Scripture Readings: Genesis 17: 1-7 and Mark 8: 31-38
In Genesis 17:1-7, we witness the covenantal promise God makes with Abraham. Despite Abraham’s doubts and uncertainties, God reaffirms His commitment to bless not only Abraham but also his descendants for generations to come, promising to make him the father of many nations.
This covenant underscores God’s faithfulness and His commitment to fulfill His promises, even in the face of human doubt and limitations. It highlights a crucial aspect of our faith: God’s promises throughout His Word are true, and we can trust them. Just as God remained faithful to Abraham, He continues to fulfill His promises in our lives today.
Despite Abraham’s advanced age and the seeming impossibility of having a child, Abraham believes in God’s promise. His faith serves as a model for us, demonstrating the importance of trusting in God’s faithfulness and obeying His commands, even when they seem doubtful or challenging.
Genesis 17 reminds us that God’s blessing and promise are at the heart of our being and life. We believe in the One who created a never-ending covenant with Abraham and fulfilled it through Jesus Christ. We have been given an honourable name, “disciple of Jesus,” which invites us to join God’s redemptive mission.
God’s promise extends to Abraham’s descendants and us, emphasising the intergenerational nature of God’s blessings. Today’s world is increasingly exposed to worldly values, and the Christian atmosphere is very different from the past; yet may our faith, prayers, actions, and tears of love as sincere believers in God have an impact not only on ourselves but also on future generations.
Turning our attention to Mark 8:31-38, we encounter a crucial moment in Jesus’ ministry. For the first time, Jesus openly speaks about His upcoming suffering, death, and resurrection. This revelation shocks His disciples, challenging their understanding of His mission. After telling his disciples about his impending death, he told everyone about the cost of being Jesus’ followers.
In the meantime, Peter expressed his own desire against Jesus’ words. While Peter was not possessed by Satan, he was temporarily used as an instrument of Satan in this instance. Like Peter, people of faith sometimes express or claim their own wishes instead of obeying God’s will. Christians are God’s possession, but they may be temporarily influenced by Satan and say things that go against the will and words of the Lord when their faith stagnates without growing or deepening. In the season of Lent, may we show our progress of faith and joyfully experience deeper relationships with God.
Jesus explains what it truly means to be His disciple – a call that demands self-denial, taking up one’s cross, and following Him wholeheartedly. The expression “deny himself” emphasizes the necessity of aligning our will with God’s, just as Jesus did. This passage vividly portrays the cost of discipleship, urging us to count the sacrificial cost of following Christ.
Mark’s gospel depicts the journey of Christian growth as a gradual process. It demonstrates that salvation and healing often take place in stages requiring patience and faithfulness. Despite their initial misunderstandings and failings, Jesus’ disciples gradually comprehend the depth of His teachings and submit to His authority. Their acceptance of self-denial and desire to take up their cross represent faith growth – a recognition that Christian growth is ongoing and transforming.
Jesus’ teaching about His impending suffering and death reveals the sacrificial nature of discipleship. To follow Jesus means embracing a life of self-denial and sacrifice, willingly surrendering our own desires and ambitions for the sake of Christ and His kingdom. Denying ourselves means that we must seek God’s will and submit our will to His just like Jesus. May we place God’s will and the demands of discipleship above all other desires we do hold to be significant.
Jesus’ statement, “Whoever wants to be my disciple, must deny themselves,” challenges our natural inclinations toward self-preservation and self-centeredness. Self-denial involves giving up our own will and desires, prioritizing God’s will above all else, but it does not imply self-deprecation or demeaning ourselves.
Jesus’ metaphor of taking up the cross symbolizes embracing suffering for the sake of following Him. The cross represents not only the instrument of Jesus’ sacrificial death but also the willingness to face hardship for the sake of the gospel. As followers of Jesus, taking up our cross also means participation in His mission of redemption. It requires a willingness to bear the difficulty and rejection that may come from living a life devoted to Christ.
Jesus’ paradoxical statement, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it,” challenges our conventional understanding of success and fulfilment. True life and salvation come from surrendering our lives to Jesus, even if it means losing worldly comforts or status.
As we journey through the Lenten season, let us reflect on the profound implications of God’s promises and the cost of discipleship revealed in Scripture. How do we respond to God’s faithfulness in our lives, especially in the face of uncertainty and hardship? Are we willing to embrace the sacrificial call of discipleship, surrendering our desires and ambitions to follow Christ wholeheartedly? Let us allow this season of Lent to deepen our faith, trusting in God’s steadfast love and committing ourselves to walk in the footsteps of our Savior, even when the path is challenging.
Take up his cross must have been a puzzling, offensive statement to the listeners. Jesus’ words about the cross and life may be uncomfortable words even for today’s modern Christian audience, but these are the Lord’s words to us. When people lose their lives by taking up the cross, they find life in Christ.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, may we draw strength from God’s unwavering promises and the sacrificial example set forth by our Lord Jesus Christ. As we journey through this season of Lent, may we grow in faith and obedience, embodying the true essence of discipleship. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus and follow Him with unwavering devotion, knowing that He who calls us is faithful.
Spiritual insight does not mean spiritual perfection, and our faithfulness cannot be perfect. However, opportunities to live our lives sharing acts of love, compassion, peace, and justice are daily before us. We are in the process of growing as his disciples. Jesus calls us to walk with Him in paths of love and service.
Jesus’ disciples demonstrate that they are submitting to Jesus’ authority by denying themself, taking up their cross, and following Jesus. May we be inspired to trust in God’s faithfulness, embrace the cost of discipleship, and follow Jesus wholeheartedly, even to the cross.
Thanks be to God! Amen!
(Ref. Bible, commentaries, theological books, UCA materials)