Mark 8:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

NIV: For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

NASB: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.

CSB: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and the gospel will save it.

NLT: If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.

KJV: For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

NKJV: 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.

"Loses his life" refers to a Semitic phrase "to trifle away one's life." It means the loss is caused by foolish actions, not accident or happenstance. "Life" is from the Greek root word psuche. It means breath of life, but can also refer to one's soul.

Some are called to sacrifice their lives for Jesus and the gospel. According to legend, many of the twelve disciples were martyred. We are to accept that martyrdom is a possibility, but not seek it out (Matthew 10:23). God will honor martyrs. When Stephen is being stoned, he sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56). And martyrs will be honored during the Tribulation (Revelation 20:4). Persecution, if not death, is something all Christ-followers should expect (2 Timothy 3:12).

But we can also lose our souls by trying to save them. The Bible is clear that salvation is through grace, by faith. We are completely incapable of doing the work that would save our souls. To try is to reject Jesus' offer of salvation, and without Jesus, our souls are forfeit (Ephesians 2:8–9; John 3:16–18).

The life of a Christ-follower is filled with little "deaths" as well. Some kind of persecution is likely (John 15:20; 2 Timothy 3:12). If other family members are not saved, we can expect a rift in relationships (Matthew 10:35–36). But the Bible promises compensation. Jesus calls those who listen to Him His family (Mark 3:33–35). And God will give rewards in heaven to those who are persecuted on Jesus' account (Matthew 5:12).

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.