The God Pause for Friday, 23 February 2018 - The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul Minnesota United States - Mark 8:31-38
Mark 8:
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31 He began teaching them that the Son of Man had to endure much suffering and be rejected by the elders, the head cohanim and the Torah-teachers; and that he had to be put to death; but that after three days, he had to rise again. 32 He spoke very plainly about it. Kefa took him aside and began rebuking him. 33 But, turning around and looking at his talmidim, he rebuked Kefa. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said, “For your thinking is from a human perspective, not from God’s perspective!”
34 Then Yeshua called the crowd and his talmidim to him and told them, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him say ‘No’ to himself, take up his execution-stake, and keep following me. 35 For whoever wants to save his own life will destroy it, but whoever destroys his life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will save it. 36 Indeed, what will it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? 37 What could a person give in exchange for his life? 38 For if someone is ashamed of me and of what I say in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.
(Complete Jewish Bible.)
Like Peter the rock, we are made uncomfortable by Jesus'
call: "If any want to become my followers, let them deny
themselves and take up their cross and follow me." In a
world where the "self" has become, arguably, an idol of
our own making (witness the untold number of "selfies"
posted online every day in a quest for "likes"), this is a
radical call indeed.
But what if this life to which Jesus calls us--the life of
Christian discipleship--is actually the only life worth
living? What if losing our life for the sake of Christ and
our neighbor is to find our best life? What if taking up our
cross and following Jesus is the only way to become truly
human at last? Well, if that is true (and countless people
through the centuries have bet their lives on it), then may
God give us grace to follow Jesus--this Lenten season and
always--in the way of the cross.
Lord Jesus, give us grace to follow you in the way of the
cross and to find in you our true life. Amen.
Kathryn Schifferdecker
Associate Professor of Old Testament; Bible Division Chair Luther Seminary
Mark 8:31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."
34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?
37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life?
38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." (New Revised Standard Version)
The Luther Seminary
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