The Way Of The Cross

²⁷ Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

²⁸ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

²⁹ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

³⁰ Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

³¹ 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. ³² He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

³³ 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.”

³⁴ 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. ³⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. ³⁶ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? ³⁷ Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ³⁸ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

9 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.”

The conversation between Jesus and his disciples as they journey to the area around Caesarea Philippi calls to mind the earlier passage in chapter 6 when Herod's beheading of John is related.  As Jesus had become well known, the suggestions of his identity multiplied.  It is proposed that he is John the Baptist raised from the dead, Elijah or one of the prophets, which leads to Herod's assertion that Jesus must be John whom he has had killed.  It is interesting that no one seems able to see Jesus as something new, but instead believes that he is the reincarnation of some older tradition.

When Jesus asks the disciples who people say that he is, their list is precisely the same as Herod's.  This suggests that even with the additional ministry of Jesus that takes place between chapter 6 and 8, there is no greater understanding of who he is.  What Jesus has done has not led people to a clearer picture of who Jesus is.

But Jesus is not interested in the opinion of the crowd.  He is concerned instead about the conclusions that the disciples have drawn.  Whether he works to their opinion from the opinion of others to make the conversation easier or to try to draw a contrast between the disciples and the world is not clear.

It is not surprising that Peter who is always quick to reply is the first to answer.  He is after all, with Andrew, the first to respond to Jesus' call to follow.  "You are the Christ." he tells Jesus.  "Christ" literally means anointed one and refers to the person who will deliver the Jewish people.

This is the title that Mark uses in his prologue and this is the first time one of the disciples correctly identifies Jesus.  And we might expect praise for Peter, but his declaration is followed by an admonition to not tell anyone.  This is the same warning that has been given to many who have received the power of God but lack a true understanding of who Jesus is.  Peter has only half-way identified Jesus.  He fails to name him son of God as the prologue does.  In addition, Jesus has just completed ministering in the Gentile world and the title that Peter has given is specifically Jewish.  He seems to have missed the larger work of Jesus to all humanity.

It is at this moment that Jesus' teaching takes on a different tone.  Unlike his previous teaching, he does not focus with parables on the Kingdom of God.  Now his focus is on who he is and the suffering that he will face.  He tells the disciples that the religious leaders will reject him and that he will be killed.  He also tells them about his resurrection.

This plain speaking of Jesus is all to much for Peter who has imagined Jesus as a new king who will use his obvious power to defeat his enemies and take the throne from Herod and drive out the Roman occupiers.  He takes Jesus aside and tries to rebuke him.  This is strong language, it is the word that describes how Jesus deals with evil spirits.  Peter thinks Jesus has become possessed!

But Jesus rebukes him instead.  It is Peter who is possessed by a victorious vision that will bring earthly glory rather than God's Kingdom.  Jesus tells him that he has human concerns and not God's concerns.  This parallels well with his partial confession that fails to identify Jesus as God's son.

Then Jesus calls the disciples and the crowd to him and challenges them to accept the reality that those who follow him are destined to suffer.  They must also take up crosses.  The only way to true life in God's Kingdom is by not focusing on life here.  Too often, then and now, disciples become more concerned with earthly ease than heavenly service.  We claim to follow Christ and at the same time bring shame on Christ's name when we refuse to make Jesus our primary allegiance because it requires too much of us.

Then Jesus tells them that some of them are going to see the glory of the Kingdom of God before they die.  Some have argued that this is said in mistake.  Either Jesus believed that his second coming and the reordering of the world would happen soon after his death, or Mark wanted to reassure those who had read the gospel that the return would happen in the very near future.  Neither of these occurred.  It can more properly be taken to refer to the resurrected Jesus.  Jesus' resurrection is the Kingdom of God coming in power and the hope of all humanity.  And even though they did not yet fully comprehend it, they would live to see it!