Introduction
What do you think you need right now to be happy, and what do you live for in a way that you’re already “dying” for it? The central teaching of Jesus in Mark 8:34–38 is that following Him means denying myself, taking up my cross, and losing my life for His sake, because He is the true Christ, and nothing else is worth my soul. Before we talk about my identity as a disciple, we have to remember the flow of Mark’s Gospel. Jesus has pressed the great question: Who do you say that I am? (Mark 8:27–30). And once His identity is confessed, “You are the Christ”, Jesus immediately clarifies what kind of Christ He is and what kind of followers He makes (Mark 8:31–38). If I misunderstand Jesus, I will misunderstand discipleship. If I try to use Jesus to serve my purposes, I will resist the cross when He brings it to my life.
Main Points
What do you think you need right now to be happy, and what do you live for in a way that you’re already “dying” for it? The central teaching of Jesus in Mark 8:34–38 is that following Him means denying myself, taking up my cross, and losing my life for His sake, because He is the true Christ, and nothing else is worth my soul.
Before we talk about my identity as a disciple, we have to remember the flow of Mark’s Gospel. Jesus has pressed the great question: Who do you say that I am? (Mark 8:27–30). And once His identity is confessed, “You are the Christ”, Jesus immediately clarifies what kind of Christ He is and what kind of followers He makes (Mark 8:31–38). If I misunderstand Jesus, I will misunderstand discipleship. If I try to use Jesus to serve my purposes, I will resist the cross when He brings it to my life.
Jesus Defines Discipleship After Identity
Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ (Mark 8:29). That confession is the “crescendo” moment: the Messiah, the anointed King, the center of God’s redemptive story. But the disciples, like many in Israel, assumed “Christ” meant political deliverer, national glory, and a throne in Jerusalem. They wanted a Messiah who would serve their hopes.
I need to hear this gently but clearly: I am also prone to wanting a Jesus who supports my agenda. I can baptize my dreams, my preferences, my politics, my comfort, even my idea of “the good life,” and then call it faith. But Jesus doesn’t let His identity be reduced to my expectations. Right after Peter’s confession, Jesus immediately explains His mission, and it collides with theirs.
The Messiah Must Suffer and Die
Jesus “began to teach” that the Son of Man must suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise again (Mark 8:31). Peter rebuked Jesus, because a suffering Messiah didn’t fit the storyline Peter wanted. Jesus then rebuked Peter with shocking severity: “Get behind me, Satan… you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Mark 8:33).
This moment exposes something vital: the cross is not an unfortunate accident on the way to glory; it is God’s plan for salvation. Sin is that serious. The world is that broken. And if Jesus must go to the cross to save, then I should not be surprised when He calls me into a cruciform life, a life shaped by the cross.
The Call Is Public, Honest, and Costly
Jesus didn’t whisper this only to insiders. He “called the crowd to him with his disciples” (Mark 8:34). He tells everyone the same truth: if anyone would come after Him, that person must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow.
I love how straightforward Jesus is. He doesn’t recruit with bait-and-switch tactics. He doesn’t hide the terms and conditions. He does not promise an easy life. So if you’re still exploring Christianity, I want to be equally honest with you: don’t come to Jesus because you want a comfortable life. Come because He is the Christ, because He is worth everything, and because His way is the only way that truly saves.
And if you already follow Him, this protects you from confusion: the Christian life is not a carnival. It’s not built only on emotional high points. God may give “revival moments,” and we thank Him for them. But the normal path of discipleship is daily faithfulness, obedience, repentance, fighting sin, serving people, and enduring hardship with Jesus.
Deny Yourself: Renounce Self as Center
Jesus says, “deny himself” (Mark 8:34). That doesn’t mean you become personality-less or that you can never enjoy anything. It means something deeper and more radical: I must renounce myself as the center. I say “no” to the false gospel of self-salvation, the belief that if I just improve enough, discover enough, optimize enough, achieve enough, I’ll finally be whole.
Our culture trains us to chase “a better me.” We’re saturated in self-help, self-discovery, self-definition, self-expression. Even spiritual practices can become another way to curate an identity and medicate the soul without surrendering to God. Tools can be helpful (even personality insights can expose sin patterns), but they become dangerous when they enthrone the self.
So I want you to hear Jesus’ invitation clearly: the self is not your savior. You are not the point of your life. When following Jesus conflicts with your preferences, your plans, or your “brand,” you don’t negotiate, you deny yourself and follow Him.
Take Up Your Cross: Embrace Daily Dying
Jesus then says, “take up his cross” (Mark 8:34). In our world, “cross” can sound symbolic or mild. But Jesus’ picture is blunt: strap on your electric chair, step toward the chopping block, put the noose around your neck. This is a call to die.
Luke emphasizes the ongoing pattern, taking up the cross daily (Luke 9:23). Discipleship is continual surrender. It’s saying, “Jesus, my life belongs to You, my body, my future, my relationships, my reputation, my ambitions, my rights.”
This is why Bonhoeffer’s words ring true: when Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die. Not because God is cruel, but because the old self must die for true life to begin. The cross meets us at the beginning of communion with Christ, not merely at the end of an otherwise comfortable story.
Lose Your Life to Save It
Jesus grounds this call with piercing logic:
- “Whoever would save his life will lose it” (Mark 8:35).
- “Whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:35).
Here is the paradox of the kingdom: self-preservation becomes self-destruction, and self-surrender becomes salvation. The question is not whether you’ll spend your life. You will. The only question is what you’ll spend it on.
Jesus then asks two soul-level questions:
- “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36)
- “What can a man give in return for his soul?” (Mark 8:37)
I want to press this into your heart gently: if you gained everything you think will make you happy, money, romance, health, adventure, success, approval, comfort, and lost your soul, you would have made the worst trade imaginable. And you cannot buy your soul back. That makes Jesus’ call not only intense but merciful. He is rescuing you from living for what cannot save you.
Don’t Be Ashamed of Jesus Now
Jesus ends with an eternal warning and promise: “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 glory (Mark 8:38).
This is not about earning salvation by being bold. It’s about allegiance, about what I’m truly trusting, treasuring, and willing to be identified with. In a world that pressures us to keep faith private, muted, or revised, Jesus calls us to unashamed loyalty to Him and to His words.
So I ask you: where are you tempted to hide? Where do you soften Jesus’ claims because you fear people? Discipleship means we confess Christ now, because He is coming again in glory with the holy angels, and eternity is real.
Conclusion
Discipleship begins where Mark 8 places it: with Jesus’ identity and then my identity as His follower. Jesus is the Christ, not the kind who exists to fulfill my agenda, but the kind who suffers, dies, and rises to save sinners. And therefore, following Him is not an add-on to my life; it is the surrender of my life.
So let’s return to the opening questions. What do you need to be happy? What are you willing to die for? The honest answer may reveal what currently holds the center of your heart. Jesus stands before you with clarity and kindness: deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him, because saving your life by clinging to the world will destroy you, but losing your life for Jesus and the gospel will save you.
Lord Jesus, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Forgive me for the ways I have tried to make You serve my purposes and for the ways I resist the cross. Teach me what it means to deny myself, to take up my cross daily, and to follow You with glad surrender. Free me from the fear of man and from being ashamed of You or Your words. Help me to see the worth of my soul and the emptiness of gaining the whole world without You. Strengthen me for ordinary faithfulness, real repentance, and joyful obedience. I give You my life again today, use it for Your sake and for the gospel. Amen.
Conclusion
Discipleship begins where Mark 8 places it: with Jesus’ identity and then my identity as His follower. Jesus is the Christ, not the kind who exists to fulfill my agenda, but the kind who suffers, dies, and rises to save sinners. And therefore, following Him is not an add-on to my life; it is the surrender of my life.
So let’s return to the opening questions. What do you need to be happy? What are you willing to die for? The honest answer may reveal what currently holds the center of your heart. Jesus stands before you with clarity and kindness: deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him, because saving your life by clinging to the world will destroy you, but losing your life for Jesus and the gospel will save you.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Forgive me for the ways I have tried to make You serve my purposes and for the ways I resist the cross. Teach me what it means to deny myself, to take up my cross daily, and to follow You with glad surrender. Free me from the fear of man and from being ashamed of You or Your words. Help me to see the worth of my soul and the emptiness of gaining the whole world without You. Strengthen me for ordinary faithfulness, real repentance, and joyful obedience. I give You my life again today, use it for Your sake and for the gospel. Amen.