Jesus Upped-the-Ante Day 30

For a long time following Jesus had been a great adventure. The disciples had seen him do just incredible things. He then sent them out to do the same in his name and they did it. They just know that they are about something that is very big, something that could change everything. All of their wildest hopes and visions and dreams seem to be coming true.
But then the whole mood begins to change. They had been hearing the rumors about Jesus. Some had begun to speculate that Jesus could be the Messiah. When Jesus asks them who they say he is, Peter says, “You are the Messiah,” and just when they think they are about to celebrate, Jesus immediately gives them a completely different understanding of what the Messiah is going to do. He says, “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…” (Mark 8:31) The disciples are crushed. They are confused. Peter tries to correct Jesus, and then Jesus rebukes Peter. It is an awful sequence.
And then, Jesus upped-the-ante even more: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (8:34)
It is amazing that they stayed with Jesus at all. What he says about himself they didn’t count on. What he says about them they didn’t count on either.
Following God’s plan, God’s rescue mission, cost Jesus his life. Jesus couldn’t do what he was called to do, what we needed him to do, without giving his life. His life for our life. His sacrifice for our sins. We sometimes don’t like to talk about the Christian life with such stark terms, such dire straits; no, it is much easier to talk about church, or about our liturgy, or about some social or moral issue—but there is no way around what Jesus did for us and there is no way around what he says it means to follow him.
His cross, our cross. His sacrifice, our sacrifice. Discipleship costs. No way around it. Grace may be free, as we say, but Jesus had to give his life to give it to us. We must give him ours to receive it.
Jesus upped-the-ante and staked his whole life for us. What are we willing to stake for him?