The Beautiful Upset: WK1 - WED
THE COST OF FOLLOWING
Mark 8:34-38 (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. 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. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in this adulterous and sinful generation, I will be ashamed of that person when the Son of Man returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.'"
Jesus doesn't just redefine what it means to be the Messiah, He redefines what it means to follow the Messiah. If the King takes up a cross, then His followers will too. If the path to life goes through death, then that's the path for everyone who wants to walk with Him.
"Give up your own way." This is the first requirement of discipleship, and it's the hardest one. We all have our own way, our own plans, our own priorities, our own ideas about how life should go. Following Jesus means surrendering the right to be the director of our own story.
"Take up your cross." In Jesus' day, everyone knew what a cross meant. It meant execution. It meant the end of your agenda and the beginning of Rome's judgment. When Jesus says "take up your cross," He's not talking about minor inconveniences or difficult circumstances. He's talking about dying to self-will.
But here's the paradox that runs through all of Jesus' teaching: the way to find your life is to lose it. The way to save yourself is to give yourself away. The way to experience true fulfillment is to stop making fulfillment your primary goal. This isn't masochism or a death wish. This is the recognition that the life we're trying so hard to preserve and protect is actually too small for us. We were made for something bigger than our own comfort, our own success, our own happiness. We were made for the kingdom of God.
"What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" Jesus is asking the ultimate cost-benefit question. What's the point of having everything you think you want if you lose who you were created to be? What's the point of winning at life if you miss the point of life? The path Jesus offers isn't easier than the alternatives, it's better. It's the difference between a life spent protecting yourself and a life spent investing yourself in something that matters forever.
Mark 8:34-38 (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. 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. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in this adulterous and sinful generation, I will be ashamed of that person when the Son of Man returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.'"
Jesus doesn't just redefine what it means to be the Messiah, He redefines what it means to follow the Messiah. If the King takes up a cross, then His followers will too. If the path to life goes through death, then that's the path for everyone who wants to walk with Him.
"Give up your own way." This is the first requirement of discipleship, and it's the hardest one. We all have our own way, our own plans, our own priorities, our own ideas about how life should go. Following Jesus means surrendering the right to be the director of our own story.
"Take up your cross." In Jesus' day, everyone knew what a cross meant. It meant execution. It meant the end of your agenda and the beginning of Rome's judgment. When Jesus says "take up your cross," He's not talking about minor inconveniences or difficult circumstances. He's talking about dying to self-will.
But here's the paradox that runs through all of Jesus' teaching: the way to find your life is to lose it. The way to save yourself is to give yourself away. The way to experience true fulfillment is to stop making fulfillment your primary goal. This isn't masochism or a death wish. This is the recognition that the life we're trying so hard to preserve and protect is actually too small for us. We were made for something bigger than our own comfort, our own success, our own happiness. We were made for the kingdom of God.
"What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?" Jesus is asking the ultimate cost-benefit question. What's the point of having everything you think you want if you lose who you were created to be? What's the point of winning at life if you miss the point of life? The path Jesus offers isn't easier than the alternatives, it's better. It's the difference between a life spent protecting yourself and a life spent investing yourself in something that matters forever.
- What aspects of "your own way" is Jesus asking you to surrender?
- Where are you trying to hang on to control instead of taking up your cross?
- How might losing your life for Jesus' sake actually help you find it?
No Comments