19 Feb 26 | The Messiah Who Must Suffer
Jesus reveals that glory comes through rejection and life through self-denial, redefining both Messiahship and discipleship through the logic of the cross.
The Gospel: Luke 9:22-25
Jesus said to his disciples:
“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected
by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Then he said to all,
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?”
Today’s Focus
In this passage, Jesus redefines what it means to be the Messiah and what it means to follow Him. The Son of Man’s path to glory runs through suffering, rejection, and resurrection, uniting Daniel’s vision of exaltation with the reality of the cross. Discipleship, then, is not admiration from a distance but participation in that pattern. To deny oneself is to relinquish self-sovereignty and entrust one’s life to Christ, accepting that true life is found not in self-preservation but in surrender.
In the Margins
This Gospel follows Jesus being identified as the Messiah. In this Gospel He redefines what that means, He is clarifying what this title is going to bring about. He does this by clarifying that the Son of Man must suffer. This is echoing Daniel, where we see that the Son of Man is triumphant and in this passage Jesus unites that exaltedness with suffering and rejection.
Jesus makes it clear that the path ahead will have hardships, especially for Him. This echoes Hosea 6:2, “on the third day he will raise us up,” Jonah’s deliverance pattern. In Scripture, “third day” frequently signals divine intervention after apparent defeat. He is reminding the disciples that He will be victorious, but through suffering.
After speaking about Himself, Jesus turns outward. Of note, self-denial here does not mean self-hatred or rejection of personal dignity. In first-century context, to “deny” someone meant to disassociate or refuse allegiance (as Peter will later deny Jesus). Jesus is saying that a person will have to submit their life to Christ’s authority. To deny oneself is to relinquish self-sovereignty and submit to Christ’s authority; this is done by taking up a cross.
This language was not symbolic as it is today. Roman execution in this manner meant humiliation and public shame. Jesus is telling them to accept suffering, embrace rejection themselves, and bear the true cost of fidelity to Him. Luke emphasizes that this is not a single act of surrender, or some single dramatic moment, adding that this is to be done daily.
The word for “life” here is psychē, which means life, self, or soul. This presents the reader with a unique paradox. For someone to preserve themselves, they must lose themselves. If they lose themselves for Jesus, they will find true life. Clinging to our self-autonomy is not the path to salvation, rather this comes from surrender, which leads to our true identity.
This passage reveals the heart of Jesus’ redefinition of discipleship. Jesus is the Lamb of God, a sacrifice offered for the salvation of the world. If we are to follow, we must lose reliance on personal morals and relativism and our way of thinking that does not source itself from God. This applied directly to early Jews and still applies to us today. There are so many things that aim to control our thoughts, our beliefs, and how we live our lives. Jesus reminds us here that we should focus our thoughts and our minds to Him, entrusting ourselves to God rather than clinging to self-direction.”
Reflection Question
Where am I clinging to control or self-direction instead of trusting Christ enough to follow Him through difficulty?
A Small Invitation
If this reflection helped you, consider sharing it with someone who may be carrying more than they were meant to.