The Cross is Not A Flagpole - Reflections on Mark 8:27-9:1 Part 2

There are moments in Scripture that comfort us.
And then there are moments that confront us.

Mark 8:27–9:1 does both.
It holds out the deep, grace-filled truth of who Jesus is — and then asks whether we’re ready to follow him into the reality that comes with it.

And the truth is: many churches aren’t.

Jesus doesn’t just call himself the Messiah.
He redefines what that means.

Instead of a triumphant warrior, he speaks of rejection.
Instead of a king who claims power, he talks about suffering.
Instead of dominating his enemies, he walks toward the cross.

And then he turns to his followers — to the crowd, to the curious, to us — and says:

“If you want to follow me, deny yourself. Take up your cross. Walk with me.”

It’s a stunning call. But over the centuries, we’ve dulled its edges.

We’ve turned the cross into a symbol of identity instead of a practice of transformation.
We’ve worn it around our necks and nailed it to our church walls, without letting it shape our hearts or our politics.
We’ve even — and this is hard to say — used it to sanctify empire.

That’s what Christian nationalism does.
It takes the story of Jesus and rewrites it as a story about domination, purity, and power.
It puts the cross next to a flag and calls it faith.

But the cross is not a flagpole.

It doesn’t exist to prop up a nation or a system or a political agenda.
It exists to expose them.

The cross is not a symbol of success.

It’s a protest against theologies that worship comfort, prosperity, or control.

It doesn’t guarantee you’ll win.
It promises you’ll be faithful — even when it costs you.

That’s what makes Mark’s version of the story so raw, and so necessary.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Peter gets affirmed.
In Luke, the edges are softened.

But in Mark, Peter gets rebuked. “Get behind me, Satan.”
And Jesus doesn't explain it away.

Because Mark refuses to smooth the edges.
He wants us to see the scandal of discipleship.
To feel the tension between the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God.

And here’s the truth: we can’t follow Jesus if we’re committed to winning.
We can’t take up the cross while clinging to dominance.
We can’t embody the Gospel if we’re afraid to lose what makes us comfortable.

So what do we do?

We begin by listening.
By repenting for where the church has used Jesus’ name to serve empire rather than embody love.
By remembering that the invitation to take up the cross is not an excuse for harm — but a call to resist it.

And then we walk the way.
Not for show.
Not to earn anything.
But because that’s where Jesus is.

And he’s not waving a flag.

He’s carrying a cross.