Mark 8

Two very important conversations happen in this chapter. As usual, both of them flip the expected storyline upside down.

First, after several years of being with Jesus, watching him, listening to him, and learning from him, the disciples finally figure out who he really is: the Messiah, the long-awaited anointed one from God. This is big news. So why does Jesus immediately instruct them not to tell anyone? Probably because their (and everyone else’s) concept of “Messiah” didn’t line up with Jesus (the actual Messiah), and they might have disrupted his perfect plan for showing God to people and sharing truth with them.

Second, after affirming that he is in fact the Messiah, Jesus announces that he is heading to death — not what people expected from the Messiah. Then he describes what it really means to follow him and be his disciple. They would have expected the Messiah’s followers and disciples to be important people who were revered by the crowds, who had the inside track on power and prestige, and who were closely connected to all the right people.

Wrong, says Jesus. My followers and disciples must live selfless lives, just as I do. My followers and disciples must turn away from fame and prestige, just as I do. My followers and disciples must embody humility, just as I do.