Part Two: Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Son of Man. Jesus spoke plainly about His purpose.
Scripture: Mark 8: 32
He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
Note: Peter was not considering God’s purpose but only his own natural human desires and feelings when he rebuked Jesus. Peter wanted Christ to be king, not the suffering servant prophesied in Isaiah 53.
Peter saw only part of the picture.
Like the other disciples, Peter was ready to receive the glory of following the Messiah but not the persecution. He was often the spokesman for all the disciples. In singling Peter out, Jesus may have been addressing all of them indirectly. Unknowingly, the disciples were trying to prevent Jesus from going to the cross and fulfilling His mission on earth.
Satan also tempted Jesus to avoid the way of the cross (see Matthew 4). Whereas Satan’s motives were evil, the disciples were motivated by love and admiration for Jesus. Only after Jesus’s death and resurrection would they fully understand why He had to die.
What does it mean to take up the cross?
The Romans, Mark’s original audience, knew what taking up the cross meant. A prisoner carried His own cross to the place of execution, signifying submission to Rome’s power.
Jesus used the image of carrying a cross to illustrate the ultimate submission required of His followers.
Read the Entire Chapters of the Scriptures Referenced: