The Way of the Cross (March 1, 2026)
Peter gets the answer right. When Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29), Peter responds without hesitation: “You are the Messiah” (Mark 8:29). Full marks on the title. But within moments, Peter pulls Jesus aside to rebuke him, because the Messiah he has in mind bears no resemblance to the one standing before him. Peter knows the word without knowing what it means.
So Jesus teaches him — plainly, Mark says, not in parables:
And Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again (Mark 8:31).
The word “began” is important. This moment isn’t just a simple correction; it marks a key turning point in Jesus’s ministry, indicating that his teaching intentionally shifts toward the cross. It’s no accident that this change occurs exactly where it does in Mark’s Gospel. From this point forward, through the end of chapter ten, the word hodos — “way” — is repeated throughout the story. Scholars call this the Way Section, and the theme connects back to the beginning of Mark, which quotes Isaiah 40:3: “prepare the way of the Lord” (Mark 1:3, quoting Isa 40:3). The path Jesus takes to Jerusalem symbolizes the Lord’s return to his people. The Way of the Lord is now the way of the cross.
This truth means that when Jesus gathers the crowd and speaks the following words, he is inviting his disciples to join that same journey.
If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Mark 8:34).
Following Jesus has always come with a cost. It cost the disciples their livelihoods, reputations, and ultimately their lives. The way that cost manifests differs for each of us, but the call remains the same — to deny ourselves, to take up whatever cross he sets before us, and to walk the path he walked.
This is worth reflecting on, especially during times of self-examination. What have you given up to follow Jesus? Is he asking you for more?