October 20 - The Christ and the Cross
SCRIPTURE READING:
Matthew 16; Mark 8
SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 16
¹ The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
² He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
³ And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
⁴ A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
⁵ And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
⁶ Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
⁷ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.
⁸ Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
⁹ Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
¹⁰ Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
¹¹ How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?
¹² Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
¹³ When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
¹⁴ And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
¹⁵ He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
¹⁶ And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
¹⁸ And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
¹⁹ And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
²⁰ Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
²¹ From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.
²² Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
²³ But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
²⁴ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
²⁵ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
²⁶ For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
²⁷ For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
²⁸ Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
Mark 8
¹ In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them,
² I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
³ And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.
⁴ And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?
⁵ And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
⁶ And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.
⁷ And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.
⁸ So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.
⁹ And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.
¹⁰ And straightway he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.
¹¹ And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
¹² And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.
¹³ And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.
¹⁴ Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them more than one loaf.
¹⁵ And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
¹⁶ And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have no bread.
¹⁷ And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened?
¹⁸ Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?
¹⁹ When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
²⁰ And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.
²¹ And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?
²² And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
²³ And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
²⁴ And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
²⁵ After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.
²⁶ And he sent him away to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.
²⁷ And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?
²⁸ And they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.
²⁹ And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.
³⁰ And he charged them that they should tell no man of him.
³¹ And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
³² And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.
³³ But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
³⁴ And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
³⁵ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
³⁶ For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
³⁷ Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
³⁸ Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
DEVOTIONAL:
Matthew 16 and Mark 8 turn on one decisive question: 'But whom say ye that I am?' The setting near Caesarea Philippi, a region associated with impressive political and religious claims, sharpens the confession. Peter answers that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. In Matthew, Jesus says this recognition is revealed by the Father and speaks of building His church so that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. The church is Christ's possession and project. Its endurance rests on Him, not on cultural dominance, personality, or institutional cleverness.
Yet Peter's correct title is followed immediately by a disastrously wrong understanding of Messiahship. When Jesus begins to teach that He must suffer, be killed, and rise again, Peter rebukes Him. Jesus responds with startling severity because a Christ without the cross is a satanic distortion of God's plan. Peter wants glory that bypasses suffering. Jesus insists that Messiahship is defined by obedient self-giving. The cross is not an accident interrupting Jesus' mission; it is central to the mission.
Mark's account includes the gradual healing of a blind man just before Peter's confession. The placement is suggestive: the disciples see, but not yet clearly. Peter can name Jesus correctly while remaining blind to the necessity of the cross. This is a warning for doctrinally articulate Christians. Correct vocabulary does not guarantee transformed perception. We need Jesus to keep opening our eyes so that His categories, not merely His titles, govern our lives.
The call to discipleship follows the prediction of the cross: deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow. Jesus is not commanding vague self-hatred or unnecessary misery. Self-denial means surrendering the self as the final authority and refusing to preserve life at the cost of allegiance to Him. The question about gaining the whole world and losing the soul exposes the folly of success without salvation. A person can win admiration, wealth, influence, and comfort while making an eternal loss.
Jesus' promise to come in the Father's glory prevents the cross from becoming despair. The path runs through suffering toward resurrection and kingdom. Christian discipleship is therefore cruciform but not hopeless. We follow a Messiah who was rejected and raised. We lose the illusion of self-sovereignty and receive life from Him. The church should be most recognizable not when it mimics the world's hunger for status but when it confesses the true Christ and embodies His self-giving pattern.
In daily life, In daily life, ask not only whether you can state the right doctrine about Jesus but whether your choices fit the crucified Messiah you confess. In marriage and family, self-denial often looks like listening before defending, forgiving without keeping leverage, and serving when unnoticed. At work, refuse gains that require loss of integrity. In church, beware of strategies that promise influence by making the cross less central or repentance less necessary. Let Jesus correct your vision repeatedly. The soul is too valuable to trade for a promotion, an image, a secret pleasure, or the approval of a crowd.
In U.S. civic life, In U.S. civic life, the virtue arising from these chapters is moral courage without self-exaltation. Pray for citizens and leaders to reject the belief that gaining power justifies losing integrity. Christians should show up in public life willing to bear costs for truth and neighbor-love while refusing to make political victory a substitute for faithfulness to the crucified and risen Christ.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Why is Peter's confession true while his immediate understanding of Messiahship is still dangerously incomplete?
How does the cross define Jesus' kingship differently from common ideas of power and success?
What would self-denial mean in one concrete decision involving money, reputation, sexuality, or control?
Where are Christians tempted to gain influence in ways that obscure the crucified character of the Messiah?
PRAYER:
ADORATION:
Jesus, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. We worship You as the crucified and risen Messiah who builds His church and will come in the Father's glory.
CONFESSION:
Forgive us for confessing Your title while resisting Your cross, for protecting self-rule, and for wanting worldly gain more than faithfulness.
THANKSGIVING:
Thank You that the cross was not defeat but the appointed path of redemption, and that resurrection means self-denial is never the final word for those who follow Christ.
SUPPLICATION – GENERAL:
Open our eyes where we see only partly. Give us courage to lose what must be lost, wisdom to protect the soul from false bargains, and churches that trust Christ more than status or strategy.
SUPPLICATION – U.S. / CIVIC:
Give leaders and citizens integrity that cannot be purchased by power. Make Christians willing to bear costs for what is true and good without turning public victory into an idol.
SCRIPTURE:
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? — Mark 8:36