JESUS’ YOKE MEANS SUFFERING
27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”
30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants o be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
1 And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” Mark 8:27 – 9:1
Why did Jesus confide in His disciples about His impending suffering and death? Was it only to prepare them so that they would not be taken by surprise? It was much more than that. There was something more in His yoke that they had to grasp to be both accurate and powerful imitators of their Messiah. Jesus was alerting them to the very heart of true discipleship. The world hates God but, since it cannot take out its hatred on Him, it chooses to vent its hatred on God’s children. The only way to overcome the world is to let it abuse us without retaliation. “When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate. When He suffered, He made no threats. Instead He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” 1 Peter 2:23.
By resisting this part of Jesus’ yoke, Peter was revealing his embarrassment over Jesus’ way in the presence of his fellow- disciples. He was exposing his yet-unrefined and unregenerate heart which relied on violence, force and control to get his own way instead of allowing his Rabbi to lead him.
Jesus warned that an attitude like this would cut him off from union with his Master because he refused to share his Master’s union with the Father. Without that union with the Father and the Son, he would not fit in in the company of the Godhead. No union, no fellowship – it’s that simple.
Jesus concluded by warning them that this whole dramatic saga was closer that they imagined. The natural human inclination is to put off taking action when it comes to spiritual things. There is this inbuilt crazy notion that “I can do something about it tomorrow.” Jesus said, “Don’t do it.” This is all going to happen much sooner than you imagine. Now is the time to determine to embrace the Rabbi’s yoke in its totality, including the choice to trust God when we fall foul of the world because we refuse to avoid suffering the rejection, ridicule and contempt of the world because of our stand for Jesus and for His truth. They were soon to be confronted with their Master’s personal demonstration of His yoke.