Mark 8 Deny Yourself
Mark 8 puts the terms and conditions of the gospel in a nutshell, "deny yourself".
Yashua has two conditions for those who want to be his followers and disciples. The first is condensed into two words: deny yourself.
If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.
Mark 8:34 is not self-denial, but it is denying your self. It is not just giving up little things, stopping smoking or drinking, swearing or watching bad movies. There are many things people give up to try to improve their quality of life and “do better”. For the sake of their friends and family many will deny certain things that they would naturally be drawn to, but Yahshua was talking about something far greater.
He was talking about denying self-life, and self-concern. He was talking about abandoning self altogether, utterly and completely! He was talking about dying to self and becoming a slave of others, the servant of all.
If anyone desires to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all... I am among you as the one who serves.
The second condition further illustrates the same point. Taking up your cross (the means of your death) is not just patiently enduring whatever misfortune comes to you. The cross brings you to the end of your own life. Crucifying the flesh is crucifying your own passions and desires.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Taking up your cross, however, takes you beyond simply denying your old life and brings you into the supernatural realm. A realm where you actually participate in the death to all that is of the flesh, as you carry out the deeds of the Spirit. You engage daily in the deeds of self-sacrificing love to build up the Body of Messiah, your brothers and sisters who you share your new life with.
You cannot fulfill these deeds of love, the works prepared for you as a member of the Body of Messiah, in the flesh. You cannot pick up your cross and follow Yahshua unless you have first denied yourself. You cannot drag self around on the cross. You have to leave yourself behind in order to pick up your cross and follow in His footsteps. The flesh will not and cannot do it.
...the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so...
In Acts 2:38, the call was to repent and be baptized to receive the Holy Spirit. This means self-surrender. You can give up many things, but whatever you do, wherever you go, it doesn’t take long before self starts causing problems. Not only must we give up the fleshly desires of the world, but we must give up our very self. What self thinks, what self feels, what self wants and doesn’t want. What self likes and doesn’t like. It all must go. Self dies or we die.
...if you are living in accord with the flesh, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
The true gospel truly deals with self. The gospel always calls us out of sinful self-centeredness, into community in Messiah. Into the real, tangible participation in, as a vital member of, the Body of Messiah!
