Mar 8:36-37 | KingComments | STEP | The way to glory for the disciple is no different than that of his Master: it is by the way of the cross. This word the Lord speaks not only to His disciples, but also to the crowd. It applies not only to those who already follow Him, but also to everyone who wants to follow Him. He tells the crowd what the consequences are of following Him. It begins with the denial of oneself, of the pursuit of one’s own interests, the establishment of one’s own kingdom, an area where life meets one’s own goals. It is the renunciation of one’s own importance. Then the cross must also be taken up. The cross means submission to defamation and rejection by the world. This implies following the rejected Jesus. The cross, for example, is not a disease from which we can suffer. We do not take up a disease, but it happens to us. Taking up the cross is a voluntary thing. We can do it, or we can leave it. To follow Christ we have to do two things. One is to deny ourselves. In the judgment of the world, this is negative, because the world is out to uphold itself and to prove itself. The other is to take up the cross. This is also negative according to the judgment of the world because the world only wants to enjoy beautiful things. Suffering has no place in it. If we want to remain with the Lord forever, we must follow Him. And if we want to follow Him, we must experience what He experienced on our way after Him. In following Christ, things are quite different from what they are in the world. There is nothing more important to a human being than his life. Whoever does everything in his power to preserve it and therefore dedicates himself to a long stay on earth, will lose his life. Such a person has not thought about God and the right He has to the life of every creature. He who looks at his life in connection with Christ and the proclamation of the gospel, has understood what is at stake. Such a person does not arrange His life to be long and pleasant on earth, but follows a Savior rejected by the world because He preached the gospel. He who lives that life fulfills God’s purpose in life. The reward is sharing in the glory into which Christ has already entered. The question “for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” is important to all who wish to enjoy the worldly things as much as possible. Even if one were to win the whole world, what would it profit him for eternity if he had to spend it in loneliness, pain and darkness? Pharisees and Herodians have won the world, but they lose their souls. The soul of a human being can’t be compared to anything. Yet countless people exchange their souls for a little earthly or worldly pleasure. They sell their souls to the devil for a little tinsel. The world is the system that feeds self-love and the flesh, in which all kinds of pleasure are used to have fun without God. Everything is determined by our attitude toward the Son of Man. This is the Name of His rejection, but also of His future glory. He who, through a feeling of fear or shame, does not come to accept the Lord Jesus and His words and testify of Him in an adulterous and sinful generation, will not share in His glory. Such a person does not want to take on himself the displeasure of his adulterous and sinful surroundings. That gives him a temporary recognition of his surroundings, but an eternal rejection by Christ.

‏ Mark 8:36-37

Conditions to Follow the Lord

The way to glory for the disciple is no different than that of his Master: it is by the way of the cross. This word the Lord speaks not only to His disciples, but also to the crowd. It applies not only to those who already follow Him, but also to everyone who wants to follow Him. He tells the crowd what the consequences are of following Him.

It begins with the denial of oneself, of the pursuit of one’s own interests, the establishment of one’s own kingdom, an area where life meets one’s own goals. It is the renunciation of one’s own importance. Then the cross must also be taken up. The cross means submission to defamation and rejection by the world. This implies following the rejected Jesus. The cross, for example, is not a disease from which we can suffer. We do not take up a disease, but it happens to us. Taking up the cross is a voluntary thing. We can do it, or we can leave it.

To follow Christ we have to do two things. One is to deny ourselves. In the judgment of the world, this is negative, because the world is out to uphold itself and to prove itself. The other is to take up the cross. This is also negative according to the judgment of the world because the world only wants to enjoy beautiful things. Suffering has no place in it. If we want to remain with the Lord forever, we must follow Him. And if we want to follow Him, we must experience what He experienced on our way after Him.

In following Christ, things are quite different from what they are in the world. There is nothing more important to a human being than his life. Whoever does everything in his power to preserve it and therefore dedicates himself to a long stay on earth, will lose his life. Such a person has not thought about God and the right He has to the life of every creature. He who looks at his life in connection with Christ and the proclamation of the gospel, has understood what is at stake. Such a person does not arrange His life to be long and pleasant on earth, but follows a Savior rejected by the world because He preached the gospel. He who lives that life fulfills God’s purpose in life. The reward is sharing in the glory into which Christ has already entered.

The question “for what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” is important to all who wish to enjoy the worldly things as much as possible. Even if one were to win the whole world, what would it profit him for eternity if he had to spend it in loneliness, pain and darkness? Pharisees and Herodians have won the world, but they lose their souls.

The soul of a human being can’t be compared to anything. Yet countless people exchange their souls for a little earthly or worldly pleasure. They sell their souls to the devil for a little tinsel. The world is the system that feeds self-love and the flesh, in which all kinds of pleasure are used to have fun without God.

Everything is determined by our attitude toward the Son of Man. This is the Name of His rejection, but also of His future glory. He who, through a feeling of fear or shame, does not come to accept the Lord Jesus and His words and testify of Him in an adulterous and sinful generation, will not share in His glory. Such a person does not want to take on himself the displeasure of his adulterous and sinful surroundings. That gives him a temporary recognition of his surroundings, but an eternal rejection by Christ.