Mark 8:31-38
I have said before, we cannot, we do not have the capacity, to understand God’s way of thinking. God knows all – from day one to day last. We can sit around and ask God WHY all day long, but that is not going to give us the capacity to understand why. These verses prove that. Jesus is telling them what is coming, he is telling them plainly, no parables this time, what is gonna happen. but they refused to believe. What keeps them from believing? They themselves do. They are mindful of the things of men. Their mind is full of human things, not God things.Jesus says, “whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”What he is saying is “no Peter, you do not get to decide based on your limited understanding.” Or maybe, he is saying, "no, Cheryl, you are not God, you do not get to say.”
He is saying, “it is my way or the highway.”Jesus does not bend on this, EVER!We decide to follow Jesus. We make that decision. Using our God-given freewill. We are not forced into it. But, it is not a negotiation. We do not get set any of the terms, not for ourselves, and not for anyone else. Jesus is giving the disciples, he is giving us the facts, and now is the time to make the decision to be all in or out.If you follow Jesus, there is going to be suffering, but he is upfront and honest about it.