34 And having called the crowd with his disciples, he said to them, Whoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.
And he who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.
If any man come to me, and shall not hate his own father and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yea, and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple; and whoever does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
But my servant Caleb, because he hath another spirit in him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he came; and his seed shall possess it.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me;
But they that [are] of the Christ have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts.
I am crucified with Christ, and no longer live, *I*, but Christ lives in me; but [in] that I now live in flesh, I live by faith, the [faith] of the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself for me.
For I think that God has set us the apostles for the last, as appointed to death. For we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men. *We* [are] fools for Christ's sake, but *ye* prudent in Christ: *we* weak, but *ye* strong: *ye* glorious, but *we* in dishonour. To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are in nakedness, and buffeted, and wander without a home, and labour, working with our own hands. Railed at, we bless; persecuted, we suffer [it]; insulted, we entreat: we are become as [the] offscouring of the world, [the] refuse of all, until now.
And if thy hand serve as a snare to thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having thy two hands to go away into hell, into the fire unquenchable; [where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched]. And if thy foot serve as a snare to thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life lame, than having thy two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire unquenchable; [where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched]. And if thine eye serve as a snare to thee, cast it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire, where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, If any one desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
For being free from all, I have made myself bondman to all, that I might gain the most [possible].
But far be it from me to boast save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom [the] world is crucified to me, and I to the world.
to know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death,
Now, I rejoice in sufferings for you, and I fill up that which is behind of the tribulations of Christ in my flesh, for his body, which is the assembly;
Christ, then, having suffered for us in [the] flesh, do *ye* also arm yourselves with the same mind; for he that has suffered in [the] flesh has done with sin,
but as ye have share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, that in the revelation of his glory also ye may rejoice with exultation.
Fear nothing [of] what thou art about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give to thee the crown of life.
Wherefore if meat be a fall-trap to my brother, I will eat no flesh for ever, that I may not be a fall-trap to my brother.
But if thy right eye be a snare to thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell. And if thy right hand be a snare to thee, cut it off and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell.
And as they went forth they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; him they compelled to go [with them] that he might bear his cross.
And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, One thing lackest thou: go, sell whatever thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me, [taking up the cross].
Strive with earnestness to enter in through the narrow door, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter in and will not be able.
Thus then every one of you who forsakes not all that is his own cannot be my disciple.
And, as all the people were listening, he said to his disciples,
Simon Peter says to him, Lord, where goest thou? Jesus answered him, Where I go thou canst not follow me now, but thou shalt follow me after. Peter says to him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thee.
But he said this signifying by what death he should glorify God. And having said this, he says to him, Follow me. Peter, turning round, sees the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also leaned at supper on his breast, and said, Lord, who is it that delivers thee up?
establishing the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to abide in the faith, and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.
And if children, heirs also: heirs of God, and Christ's joint heirs; if indeed we suffer with [him], that we may also be glorified with [him].
But *we* ought, we that are strong, to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each one of us please his neighbour with a view to what is good, to edification. For the Christ also did not please himself; but according as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproach thee have fallen upon me.
therefore let us go forth to him without the camp, bearing his reproach:
teaching us that, having denied impiety and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, and justly, and piously in the present course of things,
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Mark 8
Commentary on Mark 8 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 8
In this chapter, we have,
Mar 8:1-9
We had the story of a miracle very like this before, in this gospel (ch. 6:35), and of this same miracle (Mt. 15:32), and here is little or no addition or alternation as to the circumstances. Yet observe,
Mar 8:10-21
Still Christ is upon motion; now he visits the parts of Dalmanutha, that no corner of the land of Israel might say that they had not had his presence with them. He came thither by ship (v. 10); but, meeting with occasions of dispute there, and not with opportunities of doing good, he entered into the ship again (v. 13), and came back. In these verses, we are told,
Mar 8:22-26
This cure is related only by this evangelist, and there is something singular in the circumstances.
Mar 8:27-38
We have read a great deal of the doctrine Christ preached, and the miracles he wrought, which were many, and strange, and well-attested, of various kinds, and wrought in several places, to the astonishment of the multitudes that were eye-witnesses of them. It is now time for us to pause a little, and to consider what these things mean; the wondrous works which Christ then forbade the publishing of, being recorded in these sacred writings, are thereby published to all the world, to us, to all ages; now what shall we think of them? Is the record of those things designed only for an amusement, or to furnish us with matter for discourse? No, certainly these things are written, that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God (Jn. 20:31); and this discourse which Christ had with his disciples, will assist us in making the necessary reflections upon the miracles of Christ, and a right use of them. Three things we are here taught to infer from the miracles Christ wrought.