As the gospel of Mark reaches its halfway point, Jesus is surrounded by a committed bunch of followers, who are, if nothing else, confused. Their lack of understanding does not disqualify them from following him, but Jesus knows that they do not fully know what they are getting into. In fact, it won't be until after the resurrection that Jesus' disciples will truly understand what his kingdom is all about (and even then, in a still limited fashion). Peter confesses Jesus to be the Messiah at this middle point of the story, but it is clear that Peter does not fully comprehend what it means for Jesus to be the Messiah. Let's jump into the story in Mark 8:31-38 (ESV).
"And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning to Peter and seeing his disciples he rebuked Peter and said, 'Get behind me Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.'
And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with his holy angels.'"
Though the disciples, including Peter didn't know it, their commitment to Jesus would cost them their lives. It would cost them every single thing that they considered precious. It would cost some of them friends, family, and their standing in their communities. It would cost others of them their vocations. But it would cost all of them their lives - their souls - their very selves! The decision to follow Jesus is an "all-in" move. There's no going back, there's no hedging bets, it's his way or the highway. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it like this, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him, 'Come and die!'."
Peter and many of the earliest followers of Jesus did suffer death for their faith. But even the disciples who did not die for their commitment to Jesus, were still required to alter their whole way of living. Each morning when they woke up, the question that would have (or at least should have) come to their mind was not, "What's this day have in store for me?", but rather, "Where is Jesus and his Spirit leading me this day?".
Please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying that the earliest disciples always understood what Jesus and his Spirit was doing in their lives. Nor am I suggesting that they always followed Jesus in complete fidelity or perfection. One only needs to read the previous thirty verses in Mark 8 to see this. One only needs to read the rest of the New Testament to grasp this. And one only needs to look at his or her own life to be made painfully aware of this. But what I am suggesting is that when one decides to follow Jesus, this cannot be a half-hearted endeavor. We may not get it right all the time, but if we get it at all, we will not get it by only going half-way.
According to Jesus, our decision to follow him is a life and death decision. It is the life and death decision. If we bet on Jesus - if we are willing to go all in with the belief that he is the Messiah, the King, the Son of God, then we will suffer loss and defeat according to how the world keeps score. But we will win the ultimate prize in the end. We'll enjoy eternal life under his rule and reign in the age to come. But if we hedge our bets, or if we simply deny that Jesus is Lord, though we might win our fair share in this life, we'll miss out on eternal life in the world to come.
Jesus doesn't require us to get it right all the time. Discipleship is a journey and a process with a fair amount of stumbles and false steps along the way. And following Jesus does not depend on us fully understanding everything now - or ever. But the decision to follow Jesus is not one to be taken lightly. Either, we are in, or we are out. I'm all in! - Shay
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