The Three Musts
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31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 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 concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
The Way of the Cross
34 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. 35 For whoever wants to save their life[b] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
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Deny yourself, take up the cross and follow me.
Context
The Gospel of Mark divides into two sections of 8 chapters each. The first half tells us about the person of Jesus. As soon as Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ Mark 8:29, the focus changes to the mission of Jesus bringing salvation and the kingdom and, for the first time Jesus talks about the cross. The second half of Mark begins with a summary about the cross and what would be accomplished by the crucified Messiah.
I noticed that this ‘summary’ is a tale of three musts First – Jesus said ‘I Must’, then Peter said ‘You Must not,’ finally, Jesus said ‘We Must.’
From the first verse, Mark 8:31, that little word MUST controls this whole summary - Mk 8:31-38 which we find at the start of the second half of Mark’s Gospel.
Let’s look at these three MUST’s.
Jesus said “I Must”
Peter said “Lord you must not”
Jesus said, “We must”
Jesus said I must
Everything in v31 is a must-happen “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.”
MUST a) suffer, b) be rejected, c) be killed d) be resurrected. What does Must say to us?
First, he “must” be killed because he must be resurrected. He is to defeat death the ‘last enemy’ 1 Cor 15:26 – leads us to our second reason for ‘I Must’…..
Second, as Jesus said it his arrest (Mk 14:49) “the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”
The Messiah must suffer to fulfil passages of scripture (see Isaiah 52,53 and Zechariah 13) - The Suffering Servant must be “an offering for sin” and bear the iniquities of many.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, everyone, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:5.
This points to the high view of Scripture Jesus had. A Challenge to each one of us: How precious are the scriptures to us?
3) “must suffer” means just that: the Messiah could not bring the kingdom in without rejection and death. The Jews idea was of the Messiah as a military deliverer in might & power, that was the world’s idea of how leadership works. Look at the Roman Empire, but Jesus says that divine power comes through service and sacrifice, suffering and death. His crown will be thorns and his death will be a triumph. And his Holy power comes into our lives by surrender, repentance and service. So “MUST” means that to be God’s Messiah, he had to come in suffering and loss — that is how God’s power works in us. ……
4)Fourthly,
But there’s more to Jesus saying “I must” – Today the world mourns the loss of Alexie Navalny, returned to Russia 2021, he must return to Russia to oppose Putin, ‘If I get killed… don’t give up. He wasn’t in control of what might happen… 16/2/24 RiP
When Jesus says ‘I Must’ he is in control: He is not predicting it will happen, he is planning it. John 10:17-18 “I lay down my life… no one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.”
This offends Peter; it’s one thing to say, “I’ll fight and be killed” but to say, “This is why I came; I intend to die!” That’s madness to Peter. Jesus did this willingly, for us - it makes it v. precious to us. Think about this at HC today, in worship – he did that for us. Later we will sing a song….
‘Jesus Christ I think about your sacrifice, you became nothing, poured out to death…Once again I look upon the crsoo where you died..’
Which leads us to our second must…. Peter….
Peter said ‘Lord you Must not suffer and die…’
Mark 8:32 ‘Peter took him aside and rebuked him. Matthew 16:22 ‘No Lord, that will never happen to you (Matt 16:22).
Peter wanted Jesus but not the cross. This attitude of Peter is still in church today. The notion that we can develop our own way of salvation. Pick and mix bits of CofE religion, bits of other religions, throw in the good man Jesus but the mixture will not have the cross, not a sinless Saviour dying for my sins on a cross. That’s what Peter’s ‘you MUST not suffer and die’ is doing, and Jesus says ‘Get behind me, Satan.’
It sounds harsh. In this Lent season, we remember that Satan tempted Jesus in the desert:
Matthew 4:9 “All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me.” He was tempted to gain the kingdom through the worldly way of power and pride and possessions and not by humility and weakness and trust. Satan wants a “religion of works” — in which people are saved by emulating a powerful, unsuffering leader, rather than through repentance and trust in a serving, dying leader. These two spiritual “models” are utterly at variance. The first one produces pride and scorn and conflict and the other produces humility and love and peace.
So Peter’s words are Satan’s words. Peter a warning for all of us…. Why is this so important?
Peter represents those who don’t believe that Jesus must die for them. By living good lives, we will be alright. If that is true, there would be no reason for Jesus to suffer and die. If we don’t accept the force of this “MUST” we misunderstand the gospel.
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus
Jesus’ MUST means that you and I are so sinful, nothing but the death of the Son of God could save us. He had to die for you. Your morals and good efforts will not redeem you.
When I was a chaplain I visited Donald a successful Businessman. It was on the Oncology ward and his prognosis was not good. Donald has a short time to live and we spoke about his life and what me be in life hereafter. He said: “I've not done anything bad, I should be alright when I get to the other side….” I replied, Donald, it is not about what you have done in your life, it is all about what Jesus has done for you.
Jesus’ ‘I MUST die’ means his death is a redemptive payment for sin. Jesus’ MUST shows that we are saved by grace alone, not by any works (going to church, giving to the church collection, and loving your neighbours is OK but it is not redemptive).
My eldest daughter still comments on a time when she had her first meal date with her boyfriend at the age of 17. I gave her my credit card and said.…whatever the cost, charge me: I must pay…
The Lord of history doesn’t want you to pay for your sin and shame.
Many, believe that God will tolerate sin and Jesus didn’t have to die. Like Peter, they deserve rebuke.
Jesus said ‘We must’
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me”
Mark 8:34
Not only must Jesus die but so must anyone who follows him, die to self. ‘Follow me,’ is not some moral principles you chose to believe in, or some mindfulness techniques to help you get through life. This is dying to self, my life is no longer all about me and my identity. Deny yourself is a new song, I have been crucified with Christ, ‘It’s no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me’ (Gal 2:20) – That’s what it means to be a Christian, deny, take upV, follow, not 3 things: one thing
It would have been a familiar picture to the people who heard this from the mouth of Jesus. Convicted criminals dragging their cross to their death. When Jesus says to the crowd (v34), take up your cross and follow me – you ask, where to? They knew where … to die to yourself. Bonhoffer said, ‘when Jesus bids a person, he bids them to die.’
This is more than giving up biscuits for Lent! Neither is it some burden we must carry through life to prove worthy ‘a cross to bear.’ Denying self=death of self-centredness and in saying yes Lord to that we discover his resurrection life fills us to overflowing, a life of love and service to Jesus our Lord.
He explains this with a riddle… whoever ‘loses his life for my sake will find it.’ The IT is your life. Jesus tells us that losing our life (in him/for him) will cheat death, gaining eternal life - that’s a promise. This is something worth living for. That is Christian discipleship.
It is characteristic of great leaders to make demands upon their followers. Winston Churchill beginning WW2 told the British that he had nothing to offer them but "blood, toil, tears, and sweat." Film Dunkirk: Flotilla of pleasure boats. Demanding stuff but Jesus was a thousand times more demanding Jesus said, "If any come after me let them deny themselves and take up their cross & follow me."
Jesus’ died on the cross to take on himself our sins. Our cross is not the sufferings we go through, taking up our cross is about abandoning a self-centred life - receiving a Christ-centred life. Doing different things because we are his people, thankless jobs, being a good neighbour. It pr4obably will include Giving and church going and serving those who are in need.
Jesus is not some eejit, hoping to win our favour. He comes as Lord of History and says, ‘Take up your cross and follow me.’
Surprisingly this way promises a peace the world cannot give, promises our burdens lifted, forgiveness, promises eternal life.
One of my accountancy clients, Dave, said ‘It would cost too much to be a Christian.’ -
Dave, I costs too much not to be a Christian, ‘what will it profit a person if they gain the world and lose their soul?’ Mark 8:36
Jesus Christ, I think upon your sacrifice
You became nothing, poured out to death
Many times I've wondered at your gift of life
And I'm in that place once again
I'm in that place once again
And once again, I look upon the cross where you died
I'm humbled by your mercy and I'm broken inside
Once again I thank you, Once again I pour out my life © Matt redman
