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Pursuing Jesus In The Gospel Of Mark
Seeing The Messiah
Mark 8:27-9:13

Introduction: What Do You Think About Me?

At the start of the service today I think it would be a great idea to take a few minutes so you can tell me what you think about me. Now, we’re not really doing this. For one thing I might not be able to handle it. And, if I did do this, I think you would seriously wonder about my stability as I run around asking, “Hey, what are people saying about me? Who do they say that I am? Who do you say that I am?” These are questions that only a completely self-absorbed person would ask.

This is exactly the question Jesus asks His disciples. It’s not because He is self-absorbed. His question is passionately serious as He needs to determine where the disciples are in their spiritual development. He starts by asking them to tell what others say about Him. Then, He asks them to make their own confession.

Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ." Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

Mark 8:27-30 NIV

The first part of Mark has been pointing to this moment. This is the first of the two confessions that fulfill Mark’s purpose of leading people to see Jesus as the Messiah.

Seeing Jesus As God’s Anointed (Mark 8:27-30)

Caesarea Philippi was about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee. It sat at the base of picturesque Mt. Hermon. The city was named after Caesar Augustus and Herod Philip. It was devoted to the glory of the Roman Empire. It was here that Jesus asked the question about His glory—the glory that continues to this day long after the glory of Rome has faded.

The disciples report what other people are saying about Jesus. It’s inconceivable that some could say the He is John the Baptist. People had seen the two of them together. But, the confusion people had then continues today. People have trouble answering the question about who Jesus is. Others were saying that Jesus is Elijah. John was a prophet in the mold of Elijah. It made sense that the two of them would be mentioned together. It seems strange people would confuse Jesus with either of them. They were very different in personality and in their style of ministry.

There were others saying Jesus was one of the prophets. Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, would have been a good match for Jesus, the man of sorrows. Jeremiah called people to repent; so did Jesus. Both were misunderstood and rejected. Both were persecuted. Jeremiah ended up in mud up to his armpits. Jesus was headed toward an even worse end.

Peter’s confession of Jesus shines when Jesus makes the question personal. He boldly proclaims, “You are the Christ.” He says that Jesus is God’s Anointed One. As Jesus has previously told others He healed, He now tells His disciples not to tell anyone about Him. The disciples still need time to develop. The time hasn’t come yet for the final confrontation.

That’s not the case today. Jesus has completed His work and when people are ready to proclaim that He is Christ, they should do so. Baptism is the way this is done.

Seeing Jesus As The Suffering Savior (8:31-33)

Peter’s confession shines brilliantly. Jesus decides it’s time to tell them about the hard times that lie ahead.

He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 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 things of God, but the things of men."

Mark 8:31-33 NIV

Jesus tells them…

What?

Jesus tells them He is going to suffer and be rejected.

Who?

He will be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law.

How?

Jesus will be killed. He doesn’t mention the Cross here.

Why?

He will be killed so He can rise three days later.

Mark says Jesus was explaining everything plainly. Peter, the same Peter who proclaimed Jesus as Messiah, can’t allow this. He takes Jesus off to the side to rebuke Him. The word rebuke is the same strong word used by Jesus when He rebuked the demons. It is a strong and stern rebuke. I think I can understand Peter’s reasoning. If Jesus truly is the Messiah, then surely the religious leaders will figure that out. They will eventually see the truth so there is no reason for this kind of talk about dying.

While the disciples don’t understand completely, it’s also possible they understand enough to know that if Jesus is going to die, there’s also a good chance they will too. From any point of view, Peter is arrogant. He knows better. Jesus can’t be right. He can’t be serious. Jesus can’t suffer. He is the Son of God.

2000 years later we still struggle with handling the difference between confessing Christ and accepting His Cross. When Jesus rebukes Peter, Jesus is talking to me. Mark tells us that Jesus, seeing the disciples, rebuked Peter saying, “Get behind me, Satan.” Jesus also identified the problem, "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

Our problem in following Christ is the way we think and the things to which we give our attention. We connect following Jesus with success. In fact, we believe that following Jesus guarantees success. It certainly doesn’t lead to suffering, rejection and being killed. We want what we want when we want it and Jesus is the way to get it. We willingly embrace Christ; we just don’t want His cross. Jesus will show them that a cross is required.

Seeing Jesus As The Model For Living (8:34-38)

Jesus has been teaching the disciples but the crowds are close by. He calls them in for some lessons on what it means to follow Him. He gives the model for living and the model comes at a cost.

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

Mark 8:34-38 NIV

Jesus explains the core principle of His model for living life: there is a price to pay for true discipleship.

The crowds were attracted to Jesus primarily because they hoped He would do something for them. They either wanted to have a miracle performed for them or to see a miracle performed for someone else. Following Jesus is first and foremost about what we will do for Him. Certainly we experience tremendous benefits in following Jesus.

We are forgiven

We have assurance of eternal life

We experience peace with God and others

We are guided by the Spirit of God

We share life with other believers

True discipleship involves a cost. Jesus presents three conditions.

We surrender ourselves completely to Him.

We deny ourselves. Denying self is not the same as self-denial. Self-denial is when we give up something for a time. We have friends in California who go dessert free during January. It’s their way of making up for all the rich desserts eaten from Thanksgiving to the end of the year. That’s self-denial. Denying self is when we surrender ourselves completely to Christ. We saw this acted out in baptism today. When we are placed under the water it symbolizes dying to self in order to be raised with Christ to new life.

We identify with Him in suffering and death

We take up our cross. People picked up a cross for one reason only. They carried it to their execution. By picking up our spiritual cross on a daily basis, we affirm that there is nothing else more important in the entire world than our relationship with Jesus.

We follow Jesus obediently

We want to live as Jesus would live. We want to help the people He would help. We want to say the words He would say. We want to go where He wants us to go; be what He wants us to be; and do what He wants us to do. We live our lives to please Jesus rather than ourselves.

Jesus reinforces His point by inviting us to study a spiritual profit and loss statement. We have a choice of investing our lives for Jesus or wasting our lives on ourselves. Jesus is talking to His followers. He isn’t talking about salvation; He’s talking about making the most of life once you have been saved. Life becomes a series of choices. I can choose to do what I want or what Jesus wants. Living for myself, I run the risk of losing my soul. Living for Jesus, I have the opportunity to enjoy the blessing of pleasing God.

Jesus asks a question.

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?

Mark 8:36-37 NLT

I’m sure almost all of us would say there is nothing worth more than our souls. Yet we do just that in all kinds of ways each and every day. We trade the opportunities God gives us to serve Him in order to serve ourselves.

Do you remember the story Jesus told about the rich young ruler? Jesus offered that man a choice. He could follow Jesus or he could hold on to his money and possessions. He chose his possessions over following Jesus. He counted them as worth more than his soul. We aren’t told the rest of the story. Do you think that man, as he neared the end of his life, looked back on that day and regretted his decision? Do you think his money and his possessions gave him comfort as physical life drained from his body? Did he wonder, “What would have happened if I had been willing to let it all go to follow Jesus?”

Let me make this transaction as clear as I can. Satan promises you glory in the short term but, in the end, you receive suffering. God promises you suffering in the short term but, in the end, that suffering is transformed into glory. Is anything worth more than your soul? It’s a question that demands an answer—an answer that is lived out as you model your life after Jesus.

Seeing Jesus In His Glory (Mark 9:1-13

God knows we need more than words in order to take the decisive step of following Jesus. It’s great that suffering leads to glory, but is glory worth it? Six days later He provides dazzling proof that there is no comparison. It is no contest when it comes to embracing suffering to receive God’s glory.

Jesus’ own words provide the transition to an event witnessed by only three of His followers.

If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Jesus went on to say, “I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God arrive in great power!”

Mark 8:38-9:1 NLT

Six days later those three followers saw the glory of God in great power!

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!"

Mark 9:2-7 NIV

Jesus invited Peter, James and John to see His glory. The message was clear: first the suffering; then the glory.

Moses represented the law; Elijah the prophets. Both found their completion in Jesus. These two great faith heroes talked with Jesus. Luke tells us they talked about Jesus’ departure which would soon take place in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). As the three disciples watched, God’s glory radiated from Jesus. The mountain top became a holy of holies. What is the glory they see?

They see the glory of His sinlessness

There was no way His clothes could be any whiter. The transfiguration to which Mark draws our attention is a word meaning outer splendor created by inner purity. Christ alone has the righteous purity to take upon Himself the sins of the world.

They see the glory of His Sonship

As great as Moses and Elijah are, they can’t begin to compare to the one of whom God says, “This is my Son, whom I love.”

They see the glory of His suffering

They are to listen to Him—even though He talks about death and suffering. It is necessary.

Only Peter is able to talk. He suggests what we would all want—to stay right there and bask in the glory of God. But, that’s heaven and it’s not yet time for heaven. There is still much that has to take place for Jesus to finish His work so that we will one day enjoy the place that is being prepared for us in heaven.

Then, it all ended.

Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.

Mark 9:8-10 NIV

Jesus is alone. He will walk the path of suffering alone. He tells them to tell no one—not even the other disciples—until after He had risen from the dead. Even though they had been eyewitnesses of His glory, they didn’t understand what Jesus meant by rising from the dead. There was no way the other disciples would understand. But later, after the resurrection, this must have provided great encouragement when they described for the others the glory of God on the mountain.

There were still a couple of questions that needed clarification.

And they asked him, "Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?"

Mark 9:11 NIV

They had just seen Elijah. Now they were wondering if Elijah had already come and they had missed him or was he still to come.

Jesus makes it clear for them.

Elijah had come.

Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him."

Mark 9:12-13 NIV

John the Baptist filled the role of Elijah. He got everything ready and then was abused. Matthew adds,

Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.

Matthew 17:11 NIV

Conclusion: A Price And A Promise

Jesus still asks, “Who do you say that I am?” The answer carries a price and offers a promise. The price is great and the promise is even greater. The price is losing your life and the promise is that you will find it. The price is your life now and the promise is heaven forever. Jesus asks you the question today, “Who do you say that I am?”

It's only a story, but the point it makes is a reality not to be ignored. As the story goes, there was a day when the devil called an emergency meeting in hell. All his senior demons were there. The agenda: how to increase the number of people who were going to hell instead of heaven. The first demon to speak said, "Let me launch an all-out attack on people's belief in the Bible and in Jesus as the Son of God. Before I'm finished, they won't trust either one, and hell will be full." The devil was impressed and he released that first demon to launch his doubt offensive on the future inhabitants of eternity. After an appropriate time, Satan reconvened his council of senior demons. He wasn't pleased, especially with demon number one. "The number of people coming to hell is up only slightly since you tried your little strategy of creating doubt. This isn't working! We need a better idea."

That was when demon number two stepped up with a plan he believed to be foolproof. "I will launch an all-out campaign to convince people that they will have to give up too much to follow Jesus. It costs too much! It's too hard! That's what I'll tell them." Satan was fascinated with that proposal and he wished demon number two great success. It didn't happen. The traffic coming into hell did increase some, but not nearly enough to satisfy the enemy of every human soul. He wanted many more.

All the other demons were afraid to offer another plan for fear of failure and the devil's displeasure. All the other demons except one, that is. Demon number three asked Satan for permission to launch a top secret strategy—one which he would only reveal after the results were in. The devil was skeptical. But since nothing else was working, he let demon number three put his secret plan into action.

Within weeks, the floodgates opened. More people were ending up in hell than any of the demons had ever seen. Satan again convened his demon council to find out what strategy was sending so many to hell. When the third demon explained it, everyone was amazed. In that strategy for keeping people from heaven, is the sober reality we all need to consider.

The third demon explained: "I actually tell people they do need Jesus and that they should give Him their life." Satan was ready to explode! The room was quiet as a tomb when the third demon said: "I tell them to come to Jesus . . . tomorrow."

That's the word that has sent so many people to hell: tomorrow. It is the deadliest day in the world. "I know I need to answer Jesus’ question. He gave His all and deserves my response. I’ll do it… tomorrow!" No, Jesus asks you today, “Who do you say that I am?” The price to answer the question is great… but the promise is even greater.