Jesus now proceeded to explain to His disciples that suffering would not only be His destiny but theirs too.
8:34 Jesus addressed the crowds as well as the disciples because the requirements are the same for anyone who contemplates discipleship. Some in the crowd were thinking about becoming Jesus' disciples but had not yet made up their minds.
"He stated two requirements which, like repent and believe (cf. 1:15), are bound together."210
One negative requirement is self-denial, replacing one's own preferences and plans with God's priorities and program.211The other positive requirement is following Jesus faithfully and publicly even though that would mean shame, suffering, and perhaps physical death (cf. 1:17-18; 2:14; 10:21, 52).
Four explanatory clarifications follow, each introduced by "for"(Gr. gar, vv. 35-38) plus an encouragement (v. 38). They are appropriate warnings for present disciples and those considering discipleship. For believers they apply to the loss of reward and for unbelievers to the loss of eternal life, salvation. Both types of people were in Jesus' audience when He said this.
8:35 Jesus used the word "life"(Gr. psyche) in two ways in this verse.212In its first occurrence in each clause, "life"refers to one's physical life. In the second part of each clause "it"means the essential person that continues to exist beyond the grave. Likewise "lose"has two meanings. In the first clause it means the loss of reward for believers or the loss of salvation for unbelievers. In the second clause it means loss of physical life.
Jesus meant that if a person wants to retain control of his or her life now, he or she will suffer the loss of something more valuable in the future. Conversely if a person will relinquish control of his or her life to follow God's will faithfully, he or she will gain something of greater ultimate worth.213
"The calm assertion, for my sake,' reflects Christ's consciousness of His unique supremacy which justly claims the absolute allegiance of His disciples. And the gospel's, added only in Mark (cf. 10:29), points to the message which he accepts and propagates at the cost of himself. The two form two sides of one great reality. Christ is known to us only through the gospel, and our adherence to the gospel means our loyalty to Him."214
8:36-37 The psychein these verses means the essential person. It is foolish to preserve one's comforts now because by doing so one sacrifices something of much greater value that God would give him or her. The "whole world"comprehends earthly possessions, position, pleasure, and power--all that the world can provide. Verse 37 stresses the irrevocable nature of the choice.
8:38 "Whoever"means unbelievers or believers (cf. v. 34). For unbelievers living when the Son of Man returns to set up His kingdom, Jesus' being ashamed before the Father will result in their loss of salvation. For believers living then, it will mean their loss of reward. This is the first explicit reference in Mark to Jesus' return in glory. Being ashamed of Jesus, rejecting His claims, has serious consequences.
". . . this conflict between Jesus and the disciples on the way to Jerusalem exemplifies the clash between the values of the disciples and those of Jesus."215
9:1 This verse is the positive truth whereas 8:38 expresses the negative. It concludes Jesus' solemn warnings in this pericope on an encouraging note. Some standing in that mixed audience would not experience death before they saw a preview of the kingdom that the Son of Man would establish after He came in glory (8:38; cf. 2 Pet. 1:16-19). Those individuals were Peter, James, and John (vv. 2-8).
This pericope should warn unbelievers and believers alike. It is also an encouragement to become a disciple of Jesus and to follow Him faithfully. The choice involves eternal loss or gain. This section would have been a special encouragement for Mark's original readers who faced the choice of undergoing persecutions and trials or abandoning their life of discipleship. Suffering and temporary loss would be Jesus' portion, and that would also be the destiny of His disciples. However, His faithful followers would eventually experience glory and blessing as He would.
