Part 3: Take Up the Cross | Gospel According to Mark Semester Discussion Guide

Part 3: Take Up the Cross | Mark 8:27-10:52

[Return to The Gospel According to Mark Semester Discussion Guide]

The following should be read aloud as a group, with each person reading one paragraph before passing on to the next person. Afterwards, a discussion will follow with the provided discussion questions.

After spending many chapters showing us who Jesus is by his miracles and teachings, Mark now, in this section, explicitly tells us who Jesus is through the mouth of Peter: “You are the Christ.” (Mark 8:29). This section plays out the implications of Jesus being the Christ by focusing on the inseparable relationship between Jesus as Messiah and his suffering and crucifixion. This occurs both through Jesus making three explicit predictions of his upcoming crucifixion and resurrection (Mark 8:31, Mark 9:31-32, Mark 10:33-34) as well as various narratives that bring into focus the meaning of the upcoming crucifixion and resurrection and the inseparability of those events from the person of Jesus (i.e. the Transfiguration, James and John asking to be at Christ’s right and left hand in his kingdom).

Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”

So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”

Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (8:27-38)

A key detail in this passage is that Jesus is proclaimed to be the Messiah in Caesarea Philippi, a city named after Phillip the Tetrarch, son of King Herod.1 This should clue us in that Jesus’ Messiahship (kingship) is in some sense at odds with the empire of Caesar and his representatives like Herod. The biblical scholar and historian N.T. Wright notes:

“It’s vital for us to be clear at this point. Calling Jesus ‘Messiah’ doesn’t mean calling him ‘divine’, let alone ‘the second person of the Trinity’. Mark believes Jesus was and is divine, and will eventually show us why; but this moment in the gospel story is about something else. It’s about the politically dangerous and theologically risky claim that Jesus is the true King of Israel, the final heir to the throne of David, the one before whom Herod Antipas and all other would-be Jewish princelings are just shabby little impostors. The disciples weren’t expecting a divine redeemer; they were longing for a king. And they thought they’d found one. Nor was it only Herod who might be suspicious. In Jesus’ day there was a prominent temple in Caesarea Philippi to the newest pagan ‘god’—the Roman Emperor himself. A Messiah announcing God’s kingdom was a challenge to Rome itself.”2

In other words, Peter’s acclamation that Jesus is Messiah would legally have been considered treason at the time – a crime punishable by death.3

An unexpected exchange then occurs. Instead of Jesus talking to his disciples about how he is going to become this new Davidic king and have authority over Israel, he begins to talk about how he must suffer and die. This shocks Peter so much that Peter begins to rebuke Jesus, which then prompts Jesus to call him Satan and to tell the crowds that anyone who wants to follow him must “take up the cross.” This would have invariably been understood at the time as a willingness to suffer and die a horribly shameful death to follow Christ. It must be remembered that crucifixion specifically was a punishment reserved for slaves and non-citizens, whereas Roman citizens given the death penalty suffered a more humane death by beheading.4 This will become especially significant when Jesus is sentenced to death by the Sanhedrin, who had legal authority from the Romans to do executions via stoning,5 but instead go out of their way to request the Roman authorities to crucify Jesus.6

Of course, as Orthodox Christians in the twenty-first century, it is unlikely that we personally will suffer death for the faith – though it should not be downplayed that this still occurs even in the modern day.7 For us, taking up the cross will involve putting to death the passions and desires within us that prevent us from loving God and our neighbor. St. Augustine of Hippo says the following about taking up the cross in a letter to his friend:

“Turn, rather, to these teachings, my very dear friend: take up your cross and follow the Lord. For, when I noticed that you were being slowed down in your divine purpose by your preoccupation with domestic cares, I felt that you were being carried and dragged along by your cross rather than that you were carrying it. What else does the cross mean than the mortality of this flesh? This is our very own cross which the Lord commands us to carry that we may be as well armed as possible in following him. We suffer momentarily until death is swallowed up in victory. Then this cross itself will be crucified. The cross will be nailed to the fear of God. We would hardly be able to carry it now if it forever resisted us with free and unfettered limbs. There is no other way for you to follow the Lord except by carrying it, for how can you follow him if you are not his?”8

It is only through the cross, through self-denial, that we will experience the resurrection. As one of our Paschal hymns proclaims, “Through the cross, joy has come into all the world.”9

And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.”

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.

And a cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” Suddenly, when they had looked around, they saw no one anymore, but only Jesus with themselves.

Now as they came down from the mountain, He commanded them that they should tell no one the things they had seen, till the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept this word to themselves, questioning what the rising from the dead meant.

And they asked Him, saying, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”

Then He answered and told them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things. And how is it written concerning the Son of Man, that He must suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I say to you that Elijah has also come, and they did to him whatever they wished, as it is written of him.” (9:1-13)

The first verse of chapter nine, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power,” is understood in Orthodox Christian tradition as a reference to Peter, James, and John, who would see “the kingdom of God present with power” by Christ’s transfiguration in the following verses. Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev says the following regarding the transfiguration:

“An event from Christ’s life that had a special eschatological significance was his Transfiguration. The gospel account of this event begins with Christ’s words that ‘there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see that the Kingdom of God has come with power’ (Mk 9:1), and these words are understood in the Orthodox tradition as referring to the Transfiguration. The vision of Christ in his glory and the experience of the divine light are at the very heart of both Orthodox mysticism and Orthodox eschatology. According to St Gregory Palamas, the light of the Transfiguration ‘is not something that comes to be and then vanishes’. Rather, Christ’s disciples experienced a transformation of their senses so that ‘they beheld the Ineffable Light where and to the extent that the Spirit granted it to them’. This was, therefore, not only a prefiguration of the eternal blessedness to which all Christians look forward, but also the Kingdom of God already revealed, realised and come.”10

It should be noted, of course, that this account of the transfiguration is sandwiched between Jesus’ words regarding his crucifixion and resurrection. Before the transfiguration, Jesus predicts his crucifixion and the need for everyone to take up the cross (Mark 8:34-38), while after the transfiguration Jesus tells those who witnessed it to not say anything about it “till the Son of Man had risen from the dead” (Mark 9:9). It is in part because of this feature of the Scriptures that the Church celebrates the transfiguration on August 6, exactly forty days before the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14. The hymnography of the Church likewise notes this close connection between the transfiguration and Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection:

“On the Mountain You were Transfigured, O Christ God,

And Your disciples beheld Your glory as far as they could see it;

So that when they would behold You crucified,

They would understand that Your suffering was voluntary,

And would proclaim to the world,

That You are truly the Radiance of the Father!”11

Another confusing exchange occurs after the transfiguration when the disciples ask Christ why the scribes say that Elijah must come first. The scribal opinion in second temple Judaism that the coming of Elijah would precede the coming of the Messiah was based on passages like Malachi 4:4-5:

“And look, I am sending to you Elijah the Tishbite before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes, who will restore the heart of a father to a son and the heart of a person to his neighbor, lest I should come and strike the land entirely.”12

The disciples were confused as to why, if Elijah comes before the Messiah, they only saw Elijah at the transfiguration after Jesus was proclaimed to be the Messiah. While Christ’s response to them is often rendered as a statement (“Indeed, Elijah is coming first and restores all things”), it is perhaps better rendered as a question (“Does Elijah, having come first, restore all things?”). Taken in this way, Christ is affirming that Elijah comes first (as John the Baptist, who operated in the same role and spirit as Elijah and was killed for it), but is denying that Elijah “restores all things,” as that is the job of the Messiah by his crucifixion and resurrection.13

Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.”

Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”

And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.”

But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?”

They said to Him, “We are able.”

So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.”

And when the ten heard it, they began to be greatly displeased with James and John. But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them,  “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (10:32–45)

This passage, I believe, is intended to be somewhat humorous, albeit in a dark manner. Immediately after Jesus repeats that he will be betrayed and killed, James and John approach Jesus to ask to sit at his right hand and at his left when he is king. The irony is that they believe that they are asking for positions of honor, when in fact what they are asking to suffer and die alongside Christ. Jesus immediately lets them know that what they think they are asking is not what they are asking: “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” Here, the “cup” and “baptism” are images of personal participation in suffering and death parallel to how St. Paul describes participating in the Eucharist and baptism as participation in Christ’s death and resurrection.14 They again respond not knowing what their answer means, and Christ affirms that they will indeed drink his cup and be baptized with his baptism, a reference to their future sufferings and martyrdoms for Christ. St. Augustine of Hippo notes:

“In so speaking the Lord foreshadowed those by whose hand he would die. He does not mean here the death upon the cross as such, but that the Jews would deliver him up to the Gentiles, or, in other words, to the Romans.”15

When Christ says “to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared,” he is referring to the two thieves he will be crucified between, one on his right and one on his left. This is because Jesus’ crucifixion, in the Gospel of Mark, is depicted as his enthronement as king, and therefore those beside him in this moment are those at his right and his left in his kingdom. This will be seen more fully in Mark’s description of Jesus crucifixion.

Having now been told that Jesus is the Messiah who is going to suffer and die, in the next section we will see how Jerusalem receives their new king as he approaches his coming passion and resurrection.

Discussion Questions:

1. After spending the first half of Mark’s Gospel showing who Jesus is through His actions, Mark now has Peter explicitly proclaim, “You are the Christ.” Yet Jesus immediately begins talking about suffering and death. What do you think Peter expected the title “Christ” to mean, and how does Jesus’ response challenge or redefine those expectations?
2. Peter correctly identifies Jesus as the Christ, but Jesus then calls him “Satan” when Peter rejects the idea of a suffering Messiah. What does Peter’s reaction reveal about how easy it can be to recognize something true about Jesus while still misunderstanding what that truth means? Where might we be tempted to do something similar?
3. Jesus tells His disciples that following Him means denying themselves, taking up their cross, and following Him. For the people who first heard these words, the cross was not a religious symbol but an instrument of shameful execution. How does knowing what the cross meant to Jesus’ first disciples change the way you hear His command to “take up your cross”? What might that look like in ordinary life today?
4. Jesus describes the Christian life using an apparent contradiction: “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” What do you think Jesus means by “losing” and “saving” one’s life? Why might following Christ sometimes require letting go of something we believe will make our lives better?
5. The Transfiguration reveals Christ in glory immediately after Jesus teaches about His coming suffering and death. The Church’s hymn says that the disciples were given this vision so that when they saw Christ crucified, they would understand that His suffering was voluntary. Why do you think Mark places Christ’s glory so closely alongside His prediction of suffering? How might seeing these two realities together change the way we understand both the cross and the glory of Christ?
6. Peter, James, and John see Christ transfigured, hear the Father proclaim, “This is My beloved Son,” and then descend the mountain to continue following Jesus toward Jerusalem. What do you think the disciples were meant to carry with them from this experience? How might an experience of God’s glory prepare someone to remain faithful when that glory seems hidden?
7. The disciples ask about Elijah because they are trying to understand how Jesus fits into their expectations about the coming Messiah. Jesus points them toward John the Baptist and then immediately returns to the suffering of the Son of Man. What does this conversation reveal about the difference between having an idea of how God’s plan should unfold and being willing to receive the way God actually fulfills it?
8. Immediately after Jesus tells the disciples that He will be betrayed, condemned, mocked, scourged, and killed, James and John ask to sit at His right and left hand in His glory. What do you think James and John were imagining when they made this request? What does their misunderstanding reveal about the kind of kingdom they expected Jesus to establish?
9. Jesus responds to James and John by asking whether they can drink His cup and be baptized with His baptism. They confidently say yes, even though they do not yet understand what they are agreeing to. What do you think it means to say “yes” to following Christ before we fully understand where that commitment will lead us?
10. Jesus contrasts the way earthly rulers exercise authority with the way His disciples are called to lead: “Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.” He then points to Himself as the ultimate example. How does Jesus’ understanding of greatness differ from the way greatness is usually measured in the world? What might His definition of greatness look like in a college community, workplace, family, or church?
11. Throughout this section, Jesus repeatedly connects His identity as Messiah with suffering, death, resurrection, and service. Why do you think Mark presents these things as inseparable from Jesus’ identity as King? What would be missing from our understanding of Christ if we separated His glory from His cross?
12. By this point in Mark’s Gospel, the disciples have finally answered the question, “Who do you say that I am?” But they still have a great deal to learn about what their answer actually means. If someone today told you, “Jesus is the Christ,” what would you say that statement means beyond simply saying that Jesus is the Messiah?

_____

¹“Caesarea Philippi,” FaithND, University of Notre Dame. <https://faith.nd.edu/caesarea-philippi/>.

²N.T. Wright, “Mark for Everyone.” <https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Everyone-Tom-Wright/dp/0281071918>.

³Cf. Tacitus’ Annals for an example where a Roman is put to death for treason against Caesar: Book 6, Chapter 18. <https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/historians/tacitus/tacitus6.html#:~:text=XVIII.%20Former%20alarms%20then%20returned%2C%20as%20there,perils%20hanging%20over%20his%20brother%20Pomponius%20Secundus.>.

⁴“Roman crucifixion was more commonly reserved for escaped slaves, enemies, and perpetrators of often-violent crimes.” Gary Habermas and Benjamin Shaw, “Crucifixion in the Ancient World: A Historical Analysis.” <https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1188&context=eleu>.

⁵Cf. Acts 7, where the Sanhedrin executes the death penalty on St. Stephen via stoning.

⁶Cf. Mark 14-15.

⁷Associated Press, “Suicide bomber kills at least 22 in Greek Orthodox church in Syria during Divine Liturgy.” Published June 23, 2025. <https://apnews.com/article/syria-church-attack-damascus-mass-da2ed505d6625fce1fc9de9e88c200a3>.

⁸St. Augustine of Hippo, “Letter 243,” Quoted in Mark (Revised), Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. <https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Ancient-Christian-Commentary-Scripture/dp/0830814183>.

⁹“Paschal Hours,” OrthodoxPrayer.org. <https://www.orthodoxprayer.org/Paschal%20Hours.html>.

¹⁰Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, “Eschatology.” Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology. <https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-companion-to-orthodox-christian-theology/5B308EAC3984059E7453F3B4F84A7263>.

¹¹“The Feast of the Transfiguration – Kontakion Mode 7.” <https://www.liturgies.net/Transfiguration/divineliturgy.htm>,

¹²Malachi 4:4-5 Lexham English Septuagint.

¹³This suggestion of translating the first part of Jesus’ response as a question was first made by Joel Marcus and has helped me greatly in understanding this passage. Joel Marcus, Mark 8-16: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. <https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300141160/mark-8-16/>.

¹⁴Cf. Romans 6, 1 Corinthians 11.

¹⁵St. Augustine of Hippo, Tractate on John 94.5. Quoted in Mark (Revised), Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture. <https://www.amazon.com/Mark-Ancient-Christian-Commentary-Scripture/dp/0830814183>.