Welcome to episode 71 of Grasp the Bible.  In this episode, we continue our study in the Book of Mark, covering chapter 8:27-9:1.  The series is called “Get in, buckle up, and hold on!”  Today, we discuss: 

• The prompting by the savior (vv. 27-30) 
• The prediction by the savior (vv. 31-38) 
• The revelation (v. 31) 
• The rebukes (vv. 32-33) 
• The requirements (v. 34) 
• The rewards (vv. 35-38) 

Key takeaways: 

• Freedom from the things of this world means freedom to become all that God wants us to be. 
• Verses 27-30 form the hinge of Mark’s gospel.  From here on, Jesus’ message will shift from the announcement of the kingdom of God to one of the suffering servant. 
• The Jews during the time of Jesus and people today find it difficult to fathom the world’s savior as a suffering servant, rather than a conquering king. 
• What profit is it to “gain the whole world” yet forfeit your soul, that is, to lose your relationship with the creator God? 

Quotable: 

• The paradox of salvation is that it costs us nothing, yet it costs us everything. 

Application: 

• The disciples misunderstand the Messiah’s role. They cannot conceive of a Messiah who will suffer and die.  The tendency to create Jesus in our own image is a danger still with us. Our perceptions of Jesus are inevitably shaped by our felt needs. 
• One of the great paradoxes of the Christian faith is that to lose one’s life for Jesus and for the gospel means to gain true life. 
• Jesus makes it clear that one who would be counted as a “follower” (i.e., a disciple) must actually take action.  We cannot simply self-identify as a Christian. 
• To “deny oneself” does not mean to live a life of self-denial or self-discipline. It is to renounce your claim to yourself—desires, ambitions, personal goals—and to submit to Christ as his slave. It is a denial of autonomy and self-sufficiency. 

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