The Life and Ministry of Jesus
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
One hundred and eighty years after the death of Charlemagne, in about the year 1000, officials of the Emperor Otho opened the great king’s tomb, where they found an amazing sight apart from the treasures.
What they saw was this: the skeletal remains of the king seated on a thrown, the crown still upon his skull, a copy of the Gospels lying in his lap with his bony finger resting on this text: “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” Confessing Christ means taking up one’s cross and following him. We must confess Christ as the suffering Messiah and Savior. We must embrace the life he exemplified and calls us to. We must bear crosses because we are living like him. If we confess him, the Son of Man will rejoice in us. 1
Personal Encouragement
How would you best describe what it means personally to “deny yourself,” to “lose your life,” and to “come after Jesus”? How can you evaluate your progress in each of those areas?
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:25
Spiritual maturity is measured by denial, not accumulation.
A Prayer
Lord, thank You for patiently teaching me about Your sufficiency.
1. Hughes, R. K. (1989). Mark: Jesus, servant and savior. Westchester, IL: Crossway Books.
