The pastor yesterday began his sermon with a joke. And I laughed, maybe a little louder than is appropriate. Oh well. The joke, roughly paraphrased: A chicken and a pig are walking down the street. They come upon a diner with a sign in the window -- "Eggs and Bacon -- $2.50" The chicken remarks to the pig, "You know, that's really a great deal!" The pig answers, "Speak for yourself... for you it's $2.50, for me it's a life giving proposition!"
This joke seems to work with this passage in Mark, as well. Jesus is talking about some fairly uncomfortable notions -- namely, his own impending death, which is to follow humiliating suffering. But he doesn't stop there. He mentions that after three days, he will rise from the dead. This makes Peter more than a little nervous, and he lets Jesus know. And Jesus lets Peter know. Boy, does Jesus let Peter know: "Get behind me, Satan!" He chastises him bitterly for being too caught up in this world, when he really needs to be setting his sights beyond.
And then, Jesus really puts it all out there: "If any want to becomes my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it." Jesus wants us to be all in. Go big or go home. It's truly a life giving proposition.
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