Ministry Shift (Mark 8:27-38)
Walk through the Word 2023 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Introduction
Biblical History (Mark 8:27-38)
Ministry of Jesus.
Jesus has been teaching the Jews, more specifically His disciples, who he is and why he came. (He is the Messiah and he came to seek and save the lost) He focused on helping His disciples understand this.
Jesus was also training them to minister along side Him. (Sending out the Disciples and then the 72 for on the job training) This is all in preparation for His ascension and their leading the church through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Then you see Jesus focusing on the disciples to prepare them for his death and Resurrection. We see Jesus pulling away from the crowds to spend more time with His disciples. He starts addressing different topics (death and resurrection, Leadership, etc) that will help the disciples when He is gone. This will culminate with the Last supper which John gives more details on the last teaching of Jesus with His disciples.
Jesus is going to give some clear teaching to His Disciples that will be the focus for them as the day approaches.
Who they believe Him to be.
What is going to happen to Him.
What commitment to Him looks like and the difficulties and rewards of that commitment.
Jesus’ Questions (Mark 8:27-30)
Jesus’ Questions (Mark 8:27-30)
First question (8:27–28)
Jesus’ question (8:27)
Mark 8:27 (ESV)
27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”
Caesarea Philippi - Caesarea Philippi was located roughly 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee and 40 miles southwest of Damascus. It overlooked the Jordan Valley and was near the base of Mount Hermon, which stood approximately 9,200 feet to the northeast and provided an abundant supply of water to the region. The land appears to have been ideal for vegetation, and the elevation of the city (1,150 feet) made it a strategic military location. (Algie, Brian. “Caesarea Philippi.” Ed. John D. Barry et al. The Lexham Bible Dictionary 2016: n. pag. Print.)
“Who do people say that I am?”
What is the general idea of who I am amongst the people.
The disciples’ answer (8:28)
Mark 8:28 (ESV)
28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”
John the Baptist - Jesus did not start His public ministry until after John the Baptist was arrested. (Mark 1:14) Some came to believe Jesus to be the resurrected John the Baptist, which is why he could do miracles.
Mark 6:14–16 (ESV)
14 King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”
Elijah - The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah. (Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible. Second Edition. Denmark: Thomas Nelson, 2019. Print.)
Malachi 4:5 (ESV)
5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
Prophet - Another prophet in the line of all prophets that came before Him. “Primarily, Jesus was thought to be a wonder-working prophet.” (Osborne, Grant R. Mark. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)
The general view of Jesus was that he was a prophet, not the Messiah.
Second question (8:29–30)
Jesus’ question (8:29a): “Who do you say I am?”
Mark 8:29a (ESV)
29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?”...
He ask them personally, who do they think He is.
In the end it really matters on our personal belief of who Jesus is.
Prophet
Good moral teacher
Liar
Lunatic
The Messiah
Peter’s answer (8:29b): “You are the Messiah.”
Mark 8:29b (ESV)
29 ... Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”
Christ
“fulfiller of Israelite expectation of a deliverer, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ. (Arndt, William et al. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature 2000: 1091. Print.)
Christ not the name for Jesus, but is a title for who He is. He is the anointed one of God to be the Deliverer/Savior of Israel and the World.
Again, the general understanding is that Jesus was a prophet, maybe the prophet preceding the Messiah, but not the Messiah. Peter is declaring that Jesus is the Messiah.
Peter seemed to be the spokesman for the disciples. Numerous times Peter made this declaration of Christ.
John 6:67–69 (ESV)
67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
Jesus’ warning (8:30)
Mark 8:30 (ESV)
30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
The understanding of Jesus as the Messiah is not to be made known to all. That will happen after His death, Resurrection and coming of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 13:10–11 (ESV)
10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
Jesus’ Revelation. (Mark 8:31-33)
Jesus’ Revelation. (Mark 8:31-33)
Jesus predicts His death and resurrection (31)
Mark 8:31a (ESV)
31 And he began to teach them ...
“And He began to teach...” - to initiate an action, process, or state of being, begin. (Arndt, William et al. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature 2000: 140. Print.)
In the latter part of Jesus Ministry, He is focusing on this disciples and begins to teach them somethings that He has not fully made known to them.
Mark reports 3 separate time in which Jesus teaches His disciples these things. (Mark 8:31; 9:30-32; 10:32-34)
Mark 8:31 (ESV)
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Mark 9:30–32 (ESV)
30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
Mark 10:32–34 (ESV)
32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”
Jesus is making it clear that he is going to Jerusalem to suffer and die by the hands of the religious leaders and Gentile Leaders. He is also making it clear that He will rise from the dead.
Peter rebukes Jesus (32)
Mark 8:32 (ESV)
32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
rebuke
“to express strong disapproval of someone, rebuke, reprove, censure also speak seriously, warn in order to prevent an action or bring one to an end.” (Arndt, William et al. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature 2000: 384. Print.)
“to command, with the implication of a threat—‘to command.’” (Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene Albert Nida. Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains 1996: 425. Print.)
Parallel Passage
Matthew 16:22 (ESV)
22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”
Jesus rebukes Peter (33)
Mark 8:33 (ESV)
33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Rebuke - same word and meaning as used by Peter.
Satan
“Satan, Hebrew word for adversary, opponent; also accuser:—hence as chief of the evil spirits, the Devil” (Liddell, Henry George et al. A Greek-English lexicon 1996: 1585. Print.)
The word satan is used as a proper title/name for the devil, also used, for a slanderer, adversary, or opponent. In our context, the word Satan is capitalized in every English translation I have.
I wonder if Jesus is rebuking Satan for influencing Peter, or rebuking Peter for thinking like Satan.
I wonder if there is a difference in the tone of Jesus in saying the first sentence and second sentence. First sentence ends with Exclamation point (!). Second sentence, ends with a period (.).
God’s will is more important than Man’s will.
Peter was not thinking about the Mission of the Messiah (Seek and Save the Lost), but on his desire to not loose Jesus. Jesus was focused on fulfilling the will of God, which was greater than teaching and doing miracles. He came to provide salvation through His substitutionary death on the Cross.
“Peter’s implicit desires align better with Satan’s aims (to convince Jesus to avoid suffering and death; 4:1–11) than with God’s plan (the cross).” (Barry, John D. et al. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016. Print.)
“Peter was following a human understanding of the messianic path rather than God’s true will as just expressed in Jesus. Peter is thinking of earthly power and victory, while Christ is envisaging redemption and salvation via suffering.” (Osborne, Grant R. Mark. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)
Jesus’ role as the Messiah brought suffering to Him. There was the suffering from people around him throughout his ministry. (rejection, Religious leaders). The suffering in the passion week (persecution, flogging, death on the Cross).
Mark 14:33–36 (ESV)
33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
Jesus’ Call to Commitment (Mark 8:34-38)
Jesus’ Call to Commitment (Mark 8:34-38)
Requirement (34)
Mark 8:34 (ESV)
34 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.
Jesus in calling the crowds to join his disciples is declaring to all that becoming a follower of Him will bring with it a real potential of suffering.
“If His opponents kill Him, His disciples can reasonably expect a similar fate. Although they will receive positions of honor, discipleship will be costly.” (Barry, John D. et al. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016. Print.)
John 15:18–19 (ESV)
18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
There is suffering in the world for all people because of Sin in the world and human free will.
When we become followers of Jesus it can brig suffering because of that decision and the suffering brought by that could lead to death.
Specifics in text (34)
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
“If” - There is a choice to be made to follow Jesus or not. If we decide to follow Jesus there are 3 things we are doing in that decision.
“deny himself” - “Denying self” is not just an ascetic self-denial of certain material or earthly things; rather, it is the rejection of the ascendancy of self, a refusal to allow self-interest to guide one’s life.
“Take up his cross” - “Bearing a cross” was not a Jewish idiom (nowhere in Jewish literature) and so has special force, picturing the condemned prisoner as he carried the beam to the place of execution. No other metaphor could carry such horrifying force, since it was also a “curse” to the Jew. There is a double meaning here, as it is a powerful metaphor for dying to self (reinforcing the first aspect) but also means Imitate Christ, joining Jesus on his way to the cross, living a life of God-commitment, self-sacrifice, and possibly of martyrdom. (Osborne, Grant R. Mark. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)
“Follow Me” - “Follow” (akoloutheō, twice in v. 34 [NIV: “be my disciple” the first time]) has been the main verb for discipleship since the four “followed” Jesus in 1:18 and Jesus called Levi by commanding “Follow me” in 2:14. (3) Following Jesus is the result of the first two and actually restates the introduction: literally, “If anyone wants to follow after me.” (Osborne, Grant R. Mark. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.) “follow the Messiah. Self-denial means letting go of self-determination and replacing it with obedience to and dependence on the Messiah.” (Crossway Bibles. The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008. Print.)
“Crucifixion is a shocking metaphor for discipleship. A disciple must deny himself (die to self-will), take up his cross (embrace God’s will, no matter the cost), and follow Christ.” (Crossway Bibles. The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008. Print.)
Rewards (35-38)
Jesus tells of the rewards of submitting to Him by speaking of them in a negative sense.
Lose this Life, gain eternal life. (35)
Mark 8:35 (ESV)
35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
““Life” has double meaning, referring to the temporary earthly life and also the eternal heavenly life. The question is which one we are truly “living” for. To “save” the one is always to “lose” the other.” (Osborne, Grant R. Mark. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)
“Interestingly, only Mark has “lose their life for me and for the gospel.” “Gospel” appears four times in the second half of Mark, twice in discipleship sayings involving self-denial (8:35; 10:29) and twice regarding the proclamation of the kingdom message (13:10; 14:9). To follow Christ is to join his kingdom mission and proclaim the gospel.” (Osborne, Grant R. Mark. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2014. Print. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)
Value of our Soul. (36-37)
Mark 8:36–37 (ESV)
36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?
Soul - ① life on earth in its animating aspect making bodily function possible ⓐ (breath of) life, life-principle, soul, of animals, of human beings ⓑ the condition of being alive, earthly life, life itself ⓒ by metonymy, that which possesses life/soul: a living creature. ② seat and center of the inner human life in its many and varied aspects, soul: ⓐ of the desire for luxurious living (the soul as the seat of enjoyment of the good things in life) of the rich man. ⓑ of evil desires. ⓒof feelings and emotions. ⓓ as the seat and center of life that transcends the earth. • As such it can receive divine salvation. • Humans cannot injure it, but God can hand it over to destruction (Mt 10:28; Mt 16:26a; Mk 8:36) • There is nothing more precious than soul in this sense Mt 16:26b; Mk 8:37. (Arndt, William et al. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature 2000: 1099. Print.)
“The words save and lose show that Jesus was speaking not merely of physical life but of the essence of humanity: the soul. The sure way to save the soul is to lose it (entrust it to Jesus). There is no exchange rate high enough for the soul; money cannot buy it.” (McLaren, Ross H. “Mark.” CSB Study Bible: Notes. Ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017. 1574. Print.)
Unashamed acceptance by Christ (38)
Mark 8:38 (ESV)
38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
“to experience a painful feeling or sense of loss of status because of some particular event or activity, be ashamed. of someone(Jesus) Mk 8:38 of thing (Jesus Words) Mk 8:38.” (Arndt, William et al. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature 2000: 1099. Print.)
If we are not ashamed of Jesus or his teaching in this world, but submit to Him, He will accept us into His kingdom.
Lessons from Jesus (Applications adapted from: Osborne, Grant R. Mark. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)
Lessons from Jesus (Applications adapted from: Osborne, Grant R. Mark. Ed. Mark L. Strauss and John H. Walton. Teach the Text Commentary Series.)
The world does not understand Jesus’s true personhood and mission, but His followers do.
Although the world believed Jesus to simply be a prophet, His disciples knew He was the Messiah.
The messianic path for Jesus and his followers brings suffering.
Jesus was going to suffer greatly at the hands of the religious leaders and gentile authorities. Followers of Jesus will suffer as well because of their decision to follow Jesus.
Discipleship begins with denying self and surrendering all to Jesus.
Our discipleship starts with a decision to follow Jesus and priorities God’s will over ours.
Gaining the world is not worth the infinite cost of losing one’s soul. However, there is great rewards for those who fully surrender to Jesus.
There is nothing that this world can offer us that could compare to the eternal Kingdom God has invited us to join in Christ.
Romans 8:18 (ESV)
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Benediction
Hebrews 13:20–21 (NLT)
20 Now may the God of peace— who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood— 21 may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.