When you try to preserve your soul or life without him, you will ruin it. When you follow him and surrender to him, he will help you gain, save, and preserve it.
What Is the Work of Salvation?
How Do We Respond to God’s Salvation?
“life”: in this verse and vv. 36-37, it is the noun psuchē (pronounced ps-oo-khay, be sure to pronounce the ps-, and our word psychology comes from it). It can mean, depending on the context: “soul, life” and it is hard to draw a firm line between the two. “Breath, life principle, soul”; “earthly life”; “the soul as seat and center of the inner life of man in its many and varied aspects, desires, feelings, emotions”; “self’; or “that which possesses life, a soul, creature, person.” I sometimes translate as “soul” in these three verses, but it is the same Greek noun.
Here in this verse it means life, and not just physical life, but your whole existence and health in your soul.
Word Study on Spirit, Soul, and Body
We surrender our lives to God, our loving Father. We don’t surrender ourselves to the fates or the world or certainly not to the devil. If you surrender your life to God and feel despair, then Satan is attacking you. You say, “I surrendered my life to my loving God, not to despair!”
People are also fearful that God may call them to the foreign mission field. However, Matt. 25:14-30, in the Parable of the Talents, the king (God) gives different amounts of talents (money) to invest for the kingdom, according to the different capacities of the servants. To the servant who could handle it, the king gave ten talents. To another servant, the king gave two. And to the third servant the king gave one. God can size you up and see whether you have the capacity or ability to go on the mission field. If you do not, there is no shame in receiving a lesser responsibility. Just multiply your two talents or one talent and then you’ll hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Another comment on this: It is frustrating when your expectations are unfulfilled. Prov. 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (NIV). What you anticipate may not be fulfilled. You get angry. Solution? Surrender your expectation to God, and let him put into you his hopes and dreams.
“for my sake”: So you must lose your life by his grace and for his benefit or sake. Your surrender cannot be self-denial that is self-directed or misdirected or even nondirected. It is not austerity for the sake of austerity. Dying daily is for him, to him and by him (by his grace).
“for the gospel”: clearly Jesus intends his followers to proclaim the gospel, even when it is difficult and they suffer persecution. His followers must be wise enough to discern eternal things. It is better to lose one’s life and gain eternity than it is to shy away and abandon Jesus and lose out on eternal life in the new kingdom. In our jobs, don’t deny Jesus. No, you don’t have to proclaim him “out of tune” at every turn, and you should earn the right to be heard on your job and gain a good reputation by hard work. Then you can talk about the gospel.
36-37:
“benefit”: it means, depending on the context: “help, aid, benefit, be of use (to), accomplish, be of value.”
“whole world”: recall that Satan showed Jesus the whole world and offered it to him, but Jesus rejected the offer (Matt. 4:8-10 // Luke 4:1-13). Don’t strive to gain or win the whole world. Let God through Christ give you the part of his world that belongs to you as his gift to you. In other words, do your job or ministry faithfully. Walk in the lane or mission he has given you. It starts with him and ends with him, and he will show you where you fit.
“person”: see vv. 32-33 for more comments, under “people.”
“damage”: You will suffer loss or lose out if you seek hard after worldly things. Matt. 6:33 says that we must seek him first and righteous living—living in him—and he will add all those things to you.
These two verses great rhetorical questions. What would a person exchange for his life or soul? Money? Power? Bad exchanges. You must surrender your life to God and let him fulfill your desires. Luke 12:31 says that we must seek his kingdom, and then the things of life will be added to us. Then the next verse says that we should not fear because it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom.
Here we must commit to Jesus because he is destined to come in judgment.
Lane insightfully observes that the language is drawn from commercial life: profit, gain, loss, give in exchange. If you want the whole world, you must forfeit your (selfish) life.
The one who trades the temporary to get the eternal is a wise person. The one who keeps the temporary instead of trading up for the eternal is foolish.
38:
“ashamed”: Jesus lived in an honor and shame society. To be ashamed of him means that you slink away when the topic changes and is about Jesus. You deny him. Don’t be ashamed of him and his message or words. Here’s why you should stand strong and his gospel. It’s adulterous and sinful generation. Why should people like that intimidate you? They are dazed and confused and unredeemed and lost. They are not your guides, nor do they set the standards. You do. You must stand strong in the face of their adultery or mixture of bad things, so you can show them the way.
This warning has to mean something to true followers of Jesus. It must not remain hypothetical or potential, without becoming actual under the right conditions. A true believer in Jesus can indeed deny or walk away from his walk with Christ. It may take a while, and the Spirit will woo him to remain in union with Christ, but apostasy can happen. It is unconvincing to say that when a person walks away from his union in Christ, “He was not a true believer!” This looks desperate, as if the speaker of that sentence is trying to protect the hypothesis at all costs. No, in these warnings the potential can become actual.
Possible Apostasy or Eternal Security?
Remaining a Christian or Falling Away?
The good news is that if someone does walk away, the Spirit can still woo him back. He can return, like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:17-24). He can be restored, as Peter was. He first denied Jesus (Matt. 26:69-75), but Jesus reinstated him (John 21:15-19). Today, Jesus can restore anyone, when the denier repents.
God can redeem you too.
What Is Redemption in the Bible?
“sinful”: Do you fail to conform to certain standards? Maybe you did break the demands of moral and religious law. Pray and repent, and God will accept you.
Bible Basics about Sin: Word Studies
Human Sin: Original and Our Committed Sin
“adulterous”: this term recalls the prophets’ description of Israel being an unfaithful wife to God, her husband (Is. 1:4, 21; Ezek. 16:32; Hos. 2:3) (Strauss).
“Son of Man”: it both means the powerful, divine Son of Man (Dan. 7:13-14) and the human son of man—Ezekiel himself—in the book of Ezekiel (numerous references). Jesus was and still is in heaven both divine and human. It can also be translated as “Son of Humanity.”
4. Titles of Jesus: The Son of Man
Here Jesus is referring to his parousia or arrival or Second Coming. This verse does not teach a secret rapture before his coming a second time. Instead, it exhibits streamlined simplicity, like this:
We can depict things in this flow chart:
___________← This Age –——⸻→| End of This Age
The Second Coming (Parousia) stops This Age. Then there is one big judgment, in which the righteous and wicked are judged together. One can even say that the final judgment happens during the Messianic Age / Kingdom Age / The Age to Come. All three terms mean the same thing. Finally, the Kingdom which Jesus inaugurated at his first coming will have been fully realized and accomplished at his Second Coming (Parousia). And so after God sweeps aside the wicked and Satan and demons, the New Messianic or Kingdom Age can begin in true and pure and undisrupted rulership.
Bible Basics about the Final Judgment
Everyone Shall Be Judged by Their Works and Words
3 The Kingdom Is in the Future
5 The Kingdom of God: Already Here, But Not Yet Fully
Fuller exegesis of these verses has now been moved to this summary post:
What Jesus Really Taught about End Times
But in these eschatological (end-time) discussions:
“In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity (love).”
We should not break fellowship with those with whom we differ in eschatological matters.
Now let’s move on.
“angels”: An angel, both in Hebrew and Greek, is really a messenger. Angels are created beings, while Jesus was the one who created all things, including angels (John 1:1-4). Renewalists believe that angels appear to people in their dreams or in person. It is God’s ongoing ministry through them to us. But here it means that they are coming in person.
Here is a multi-part study of angels in the area of systematic theology, but first, here is a summary list of the basics:
Angels:
(a) Are messengers (in Hebrew mal’ak and in Greek angelos);
(b) Are created spirit beings;
(c) Have a beginning at their creation (not eternal);
(d) Have a beginning, but they are immortal (deathless).
(e) Have moral judgment;
(f) Have a certain measure of free will;
(g) Have high intelligence;
(h) Do not have physical bodies;
(i) But can manifest with immortal bodies before humans;
(j) They can show the emotion of joy.
Angels: Their Duties and Missions
Angels: Their Names and Ranks and Heavenly Existence
Angels: Their Origins, Abilities, and Nature
GrowApp for Mark 8:34-38
1. How willing are you to pray for yourself to stand strong for Jesus and not slink away when the going gets tough?
2. Are you willing to lose your (old) life by denying yourself and picking up your cross and following him to gain your new life in him? How deep is your commitment to him?
RELATED
10. Eyewitness Testimony in Mark’s Gospel
2. Church Fathers and Mark’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
SOURCES
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