Mark 8:34 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

NIV: Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

NASB: And He summoned the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, 'If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.

CSB: Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

NLT: Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.

KJV: And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

NKJV: 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.

In Mark 8:33, Jesus faces an echo of His third temptation from Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4:8–10): to take an easier path that looks like salvation but really leads to hell on a nicer road. Jesus teaches that we will face the same temptation. Some of Mark's audience, living with persecution from Rome, have to endure literal crosses for their faith, including Mark's possible source, Peter. All of us, however, need to reject the easier life of shallow, culture-pleasing faith, or selfish, carnal "easy-believism" for total surrender. If we're unwilling to deny ourselves, and to follow Christ in our actions as well as our response to our emotions, then we're not really "following" Him, at all.

"Deny" is from the Greek root word aparneomai and means to insist that you are not associated with someone. To deny yourself means to forget your own self-interest. It doesn't mean to abandon worldly comforts like a monk or to strictly control one's actions via spiritual disciplines, but to refuse rights and privileges that get in the way of God's kingdom. What, specifically, we will have to deny depends on our situation. It could be comfort, worldly responsibilities, or even the connection to our family or past (Luke 9:57–62).

To take up your cross doesn't mean to accept a specific burden from God. It's parallel in meaning to "deny [your]self." If we learn to sacrifice our selves to God, we won't fret about sacrificing our things. We will belong to God, not to our things, position, reputation, or comfort.

This is the first mention of a crowd, but the fact that Jesus calls the crowd to Him before He starts speaking is significant. It means that He addresses the call to deny yourself and take up your cross to all believers, not just Christian leaders. Some are called to a life of ministry. Some are called to sacrifice their lives for God's kingdom. But all of us are called to give up our worldly lives and dedicate ourselves to Christ.

Mark 8:34—9:1 deals with sacrifice and rewards. To follow Jesus the disciples have sacrificed their livelihoods (Mark 1:16–20; 2:14), reputations (Mark 2:18, 23–24; 7:5), regular meals (Mark 6:30–31), and sleep (Mark 1:32–37; 6:45–48). In return, they expect glory (Mark 9:33–37) and power (Mark 10:35–45). Jesus explains that God's timing is more strategic and their roles are more important and difficult than they could imagine. To follow Christ, we must follow Him: His teaching (Mark 8:38), His life (Mark 10:42–45), and His sacrifice (John 15:20). In return, we should not expect earthly rewards, but we will get eternal life. Matthew 16:24–28 and Luke 9:23–27 also record these events.

This chapter describes another miraculous feeding of thousands by Jesus. He also counters the hard-hearted and selfish hypocrisy of the Pharisees in seeking even more miraculous signs. Speaking to the disciples, Jesus rebukes their short memories and reminds them about God's intent to provide for His followers. After healing a blind man, Jesus accepts Peter's proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah. Almost immediately, though, Jesus rebukes Peter for resisting the idea that the Messiah must suffer and die.

Mark 8 continues Jesus' attempts to teach the disciples God's plan for the Messiah. Jesus has not come for the religious Pharisees but for the meek who willingly respond to Him. He has not yet come as the glorious and victorious champion of Israel, but to die for the whole world. And His followers must also be willing to sacrifice their lives. The chapter marks a turning point in Jesus' ministry as His miracles grow fewer and His teaching increases. Interestingly, Jesus also faces a repeat of the temptations He experienced in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11).

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.