This Jesus comes urging us to give of ourselves, put others first, and take up burdens on behalf of another. No wonder he is not only disbelieved but also rejected: he isn't just an unusual king, he is the anti-king, almost the exact opposite of the kings of the world. And no wonder his kingdom still has trouble attracting applicants. He says here that in order to enter you need to be last, not first. Later he'll lift up the most vulnerable -- children, the outcast, and the diseased -- as models of exemplary citizens. Who really wants to be part of this club? Jesus is proclaiming an anti-kingdom, again so utterly opposite of what we imagine a kingdom should be. - David Lose

With this ominous invitation, the cost of discipleship got much, much bigger. Embracing Jesus means embracing that cross. Mark doesn't say it, but I suspect that after these words, the crowds around Jesus got smaller. - Joe Roos

In a world in which we are constantly bombarded with information—some of it beautiful and much of it terrifying—how do we witness to Christ? We can become numb to the horrors that tear apart our siblings and families around the world and in our own communities. It is tempting to focus on the shiny, pretty things (and sometimes that might be a temporary necessity for mental health). However, Jesus reminds us that we cannot remain with the shiny, pretty things. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). In today’s world, part of our cross might be the constant cultivation of compassion. - Pearl Maria Barros