TEXT [Commentary]

3. Following Jesus (8:34–9:1; cf. Matt 16:21-28; Luke 9:22-27)

34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?[*] 37 Is anything worth more than your soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

CHAPTER 9

1 Jesus went on to say, “I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God arrive in great power!”

NOTES

8:34 be my follower. The NLT is paraphrasing here, as the Gr. reads, “come after me.” Of course, what is intended is following in Jesus’ path as a disciple, so the NLT brings out the force of the metaphor of “coming after” Jesus.

give up your own way. Once again, the NLT is bringing out the force of the Gr., which translates as, “must deny oneself.” The essence of this denial is not asceticism, but turning from a selfish focus in life to doing things God’s way (Cranfield 1959:281-282; Hooker 1991:208).

take up your cross. This instruction is also an aorist imperative. Since Jesus had not yet spoken of his crucifixion, this metaphor alluding to his coming crucifixion is proleptic. The picture will become a reality.

follow me. This command is in the present imperative. Unlike the previous two commands that look at a basic reorientation, the following of Jesus is a constant, ongoing call, a sustained pursuit of Jesus’ way (Taylor 1966:381). Following is not an act accomplished in one moment, but the constant practice of one who embraces Jesus. This means that following Jesus is the greatest vocation in life, regardless of what others think or do to one as a result.

8:35 If you try to hang on to your life. Lit., “whoever would save his life.” There is a wordplay with the key term, psuchē [TG5590, ZG6034], which can be translated “life” or “soul,” and refers to “real life” or “inner life”—that which is truly central (see BDAG 1098-1099; France 2002:340-341). The play is on preserving the earthly life (seen as preserving the life that includes a soul), only to lose the opportunity to possess the “real life” in the end.

But if you give up your life. This renders the phrase “whoever loses his life.” It is opposite to the previous scenario and the result is opposite as well. Paradoxically, to lose one’s earthly life is to save one’s inner life for the life to come.

for my sake and for the sake of the Good News. The text shows that a disciple’s allegiance is to the person Jesus and to God’s Gospel, his Good News, at the same time (10:29). They are interrelated.

8:36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? The key term for life (psuchē [TG5590, ZG6034]) is still being used here. Jesus makes clear what is at stake, echoing the language of Ps 49:7-8. The reference to “soul” is a way of discussing one’s life and eternal wellbeing; the “saving” and “losing” look back to the saving and losing of 8:35; issues of eternal life and the life beyond are in view in the earlier wordplay.

8:37 Is anything worth more than your soul? The NLT again brings out the force of the Gr., “What might a man give in exchange for his soul?” with a paraphrase. The wordplay with psuchē [TG5590, ZG6034] (soul) continues. The term for “exchange” appears only here in the NT. The expected answer is that nothing is as valuable as preserving the soul, because nothing is worth more than the soul. As BDAG (86) notes, “nothing would compensate for such a loss.”

8:38 me and my message. Jesus and the message of the Kingdom are again linked (8:35).

these adulterous and sinful days. This renders the phrase “in this sinful and adulterous generation,” in which “generation” has a moral overtone about the people of that time. The phrase “sinful and adulterous” appears only here, but the idea of people adulterating their relationship with God is common in the OT (Isa 1:4, 21; Hos 2).

the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person. The Son of Man is here viewed as a judge at the end times. Those who had paid attention to Jesus’ use of the phrase “Son of Man” would recognize this indirect reference to himself as that coming authority. (The parallel in Matt 10:33 simply says “I.”) This remark indicates the key issue of the Gospel. Will one identify with Jesus, the Son of Man to whom one’s soul is ultimately accountable? To shun the Son is to face the prospect of being shunned by him when he returns with the angels to exercise judgment in the power and glory of the Father (14:62). That is, to lose one’s soul. This is the first clear reference to a return in Mark, though 4:21-22, 30-32 have suggested it (France 2002:342 dissents, seeing it as about the Son of Man’s entry into authority, an unlikely reading, given the “shame” concept and the language of “coming in glory”).

9:1 some standing here right now will not die before they see. These words of Jesus have been debated, but the most likely meaning is that some of the disciples would get a glimpse of the Kingdom’s full glory in the Transfiguration that follows. For seven interpretive options, see Cranfield (1959:286-289). Peter, James, and John get the glimpse of Jesus transformed and all it implied about his authority. Peter’s commentary appears in 2 Pet 1:16-18.

COMMENTARY [Text]

These words weren’t just addressed to the twelve disciples. Jesus spoke to the crowd, making it clear that he wanted those who followed him to appreciate the significance of responding to him (Lane 1974:306). Since life and death are mentioned here, the passage does not treat discipleship as a distinct step in responding to Jesus. The teaching is not for an elite but for all, so Jesus presents the entire package of what faith means when one embraces Jesus. It means believing Jesus on his own terms.

To follow Jesus means to turn from a selfish orientation, pick up “the cross,” and take on the rejection that is part of associating with Jesus in a world that does not appreciate him. The cross pictures the rejection and humiliation that was associated with crucifixion. A disciple must understand that this rejection that comes with following Jesus may even lead to death, for the disciple’s experience may well be like the teacher’s.

Since Jesus suffered, his disciples would do the same. Some people will consider this and want to be spared persecution and rejection rather than to identify with Jesus and his message. One can choose to hold onto life and acceptance in the world at the expense of one’s soul and one’s life with God. The prospective disciple that protects the earthly life will not face rejection by others in the world, but will lose the life of the world to come.

Jesus urges would-be disciples to experience the rejection of this world and thus gain spiritual well-being. More than the loss of physical life is being discussed here, for what is lost is something thought to be protected and retained through the preservation of physical life. The choice to gain the world but lose one’s soul ends in emptiness as the self is obliterated in the process of rejecting God’s way.

Those who reject Jesus in this lifetime are ashamed of the Son of Man. In the last day, when the Judge comes in power and glory, he will be ashamed of those who have rejected him. The implication is that identification with the Son of Man preserves one’s spiritual well-being, both now and in the judgment to come.