Take up your cross.

Mark 8:30-38

Context
Last Thursday, Charlie noted he would discuss these verses "tomorrow".
Welcome to virtual tomorrow.
The title "Son of Man" almost certainly is a reference to Daniel 7:13*, where the "Ancient of Days" gives a "Son of Man" everlasting dominion.

Listening to the writer
In verse 30, Jesus orders the disciples not to tell anyone he is he Messiah. This "great secret" is a feature of Mark's Gospel - it is only in Mark that Jesus continually says "shhh!" to people. Mark may be relating a historical reality that Jesus did not want to be identified, perhaps in order to postpone the crucifixion (which was standard practice by Rome on any "messiahs" with a following). Or perhaps he is using a literary device. If the latter, try and determine where and when the "secret" is revealed.**
Jesus reveals to the disciples just what the Messiah is to do - and Peter strongly disagrees! "Satan" means "adversary", and Satan has earlier appeared to tempt Jesus; Jesus may not be rebuking Peter as an evil prince of darkness, but as a tempter, one who would call Jesus away from the path God has set before him. Regardless, Jesus repeats his original call to Peter - "get behind me," follow me.
Following Jesus requires the willingness to do what Jesus wants, not what we want; to walk to our death if need be.


Listening to God
Those of us who grew up in the church have become accustomed to the phrase "take up your cross" so that it no longer carries its original shock value. There is no real equivalent today for most of us to crucifixion, to being publicly humiliated in death by those in power. But in the old South, lynching played a similar role. What might it mean to “carry your noose”?

Do you ever try to “have your cake and eat it too”—to be a Christian and give everything to God, but at the same time expend most of your time, energy, and money on yourself? Are there places where you simply never mention Christ? Read through this passage again and allow God to challenge you. What part of your life are you still trying to save for yourself? Where do you need to grow up and acknowledge, before others, your belief in Christ?

Miscellaneous Meanderings
I live a pretty comfortable life. The basic necessities of food and shelter are simply a given fact of my existence - I don't even prepare my own food most of the time, certainly not if it requires skills beyond using a microwave!
I work hard at Wesley, but I am skilled at the work and it is not very taxing. There is plenty of stress in my job, but even most of that is self-imposed, wanting to always do the best job possible.
In this comfortable middle-class life, in what sense am I "taking up my cross?"
Perhaps the phrase is best interpreted as "be willing to go wherever you are lead." For some people in some places, that includes going unto death - as it did for most of the disciples present at the time. Tradition teaches that 11 of the original 12 disciples died violent deaths (Judas at his own hand, 10 others by Rome - only John died of old age).
"To go wherever you are lead" - I can easily identify placed in my life where I have followed regardless of the cost, such as quitting my old job to become a pastor, and occasionally going places that were very unsafe by American standards.
But I can also see places where I sometimes refuse to go, where I hang on to comfortable choices and do not accept Christ as Lord.
The most difficult places for me are the ones that involve a long journey over time. Exercise is great if it means a short run or a game of racquetball when I feel like it. Extended exercise programs? Yuck. Fasting for a day, or even a week - no problem. Eating healthy food as a lifestyle? That's hard. I still want my Messiah to fix things NOW.
But the continuing problems in my life are going to take a long time to correct. God is in this for the long haul, and if I want to join God, I'm going to have to keep on keeping on.

*The NRSV translates "son of man" as "human being" or "mortal" in the Old Testament, which is the general meaning, but not very helpful when trying to do "Son of Man" studies.

Dig Deeper at Textweek.