The Way of Crucifixion
Mark 8:34–9:1
Introduction
· What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ?
· We have already been exposed to the reality that not everyone who responds to Christ’s message does so genuinely.
o Mark 4 and the soils
· Luke 14:25-33 – count the cost.
o How much does it cost to be a disciple of Jesus Christ?
· Our text tells us that to be a disciple of Jesus will cost you everything.
· Yet does this not present us with something of a dilemma. Our world—and sometimes we ourselves—define “grace” very loosely.
o Our assumption: grace means forgiveness, a free pass, a second chance, no strings attached, no requirements, no stipulations. This, we believe, is the only way that something can be “gracious”—it is both free in the sense that it doesn’t cost us anything, and it is free in the sense that it lays no requirements on us.
o Our wrong conclusion: If Christ’s grace is free, that means that it will cost me nothing and there are no requirements laid on me.
o This is absolutely, unequivocally wrong and fundamentally misunderstands the gospel and its effects.
· There is, of course, an element of truth: grace is free in the sense that we cannot receive it by paying for it. It is a gift—and gifts by nature exclude repayment. If you could repay a gift, it is no longer a gift but a due, compensation for something rather than a free and loving donation. In this sense, grace is free.
· Grace is free, but not cheap. Grace has been given to us without a “price tag” in the sense that God does not expect us to repay him as though we were compensating him. But grace has not been given to us without a cost attached to receiving it.
· Discipleship is costly. Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship:
o Contrasted “cheap” grace with “costly” grace. Cheap grace was grace which costs nothing. He said that cheap grace is “the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner.” Thus it is the “grace which we bestow upon ourselves” It is [he was Lutheran] “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.
o Costly grace, however, was grace with costs everything. “Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him…It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life.”
· Being a disciple of Jesus Christ will cost you everything. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ will grant you everything.
· As we have seen, the disciples in the story have finally seen who Jesus really is: “You are the Christ!” Yet, they did not understand what that meant.
o The stories to follow seemed to indicate this:
§ When unable to drive out a demon, they ask with frustration, “Why could we not cast it out?” (Mark 9:28)
§ When Jesus repeats that he must die, they jostle over prominence, arguing about who is the greatest (Mark 9:34)
§ They condemn all those who are not precisely like them or following their party (Mark 9:38)
§ They prevent little children from coming to him (10:13)
§ James and John request to be at his right and left hand (Mark 10:37)
o Clearly they did not grasp that Christ being the Messiah would result in an immediate net loss during this life.
o They figured out who Jesus was and started angling for power, prestige, control, possessions, authority, and importance.
· This is why Jesus told them to keep a lid on their accurate assessment of him. They knew he was the Christ, but they assumed that therefore it meant first class living for them from here on out.
· Jesus immediately informed them that actually that means suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection.
· Peter rebukes him, but Jesus returns the favor, and then immediately turns to the crowd and calls for discipleship.
· He teaches them this: The path of discipleship is the path of crucifixion.
I. The Call: Come And Die (8:34-38)
· The Content of the call: If you want to follow Christ, you’re going to have to die.
· Arguments for responding to the call.
· Argument 1: Because desiring to live for Christ is the only way to save your life.
· Argument 2: Because living for Christ is the only way to gain.
· Argument 3: Because no one else is sufficient to pay for our sins.
· Argument 4: Because salvation is a matter of boasting.
II. The Hope: Tasting the Glory to Come (9:1)
Concluding Applications
· Communicate that grace has a cost to those who are interested in following Jesus.
· Die to yourself.
o What do you live for? That’s a different question than what do you know you should live for. What do your actions, thoughts, choices, direction, fears, hopes, dreams point to? What do you live for? Anything other than “Christ” should cause us to repent.
Are you seeking to save your life?