Since before the intrusion of sin into the world, God’s desire has been to be in personal relationship with men and women created in His image. After sin occurs, His impulse is still to be with us, even when that requires a cosmic sacrifice on His part to secure a place for us in His presence. The entire story arc of the Bible is the unfolding of this advent impulse, His intention to come to us in a way we can understand and to secure fellowship for eternity.

Jesus continues to unveil coming events with ever increasing detail. While these teachings are clearly turning the minds of the disciples toward eternity, their unfortunate response is still concerned with status and position. The final reminder they need before arriving in Jerusalem is found in the enthusiasm of new faith…so also for Evergreen!

Contemporary American Christianity has an obsession with wealth and prosperity. This preoccupation is the result of misunderstanding precisely what discipleship requires. The breathtaking expectation for Jesus-followers confronts dramatically the only man mentioned in the Gospels who went away sad from the presence of Jesus.

Family life in every generation is a special target of the enemies of God. Marriage is intended as a model for the gospel and children are fresh reminders of the image of God impressed on every living soul. Accordingly, Jesus takes marriage and children seriously, even personally. Shouldn’t the Church be devoted to the same priorities as our Lord?

As Jesus continues instruction on discipleship in light of His upcoming rejection and death, He now confronts the selfish ambition and envy found within His own small group of disciples. Mark collects a variety of related sayings in this chapter in order to summarize the critical importance of adopting the standards of Jesus for the life of faith.

As delegation of ministry to the disciples continues, a colossal failure is discovered by the group returning from the transfiguration. Jesus responds in a way that reveals the dethroning of Satan is always a reversal of death and an affirmation of life. There is a practical lesson here—as wonderful and important as mountaintop experiences can be, a disciple’s primary occupation is in the valley of service.

Mark wants us to understand that Jesus is more than what He appears to be, that He is, in fact, the Son of God unquestionably. He had to suffer, but suffering was not His ultimate destiny. His destiny was to be glorified. The mystery here is the balance and chronology between the two realities—Suffering Servant and Glorified King.

The call to follow Jesus is not a blind leap of faith into the darkness. It is, rather, an act of will based on rational calculations related to life and eternity. Discipleship involves suffering. If the Messiah must suffer, so must His followers. But weighing the options, this suffering is a worthwhile trade for the guarantee of what’s to come.