Mark 8:34

“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.’”

                I know the usual view of this Scripture is Jesus intently and sternly staring at the multitudes and He give this as a warning, like “Hey guys, if you’re going to follow me. You’re going to have to deny yourself and suffer. No cheap grace here!” But I see Jesus expounding these words in a gentle, promising tone like in Matthew 11:28 “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy leaden, and I will give you rest.” This verse in Mark is not so much as a warning, but a compliment to the passage of Mathew 11:28-30.

                “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden” What are they laboring and so heavy laden for? Well it’s “self”; their own righteousness, their own reputation, their own worldly comforts, they all are heavy yokes upon their soul’s and they are exhausted trying to establish and maintain their “self” lives, and Jesus is beckoning them to deny that part of their life. “Let him deny himself” Jesus is not asking a person to do more teeth-gritting work, but He’s asking them let go of their “self” and live for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

                “and take up his cross,” Jesus though doesn’t tell His disciples to just simply deny themselves, but once they unpack their needless and exhausting labor, Jesus then gives them their own crosses to bear. The cross is death, the cross is horrible, the cross is ugly, but Christ has given the cross a new meaning, and now to His disciples the cross is something that brings joy and rest. Take a look back at Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you,” What is Jesus’ yoke that he speaks of. Well, it’s the cross. Now though this cross seems to be the absolutely worse thing to bear, one may actually find strength and rest while bearing their cross “and you will find rest for your souls.”

                Lastly, Jesus told His disciples to “follow Me.” What does this mean to follow Him? Well the answer is found in Matthew 11:29. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me,” Well what should we learn from Him exactly? “For I am gentle and lowly in heart,” Jesus lives out His beatitude “Blessed are the poor in spirit… Blessed are the meek” (Matt 5:3, 5) and so we should follow. Hebrews 12 then gives us even more insight about how to follow Him “Look upon Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame,” So since Jesus bore the cross for the joy set before Him, we should likewise bear our cross for the joy set before us, which is the rest and fulfillment we find in God Himself within the eternal realm of heaven and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Application: Christ is not striking me with a whip to deny myself and carry my cross, but He is beckoning my soul to the joyful rest in Himself, in which there is no room for any type of “self.” The cross is hell for my flesh, but rest for my soul. I don’t need to pout in the face of self-denial, but I need to joyfully take up my cross in which my Savior has commanded me to bear. I need not bear my “self” with exhaustion, but find rest while bearing my cross.

                “For My yoke is easy and my burden is light… and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt 11:30, 29)