Jesus Predicts His Death

Meditations of the Gospel of Mark

September 9, 2020

Jesus Predicts His Death

“You are seeing things merely from a human point of view,

not from God’s.”

Mark 8:33b

Read: Mark 8:31 – 9:1

When Jesus begins to explain how his ministry will end, Peter objects. Peter gets that Jesus is the Messiah; he doesn’t yet understand how or why the King of Israel must be killed. In time Peter will get it.

After Jesus’ response to Peter, quoted above, Jesus gives a very clear and concise mission statement to his disciples: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” (verse 34) I think Jesus’ response to Peter is the key to understand this mission statement.

When we seek to know and understand God’s point of view, we will know how to distinguish between our way, and God’s way.

When we seek to know and understand God’s point of view, we will know how to identify our cross, the one God’s has purposed for us to carry.

When we seek to know and understand God’s point of view, we will know how to follow Jesus.

My Takeaway: Jesus is quite clear. Following him is difficult and dangerous, even to the point of losing your life. His question near the end of today’s reading provides all the motivation I need to take up my cross and keep following him:

“Is anything worth more than your soul?”

Mark 8:37

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.