03-15-2026 Come and Follow Me
Text: Mark 8:34-38
Continuing with the series of Biblical invitations, this morning’s invitation is a challenge from Jesus. Our text is found in Mark 8:34-38 that says: “ (34) And when He had called the people with His Disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (35) For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the Gospel’s, the same shall save it. (36) For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (37) Of what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (38) Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in the Glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
We have seen several different kinds of invitations in the Bible: inviting us to be physically and spiritually saved, to be clean, to be satisfied, and to find rest. Today’s invitation is a challenge because it invites us to become disciples of Jesus, to examine the cost of the denying the invitation, to be prepared to experience suffering, deprivation, and for some even martyrdom.
It begins with the challenge to surrender and forget one’s self. It’s not an easy challenge to accept because we’re all wired to look out for number one – ourselves. Jesus is asking us to give control of ourselves to Him. So when we accept the invitation to follow Jesus we are accepting the challenge to become one of His Disciples. When He says in verse 34 to take up your cross and follow Him, it’s not an invitation to experience the same suffering as He did on the Cross, it means that while we may experience ridicule and persecution for being a Christian, we are also accepting the benefits He offers to us as a result of His suffering on the Cross. Mark’s original audience was the Romans who knew very well what it meant to take up a cross meant. Death on a cross by Rome was a form of execution for dangerous criminals. Prisoners carried their own crosses to the place of execution signifying submission to Rome’s power. Jesus’ use the image of carrying a cross is to illustrate the ultimate submission required of His followers. He wasn’t and isn’t against pleasure in our lives, nor was He saying we should look for pain needlessly. He’s talking about the heroic effort needed to answer His invitation to follow Him.
Becoming a disciple of Jesus requires us to surrender ourselves to Him so that we can give Jesus first place in our lives. Colossians 1:17-18 tell us that Jesus has to have the preeminence in our lives. This means that Jesus is first and above all others in all that we say and do.
Accepting the invitation to follow Him means we are to surrender to Him everything we think, say, and do in our lives. This will allow Him to guide us in everything we do so that all our actions and decision will be God-centered. Jesus didn’t teach self-denial as an end in itself. He doesn’t want us to be miserable for misery’s own sake. When we follow Him we are denying the aspects of self that lead us away from God and eventually to eternal death. What we are giving up include selfishness, cruelty, and indifference in order to experience a Godly life and bring true life and hope to others. Taking up your cross will require sacrifice and possible pain, but it will also lead to a life with a new level of appreciation for Jesus and service to others.
Jesus tells us in verse 35 that when we willingly lose our lives for the sake of the Gospel, which is the Good News of Jesus Christ, it’s not because our lives are useless. It’s because nothing – not even life itself – can compare to what we gain when we follow Jesus. He wants us to choose to follow Him rather than lead lives guided by sin and self-satisfaction. He want us to stop trying to control our own destinies and let Him direct us. This makes sense because, as the Creator, Jesus knows better than we do what real life is about. He asks for submission, not self-hatred. He asks us to lose our self-centered determination to be in charge. In other words, we are to let go of our pride.
We learn in verses 36-37 that life without Jesus is worthless. Many people spend all their energy looking for pleasure in their lives. However, lives that are centered on experiences, possessions, position, or power are ultimately worthless. We must always remember that everything about our earthly lives is temporary. We can’t take any of it with us when we leave this life and it can’t be exchanged for our souls. It may seem like you have a satisfying life when you obtain the things you worked hard for but eventually without Jesus in your life you will find that life is hollow and empty. Instead of constantly looking for things that please us for pleasure’s sake, we are better served by looking to God and living for Jesus. When we do, our lives will be more satisfying and full while on earth and will ultimately lead us to eternal life.
Jesus turned the world’s perspective upside down with talk of first and last and saving and losing. He is offering us a choice in verse 38. We can reject Him now and be rejected by Him at His second coming, or we can accept Him now and be welcomed by Him when He returns again. Rejecting Him may help us escape shame or persecution we may experience for living a Christian life now, but it will not guarantee an eternal life with no persecution, pain, sickness or sorrow when we will meet Jesus face to face.
Accepting this challenging invitation will make our lives worthwhile. But holding back will cause us to lose the best life that we can have – now and for eternity. Anytime we accept a challenge it will be difficult to take it on. But Jesus promises us that accepting His challenge to follow Him will offer more than we can fully understand until the day comes when we finally see Him. Accepting Jesus will save our lives and more importantly, our souls for all eternity.
Until we meet again, may God bless you and keep you, may He shine His light on you, show you grace, and give you peace in all the days ahead.