Mark 8:27 - Meaning and Application

We have already read a great deal about the teaching Christ gave and the miracles he worked. Those miracles were many, unusual, and strongly confirmed by eyewitnesses. They happened in different places, and the crowds who saw them were amazed. Now it is time to pause and think about what all this means.

The wondrous works Christ once told people not to spread around are now written in Scripture and published to the whole world. They are set before us, and before every age, for a reason. We should not treat them as something to admire and talk about only. They were written so that we may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:31). This conversation between Christ and his disciples helps us draw the right lessons from his miracles.

From these miracles, we learn three main things. First, they prove that Jesus is the true Messiah, the promised Christ, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world. His works gave witness to him, and his disciples, who saw them themselves, openly believed this. That gives us strong support for making the same conclusion.

Jesus asked his disciples what people were saying about him: “Who do men say that I am?” (Mark 8:27). This does not mean Christ needed information. He already knew. He asked so the disciples would notice the public opinion for themselves and talk about it together. It is a small thing to be judged by people, but it can still do us good to know what is being said, not so we can chase praise, but so we can hear what faults may need attention.

The answer they gave showed that the people had a high opinion of Jesus. They had not reached the truth, but his miracles had convinced them that he was no ordinary man, and that he had come with a divine mission from God. They probably would have called him the Messiah if their teachers had not filled them with the idea that the Messiah must be an earthly ruler, appearing in outward power and splendor. Jesus did not fit that picture.

Still, none of the people said he was a deceiver. Some said he was John the Baptist, others Elijah, and others one of the prophets (Mark 8:28). All of them agreed that he was someone sent by God, and someone who had come back from the dead in some sense. Even though they were wrong, they were far from treating him as a fraud.

Jesus then asked the disciples what they themselves believed. Their answer showed how fully satisfied they were with him, and with having left everything to follow him. After some time of testing, they saw no reason to regret it. Peter answered, “You are the Christ” (Mark 8:29). That is, you are the Messiah, the one long promised and long expected.

To be a true Christian is to sincerely believe that Jesus is the Christ, and then to live in line with that belief. His mighty works clearly showed that he was. The disciples knew this, and they would soon have to proclaim and defend it. For now, though, they were told to keep it quiet (Mark 8:30), until the proof was complete and they were fully prepared by the Holy Spirit. Then they could boldly declare that God had made this same Jesus, whom people had crucified, both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36).

Second, Christ’s miracles take away the offense of the cross. They show us that when Jesus suffered, he was not defeated. He was still the conqueror. Once the disciples were sure that Jesus was the Christ, they were ready to hear about his suffering. So Christ began to tell them clearly what must happen (Mark 8:31).

He taught them that he must suffer many things. They had already moved past the common error that the Messiah would be a worldly prince, at least enough to believe Jesus was the Messiah despite his lowly outward condition. But they still expected him to soon appear in glory and restore the kingdom to Israel. Christ corrected that mistake by showing them the opposite. He must be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, the very people they expected to welcome him. Instead of being crowned, he would be killed and crucified, and after three days he would rise again to a heavenly life, no longer belonging to this world.

He spoke this openly (Mark 8:32). That means he spoke plainly and freely, without hiding it in vague words. The disciples could have understood him if prejudice had not blinded them. It also shows that he spoke without fear, calmly and boldly, as one who knew he must suffer and die, and had resolved to do it.

Peter opposed him. He took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him. Peter showed more love than wisdom here, and zeal for Christ, but not according to knowledge. He took hold of Jesus, as though to stop him, perhaps even putting his arms around him in deep distress. Some understand it as Peter drawing Jesus aside privately to rebuke him. This was not the speech of a man claiming authority over his Lord, but the speech of intense affection, the kind of concern for someone we love that can become overbold. Jesus allowed his disciples to speak freely with him, but Peter here went too far.

Christ sharply corrected him (Mark 8:33). He turned around, as one displeased, and looked at his disciples too, to see whether they agreed with Peter. If they did, the rebuke he gave to Peter would also warn them. Then he said, “Get behind me, Satan.” Peter had little idea that such a loving warning would bring such a severe reply. He may have expected praise for his concern, as he had recently received praise for his faith. Christ sees wrong in our words and actions that we do not see ourselves, and he knows what spirit we are of, even when we do not.

Peter spoke as one who had not rightly understood, or seriously considered, God’s purposes and plans. He had seen enough of Christ’s power to know that Jesus could not be forced to suffer. No enemy was strong enough to overpower the one whom diseases, death, wind, waves, and demons all obeyed. He had also seen enough of Christ’s wisdom to know that Jesus would not choose suffering except for some very great and glorious purpose. For that reason, Peter should not have argued against him, but should have submitted to it.

He saw his death only as martyrdom, like the death of the prophets. He thought it might be avoided if he were careful not to anger the chief priests, or if he simply stayed out of their way. But he did not know that it was necessary for God’s glory, for Satan’s defeat, and for human salvation that the Captain of our salvation must be made complete through suffering, and so bring many sons to glory.

We should note this: human wisdom becomes complete folly when it tries to direct God’s plans. The cross of Christ, the great display of God’s power and wisdom, was a stumbling block to some and foolishness to others. Peter spoke as someone who did not rightly understand Christ’s kingdom, or had not thought carefully about it. He took it to be earthly and human, while in truth it is spiritual and divine.

“You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” The word means, “you do not set your mind on,” as in Romans 8:5. Peter seemed more concerned with the lower world and the life now than with the higher world and the life to come. To care more about human things than about God’s things, our own reputation, comfort, and safety more than God’s glory and kingdom, is a serious sin. It is the root of much other sin, and it is very common among Christ’s disciples. It will show itself in times of suffering, when those who are ruled by human concerns are in danger of falling away.

The phrase may also be read, “You are not wise in the things of God, but in the things of men.” It matters what kind of people think we are wise before (Luke 16:8). It may seem wise to avoid trouble, but if that means avoiding duty too, that is worldly wisdom (2 Corinthians 1:12), and it will end in foolishness.

These miracles of Christ should move us all to follow him, whatever it costs. They not only confirm his mission, but also explain his purpose and the nature of the grace he came to bring. They clearly show that by his Spirit he will do for our blind, deaf, lame, leprous, diseased, and troubled souls what he did for the bodies of all those who came to him in need.

The Gospels often show how many people crowded to him for help in all kinds of trouble. This is written so that we may believe he is the great Physician of souls, come to be our healer. We should come under his care and submit to his treatment. Here he tells us what terms admit us, and he called all the people to him to hear it, while they had stood at a distance when he was speaking privately with his disciples. This is something everyone must know and think about if they expect Christ to heal their souls.

They must not give in to the comfort of the body. “Whoever wants to come after me,” for spiritual healing as these people came for bodily healing, “must deny himself” (Mark 8:34). That means a life of self-denial, turning away from sin, and refusing pride and worldly comfort. He must not pretend to heal himself, but give up all trust in himself, in his own righteousness, and in his own strength. He must take up his cross, follow the pattern of a crucified Jesus, and submit to God’s will in every suffering he bears. Then he must keep following Christ, as many of those did whom Christ healed.

Those who want to be Christ’s patients must stay with him, listen to him, receive both instruction and correction from him, as those who followed him did. They must be settled in this, that they will never leave him. They must not be overly concerned, not even about bodily life, when keeping it would require them to leave Christ (Mark 8:35). If we are invited by Christ’s words and works to follow him, we should count the cost. We must ask whether we value the benefits of Christ more than life itself, and whether we can bear the thought of losing our life for Christ’s sake and the gospel’s.

The devil, when he draws disciples and servants after him, hides the worst part. He speaks only of pleasure, and says nothing of danger, as in, “You shall not surely die.” But Christ tells us ahead of time what trouble and danger are in his service. He says we may suffer, and perhaps die, for his cause. He makes the hardships seem no less, and sometimes greater, than they will actually prove, so that it may be clear he deals honestly with us and is not afraid for us to know the worst. The gain in his service is more than enough to outweigh the hardship, if we will fairly compare the two.

In short, we must not fear losing our lives if it is for Christ (Mark 8:35). Whoever tries to save his life by turning away from Christ, refusing to come to him, or later denying him after having professed him, will lose it. He will lose the comfort of this life, the root and spring of spiritual life, and all hope of eternal life. That is a terrible bargain. But whoever is truly willing to lose his life, who will risk it and lay it down rather than deny Christ, will save it. He will be a great gainer, because what he loses in this life will be made up to him in a better one.

It is considered some reward when people lose their lives serving their prince or country, if their memory is honored and their families are cared for. But that is nothing compared with Christ’s reward of eternal life for all who die for him. We must also fear the loss of our souls, even if we should gain the whole world by it (Mark 8:36, 37). “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, with all its wealth, honor, and pleasure, by denying Christ, and loses his own soul?” Bishop Hooper said the night before he suffered martyrdom, “It is true that life is sweet and death is bitter, but eternal death is more bitter, and eternal life is more sweet.”

Just as the joy of heaven with Christ is enough to balance the loss of life for Christ, so the gain of the whole world in sin is not enough to balance the ruin of the soul through sin. Christ then tells us what people do when they try to save their lives and gain the world, and how terrible the result will be for them. “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him” (Mark 8:38). We have a similar statement in Matthew 10:33, but here it is said more fully.

The cause of Christ has always had this disadvantage in the world: it must be owned and confessed in an adulterous and sinful generation. Human society is turned away from God, living in the pull of the world and the flesh, and lying in wickedness. Some times and places are especially marked by this kind of sin, as it was in Christ’s own day. In such a generation, Christ’s cause is pushed down, and those who openly follow him are mocked, treated with contempt, and spoken against everywhere.

Many people cannot deny that Christ’s cause is right, yet they are ashamed to stand for it because of the shame that comes with professing it. They are ashamed to be known as his, and ashamed to accept the truth of his words. They cannot bear criticism or contempt, so they drop their profession and go along with the crowd in a widespread falling away from the faith.

But a day is coming when Christ’s cause will shine out as brightly as it now seems low and despised. Then the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father, with his holy angels. He is the true Shechinah, the visible glory of God’s presence, and the Lord of angels.

Those who are ashamed of Christ in this world, where he is despised, he will also be ashamed of in that world where he is forever honored. They will not share in his glory then if they were unwilling to share in his disgrace now.