When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “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 gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Mark 8:34-38
When we read Jesus’ unambiguous language — His direct assertions — we find a binary choice (this or that) amd it may seem that following Him will be easy. How could it not — it is a simple choice, right?
It would seem this way, but those who heard him in person demonstrated that following Jesus was tremendously challenging. It requires more than changing our behavior — we must allow Him to change our hearts.
The passage under our consideration begins in Mark 8:35-36, “When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
Self-denial to gain eternal life is the message of this passage of Scripture. Jesus is not speaking in a parable — He does, however, evoke the image of the cross, an event which has not yet occurred for Him — the reference is not entirely obscure to His listeners, for the Romans crucified many people.
There is no confusing language or sentence structure in this passage and no mysteries to ponder. The plainness of the Scripture is impossible to ignore — and for some, impossible to accept & follow. The struggle of self-denial is no small theme in the New Testament. Even Jesus, Himself, had to face this struggle.
We should not be surprised by that, Paul tells us in Hebrews 4:15 that “we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
In Matthew 26:36-44 we find Jesus praying to the Father three times at Gethsemane that He could be spared from the cross of Calvary. Even though He struggled in the flesh — His humanity — His spirit was strong as He said to the Father, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39.
In Matthew 26:41, Jesus says to His disciples, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
We could wonder if Jesus isn’t speaking about the three disciples there and Himself at the same time?
He took Peter, James and John to be near Him while He prayed, but found that they fell asleep while He was praying — “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
It seems obvious that He is speaking to them about their condition, but at the same time, His heart is heavy with the prospect of the cross. Clearly, both these disciples and the Lord were engaged in the struggle between the flesh and the spirit, only Jesus (of course) was much stronger in the spirit.
Jesus’ commitment to the Father won out in this tug of war.
In Matthew 26:41, Jesus says to His disciples, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
The Apostle Paul understood the struggle between the flesh and the spirit. Paul has a great deal to say about this subject. Listen to some of what he tells us in Romans:
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk in according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8:1
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Romans 8:5-6
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors – not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Romans 8:12-13
The Apostle Paul gives us the strictest warning of how important it is that carnal things do not consume us, but that we focus ourselves on spiritual things and allow ourselves to be directed by the Spirit. In Romans 13:14 he says, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provisions for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
Let us consider Paul’s illustration of how an athlete struggles against his flesh:
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
During the Olympic Games, there are athletes from nearly every country in the world competing. Each of these athletes has only one goal in mind: to win an Olympic gold medal. Not one athlete there is competing for the silver or bronze.
To prepare for these competitions, each athlete has sacrificed much. For instance, each athlete has likely given up foods that can inhibit his or her performance. I suspect that these athletes eat only the healthiest foods, better than any of us, I’m sure.
Each athlete has had to give up activities that would physically inhibit his ability to compete. These athletes are completely focused on the goal. I have even heard of a woman that was so set on her goal of a gold medal in the marathon in a previous Olympics, that she turned down a lucrative law career.
For some of these athletes, no sacrifice is too great. The Apostle Paul says, “Now they do It to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.” 1 Corinthians 9:25.
For us, the prize is heaven. Do we run with the same dedication?
We struggle to lay aside the desires of the flesh and live according to the spirit. If we wish to follow Jesus & live, one day, with Him in heaven — we must deny our wills when they conflict with His will and seek to fulfill His will. We must let Christ live in us and through us, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
This which was in Paul, is what Jesus asks of us all!
What is the tug of war?
Let us briefly consider Mark 8:36,37, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?”
I would like to paraphrase what Jesus says here:
“What is more valuable than your soul? Is there anything worth having or doing, which is worth losing your soul?”
(When we say “lose your soul,” of course, we understand that the soul doesn’t cease to exist, but it is a question of where our soul will rest eternally: heaven or hell.)
“Is there any earthly pleasure worth eternal damnation in Hell?”
There have been many, many men who have had every possession and pleasure that this world affords, but died never having Christ in their lives. I wonder how they would answer these questions.
I think I know exactly how they would answer, one must simply read Luke 16:19-31 – the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
How much better off we would be to be like Lazarus: poor in the flesh, and rich in the spirit beyond measure.
Finally, we will read Mark 8:38 again, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Certainly, the choices are clear, but Jesus leaves us no room for doubt: If we do not choose Him now, He will not choose us when He returns. If we do not deny ourselves now & follow Him, He will deny us before the Father:
Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10:32-33
What does all of this mean for us?
It means that each needs to examine our personal commitments to Christ and ask, “Have we truly denied ourselves for Him?”
There are areas in each of our lives, I am certain, which should compel us to answer, “No!”
None of us are perfect. Self-denial is not something we do once for all time. It is something we must continually work at and I suspect that if we are honestly denying ourselves for Christ, the cost is likely to be greater as we grow in Christ.
Our hope and our goal is to be able to say, as Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” Or as Jesus said to the Father, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
Our ultimate hope and goal is to one day hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Matthew 25:21,23
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