Whosoever Will

Jesus described His upcoming mistreatment, death, and resurrection in this passage. Peter didn’t see the bigger picture and received a well-deserved rebuke from the Savior.

You can play, download, or read the transcript of this Take Note Podcast below.

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Whosoever Will

Mark 8:31-37

  • Jesus spoke of His death and resurrection many times in His ministry
  • Our passage of the day records just one instance of this
  • His disciples and others listening responded in different ways
  • In this case, there was a very specific response from Peter
  • But it was not the correct response
  • What Jesus said in His rebuke to Peter is a reminder of His mission
  • Of the fact that He concentrated on the Father’s will
  • While we often concentrate on what we think would be good for us
  • This interaction is a key feature of the passage
  • But it is not the only well-known portion of the text
  • Jesus uses the phrase “whosoever will” twice
  • And “whosoever shall” once
  • In some really important New Testament thoughts
  • Our theme will be “Whosoever Will”
  • From Mark 8:31-37 today
  • When we read this text looking back, we understand it
  • We know that Jesus Christ was falsely accused and crucified
  • We know how He died for our sins, not His own
  • And we know that after He died and was buried, He rose again
  • Before this all took place
  • His disciples had a very hard time understanding and accepting these ideas
  • How was it that the King of kings and Lord of lords would allow Himself to be killed?
  • How is it that He would allow Himself to be mistreated?
  • And why, after all this time of waiting for the Messiah, would Israel lose Him so soon?
  • No doubt, these questions and others came to the minds of those He told
  • But they were missing the point
  • Not remembering, not comprehending, not accepting the words of the Old Testament
  • In places like Isaiah 53:5

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

  • He would die in our place and for our sins
  • So that we could be healed
  • This was His mission
  • And He explained it…

Mark 8:31

31  And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 

  • Jesus speaks with His disciples here
  • And, pretty much, lays it all out
  • He would suffer many things
  • He would be rejected of the Jewish elders
  • And the chief priests
  • And the scribes
  • Not only that, He would be killed
  • The great news is that He would raise from the dead
  • We know this to be the gospel story
  • The good news that provides salvation for men
  • But for those who were with Him
  • Who don’t have the perspective we will have today
  • This must have been a difficult thing to hear…

Mark 8:32

32  And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. 

  • Peter took exception to the idea of Jesus’ mistreatment
  • He began to rebuke to the Savior
  • You can understand him not wanting to see this happen
  • Being against that kind of injustice for his Lord
  • But Jesus had a mission
  • He knew what He was saying, and He knew what He was doing
  • And this outline of future events was God’s will
  • Peter’s notions of Christ’s mission on earth were faulty
  • He wasn’t seeing the bigger picture
  • And Jesus makes this clear to him…

Mark 8:33

33  But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. 

  • Peter’s rebuke was well-earned
  • He was directly opposing God’s will
  • Salvation would come to mankind through Christ’s sacrifice
  • And it was a cup He must drink
  • Not Peter’s will, not His own will, but the Father’s will
  • He was behaving in a way Satan would behave in the same position
  • He had his mind set on the things of man
  • Concerned about his own discomfort at the thought
  • Fighting against any injustice
  • Even if injustice was a mechanism God would use to save men
  • Disciples must not see the world using their own wisdom
  • We can get it all wrong
  • We must look to the wisdom that comes directly from God in scripture
  • This will take denial of self…

Mark 8:34

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. 

  • Self-denial is a daily reality of Christian discipleship
  • Followers of Jesus must not be concerned with “the things that be of men”
  • We have a different way
  • The way of the follower
  • Going anywhere He calls us to go
  • Doing anything He calls us to do
  • Without regard to our own will, our own satisfaction, or our own opinion
  • If we choose to come after Him, then we choose the narrow road
  • It’s a road that not many walk down
  • But it is the road that leads to eternal life
  • The miles ahead will be difficult
  • They will require sacrifice
  • But He will be with us all the way
  • Even for those who were with Him on the day
  • Seeing only His loss in the future
  • They would be sent another Comforter
  • One of the very same sort
  • That would take up residence within them
  • To walk with them in His physical absence
  • This is the same Holy Spirit every believer relies upon today
  • And it’s a good thing
  • Because this is what we understand about our lives…

Mark 8:35

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. 

  • Anyone holding onto their life will lose it
  • It is not ours to hold
  • He gave it to us for a purpose
  • Just as He gave His life up to do the Father’s will
  • We must do the same
  • The Creator is worthy
  • What He gave to us
  • We must give up willingly
  • For Christ’s sake
  • And for the gospel’s sake
  • It is only when we give it up
  • That we will see it saved eternally
  • It is a surrender
  • It is a release
  • That every disciple of Christ must make
  • If we do not give up our lives
  • Here are some key questions…

Mark 8:36-37

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? 

  • Saving our lives means saving it for ourselves
  • To gain what we want
  • To live our way
  • To do our own will
  • But what is any of this saving worth?
  • In the long-term?
  • In eternity?
  • Is gaining that which we desire in this life worth losing our souls?
  • What can we give in exchange for our soul?
  • The soul is that immaterial part of us
  • The part of us that remains when our physical life ends
  • That which remains when we die
  • Which will spend eternity somewhere
  • Will we place our faith in Christ
  • Who died in our place, was buried, and rose again
  • The perfect sacrifice for our sins
  • Will we surrender to His will?
  • Or save our own lives for our purposes

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