Mk. 16:19-20; 14:32-42, Jesus Obeys His Own Command!

In this, our final post on the Gospel of Mark, we come to the end of the matter.  Jesus has ascended to heaven and is sitting at the right hand of the Father, waiting for the Father to deal with His enemies (Ps. 110:1), and at the same time interceding for His own (Rom. 8:34).  Meanwhile, the Apostles “went out and preached everywhere,” being obedient to Jesus commission.  And Jesus’ followers continue today to bring the “world-wide” task to completion.  As Luke said in Ac. 1:1, Jesus had begun to do and teach this.  Now His Body, the Church, is doing what He did.  That is the way it must be.  Allow me to remind you of what I still consider to be the most crucial passage in all of Mark’s Gospel: 8:34-38.

³⁴ When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ³⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. ³⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? ³⁷ Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ³⁸ For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

The passage makes it clear that we are called to follow Jesus.  He is the forerunner (Heb. 6:20; 12:1-2).  We are going where He went.  And now, allow me to give you another passage from John’s Gospel, at a time when Jesus’ earthly ministry had come to its conclusion.  Here is what He said then (John 12:23-26):

²³ But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. ²⁴ Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. ²⁵ He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

What Jesus was facing was troubling, hard, the ultimate in suffering.  But this did not change anything because He was not seeking His own life but willing to lose it for the will of the Father.  So there it is: we are called not to seek our own lives but to lost them for the sake of Christ and the gospel!  Pray for me, that even in my old age, I will not neglect the sole commission Jesus gave to His followers.