Friday, August 6, 2010

Mark 8:27-9:1

While this is not intended to be a purely bible study blog, there will be a lot of snippets relating to what I am reading in the bible.  There will also be some thoughts and ideas related to things I observe in other books I read and things I observe in the real world.  First post, here goes!

Mark 8:27-9:1 

This encompasses two passages.  From 8:27 to 8:30 deals with Peter and the disciples confessing Jesus as the Christ, and the remainder dealing with Jesus foretelling his own death and resurrection and the cost of discipleship, i.e. whoever would save his life will lose it.

The disciples knew that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah described in prophecy from hundreds of years ago, but they did not really understand what the purpose of Jesus’ mission was and how God had designed to complete this purpose.  The Jewish leaders of the day had taught that the Messiah would give them political and military victory over their oppressors, ushering in a physical kingdom right there and then.  However, Jesus came to show the world the true nature of God and what God would have His followers do and be.  He also came as the ultimate and infinite sacrifice to pay the penalty for sin, suffering and dying on the cross for those who will be saved so that they don’t have to take their own punishment in hell for eternity.  And the kingdom that Jesus began to usher in at his first coming was “not of flesh and blood”

(1Co 15:50)  I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
(Eph 6:12)  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

The teaching of Jesus here focuses on those who would follow him losing their lives of flesh and blood in the here and now but gaining eternal life in the kingdom of heaven (which will come in the physical and in its fullness at Jesus’ second coming).