The first half of Mark’s Gospel is built around answering the question of ‘Who is Jesus?’. So we are introduced to Jesus the teacher, Jesus the healer, Jesus the one who has power over unclean spirits and even storms, Jesus who feeds large crowds. These various portraits come to a head when Jesus asks the disciples straight out who they think he is. While popular opinion views Jesus as a prophet, Peter correctly identifies Jesus as the Messiah or King (or Christ in Greek).

The words have barely left Peter’s lips when Jesus begins to speak about the suffering, rejection and death that awaits him. None of this was expected for Israel’s Messiah who was usually seen as a powerful conquering hero. Jesus then makes a bad situation worse by stating that anyone who wishes to follow him must be prepared to walk a similar path of suffering. This call to costly discipleship doesn’t sit well with our generation. The advertising industry makes its money by persuading us that what we really need is greater comfort and more fun, which will be ours if we just buy a particular product or service. So it remains as radical – and uncomfortable – today as it was in Jesus’ day to own the fact that we follow a suffering messiah who calls us to a costly following.

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