By Elizabeth Reimer, a junior Bible and religion and peace, justice and conflict studies major from Naperville, Illinois
Scripture: Mark 8:31-38 (NRSV)
I grew up hearing stories of martyrs. By the time I left high school, I knew all the classic tales of Mennonites killed for their faith, and some of the tales of early Christians too.
Today in the United States, we rarely encounter situations that would require us to sacrifice our life for Jesus. I will likely never be killed for publicly declaring myself a Christian. For that reason, I think it can be less helpful for us to read passages such as today’s reading as calls to literal self-sacrifice. I do believe that as Christians, we are called to put our lives on the line for our faith. I also believe that we are called to do more than that.
In this passage, Jesus is not just telling his followers that they should be willing to die for him. He is telling them to live for him. To quote the ever-present musical Hamilton: “Dying is easy, young man. Living is harder.”
The Gospel of Mark begins with Jesus’ baptism, and soon after, his calling of the disciples. The disciples literally walk away from their lives to follow him. They sacrifice their life—a safe, planned-out, easy, normal life—for a new life with Jesus.
I do not want to live an easy life. To live an easy life, in a world full of injustice and suffering, would require me to deny a part of my humanity. To truly care for others, I must be willing to suffer with them. I must be willing to suffer for them. That is not an easy life, but it is the life that Jesus calls us to.
Scripture: Mark 8:31-38 (NRSV)
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
34He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”