In the Company of ChristSample

The Way of the Cross

When Peter declares to Jesus that he is the Messiah, the promised king, the book of Mark shifts from who Jesus is to what his mission is: to be a humble, suffering, servant king who will die and rise again as part of God’s plan. 

Jesus teaches that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the religious leaders. After that, he must be killed and then rise again after three days. To Jesus’ disciples, this comes as an absolute, horrible shock. Peter rebukes Jesus, then Jesus rebukes Peter, turns to the crowd, and invites them in. Jesus describes the mission of the follower of the Christ: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34 NIV). Crucifixion was the worst possible death for the worst possible people. But here, Jesus invites his followers into the way of the cross. He is the humble servant king and he desires humble, selfless, sacrificing followers. Remember the first readers in Rome? They are reminded that as they follow the way of Christ, they too will follow the way of the cross. It will require humble sacrificial servanthood.

In Mark 9:2–13, we have the transfiguration of Jesus. After Jesus’ prediction of his death, I believe that Jesus intended for his disciples to see not only the suffering that was to come but also the glory that was to come. They were going to need a reminder of where this story was headed—that they were not only joining Jesus in his suffering but in his glory.

Jesus predicts his death and resurrection two more times, stressing that the way of the follower is the way of the cross. Anyone who wants to be first must be last. In the economy of the kingdom, down is up. Whoever wants to be the greatest must be the least (see Mark 9:33–37). We are to look out for those who really can’t do anything for us. 

In Jesus’ last passion prediction he gets detailed and graphic about his death. James and John, two of Jesus’ closest disciples who witnessed the transfiguration, misunderstood what kind of king Jesus is and what kind of kingdom he is launching. This provides another opportunity for Jesus, our Lord, to talk about the nature of greatness and the nature of humble sacrifice. The mission of the followers of the servant king is to serve and to give our lives away (see Mark 10:42–45). 

The path to greatness is servanthood. How much of your life is marked by a humble, faithful, consistent serving of those who won’t necessarily do anything of you? Often this might mean inviting someone in who doesn’t have prestige, who doesn’t have clout, who doesn’t have status, and who can’t return favors. Jesus called this greatness. Down is up. Be the last, serve the least, and imitate the servant king who came for you.

Respond

How does the world define greatness?

How do you think Jesus’ definition of greatness helps build his kingdom?

Where in your life are you humbly, faithfully, consistently serving?