34 And when he had called the people unto him 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 Or 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 cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8:34-38 KJV)
Conditions for following Christ
In these verses, Jesus tells us the conditions for being his followers. He called the crowd to him, not just the disciples, because this message concerns everyone.
Following Christ means we must not cling to comfort or personal ease (Mark 8:34): “Whoever wants to follow me for spiritual healing must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” That is, they must give up self-reliance, refuse to seek their own glory, and accept the life God assigns, including hardship, just as Christ did. Those who seek Christ’s healing must stay near him, learn from him, and commit to him wholeheartedly.
We must not hold onto life itself when it means letting go of Christ (Mark 8:35). Following Christ requires us to consider if we are willing to give up everything—even our lives—for him. Unlike Satan, who hides the cost of following him, Jesus is honest: suffering and even death may come, but the reward is far greater.
We must not fear losing our lives for Christ’s sake. Those who try to save their lives by rejecting Christ will lose everything—the comfort of this life, spiritual life, and eternal life. But those who willingly lay down their lives for Christ will gain far more: eternal life. Earthly honors for those who die serving their nation are nothing compared to the eternal reward Christ gives to those who die for him.
We must fear the loss of our souls more than anything else—even if gaining the whole world is the trade-off (Mark 8:36-37). What good is worldly gain if it costs your soul? As Bishop Hooper said before his martyrdom: “Life is sweet, and death is bitter, but eternal death is more bitter, and eternal life is more sweet.” Heaven is worth more than life itself. No earthly reward is worth the eternal loss of one’s soul.
Jesus concludes with a warning (Mark 8:38): “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” This expands on Matthew 10:33. This means, whoever denies or disowns me—whether my person, my gospel, or my followers—out of fear or desire to please others, will be disowned and eternally rejected by me on the great day.
Two emotions often lead people to disown Christ during times of temptation: fear and shame. Many good people have been overcome by fear, like Peter, but we don’t find anyone in Scripture who denied Christ out of shame. That kind of denial points to a corrupt and insincere heart. If someone thinks it’s beneath their status or reputation to stand with the faith and despised followers of Jesus, they will find it even harder to do so on the great day.
Learn from this: First, it’s not enough to believe in Christ inwardly; we must also honor Him through outward confession. Also, anyone ashamed of Christ’s teaching or His people is ashamed of Christ Himself.
Second, Christ’s cause suffers in this world because it must be professed in a corrupt, sinful generation—people who have abandoned God and embraced the world. In such an environment, following Christ means facing ridicule, contempt, and opposition. Third, many who know Christ’s cause is right are still ashamed of it because of the shame it brings. They deny Christ to avoid scorn and go along with the world’s rebellion.
Fourth, a day is coming when Christ’s cause will be vindicated, when the Son of Man comes in divine glory, accompanied by angels. Lastly, those who, either out of fear or shame, are ashamed of Christ now—when he is despised—will be rejected by him then, when he is glorified. They will not share in his glory, because they were unwilling to share in his suffering.