The Conditions of Discipleship

Today's Reflections

 

The Conditions of Discipleship 

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Mk 8:34—9:1

³⁴[Jesus] summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. ³⁵For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. ³⁶What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? ³⁷What could one give in exchange for his life? ³⁸Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

¹He also said to them, “Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come in power.”

TAKE UP HIS CROSS. Jesus minces no words and speaks to the crowd and his disciples about the necessity of the cross in discipleship. This is a turning point for Jesus who has openly spoken about his passion and death. He appeals to the freedom of the disciples and the crowd to follow him on the road or leave him at this point.

In the Gospel, Jesus presents the reality of the cross as part of the Father’s kingdom, and he lays down two fundamental conditions for following him: to deny oneself and to take up one’s own cross.

What does it mean to deny oneself? One renounces one’s sins and does penance. One says no to the cravings and ambitions of the self and says yes to God’s will. This is metanoia, a radical turning from self-centeredness to God-centeredness possible only by God’s grace and our assent to it.

What does Jesus mean to take up one’s own cross? The early Christians associate the cross with Jesus’ martyrdom, as the capital punishment imposed by Rome. To take up one’s cross entails entrusting oneself to God and turning away from the perverse logic of the world.

In what ways do you deny yourself

and take up your cross?