Mark 8:27-38 ~ If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Mark 8:27-38

 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” ²⁸ And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” ²⁹ And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” ³⁰ And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

³¹ And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³² And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³ But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

³⁴ And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ³⁵ For whoever would save his life  ^{[The same Greek word can mean either soul or life, depending on the context; twice in this verse and once in verse 36 and once in verse 37]} will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. ³⁶ For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? ³⁷ For what can a man give in return for his soul? ³⁸ For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Jesus told the crowd to take up a horrible instrument of death to be His followers. This is the Eighth chapter of Mark. This shocking statement did not put a dent in the people willing to follow Jesus. Which would say something about the wonders of God they have seen Jesus do. The comfort His Words of life offer. People followed Jesus into the wilderness without food, sometimes going 3 days to hear Him. Jesus was filled with compassion for His people.

Psalm 77:19
Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.


The Children of Israel were asked to believe and to follow the LORD. They were afraid to leave slavery, yet they did with gifts from the Egyptians. So many times we read of these great acts and wonder what Jesus would have us do with our lives.

Romans 4
And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. ¹² And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

What are Abraham's footsteps?

Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Romans 4:9-10
Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!

Abraham went by faith. Just as Paul went by faith to the Gentiles, having been educated at the feet of Gamaliel, and climbing quickly in his career at the Temple. 

These people who did not know the next step, but trusted God to provide the path.

Psalm 119:133
Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.

Joshua 6:7
And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the LORD.”

Philippians 2:23
Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me

John 16:33
have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

A cross.  A public stand. Making a vow. Keeping a vow. Caring enough to create action. Refraining from action and letting God in prayer. Putting forth the thought, the action to have our lives reflect His love.



2 Corinthians 5:20
So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!"



<><