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Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Mark 8:34

Whosoever will come after me - It seems that Christ formed, on the proselytism of the Jews, the principal qualities which he required in the proselytes of his covenant. The first condition of proselytism among the Jews was, that he that came to embrace their religion should come voluntarily, and that neither force nor influence should be employed in this business. This is also the first condition required by Jesus Christ, and which he considers as the foundation of all the rest: - If a man... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Mark 8:35

For whosoever will save his life - On this and the following verses, see Matthew 16:24 , etc. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Mark 8:38

Whosoever - shall be ashamed of me - Our Lord hints here at one of the principal reasons of the incredulity of the Jews, - they saw nothing in the person of Jesus Christ which corresponded to the pompous notions which they had formed of the Messiah. If Jesus Christ had come into the world as a mighty and opulent man, clothed with earthly glories and honors, he would have had a multitude of partisans, and most of them hypocrites. And of my words - This was another subject of offense to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:27-34

Parallel passages: Matthew 16:13-24 ; Luke 9:18-23 .— Christ's prediction of his death and rebuke of Peter. This section will be considered in connection with a like prediction in the following (ninth) chapter of this Gospel.—J.J.G. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:31-38

Unwelcome prophecies. I. PLAIN TRUTHS SELDOM WELCOME . He now spoke of suffering, rejection, even murder, at the hands of a conspiracy. The veil was drawn aside; at last it was seen what the Messiahship of Jesus meant. The same thing had before been expressed parabolically ( John 2:19 ; John 3:14 ; John 6:51 ). II. THE FLATTERY OF FRIENDSHIP . The honest-hearted Peter is endeared to us. He is so human; his feelings always on the right side, his intelligence often... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:34

He called unto him the multitude with his disciples . This shows that there was an interval between what had just taken place and what is now recorded. Our Lord now, without any further special reference to St. Peter, delivers a lesson of universal application; although, no doubt, he had Peter in his mind . If any man would ( εἴ τις θέλει ) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me . This self-denial ought to extend to everything, even to life itself,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:34-38

The worldling and the Christian: a contrast. Our Lord had just foretold his own sufferings, and now he goes on to speak of his requirement—that his disciples should be willing to follow him in the way of the cross. Soon they would be involved in persecution and trials, which they would be unprepared to meet unless they had wholly surrendered themselves to him. He never hid from his disciples what it would cost them to follow him. Again and again, when there were signs of defection on the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:35

Because the cross is sharp and afflicting, our Lord animates his followers to bear it by the thought of its great and everlasting rewards. The meaning of the verse is this: he who by trying to shun the cross and to escape self-denial would save his life here, will lose it hereafter. But he who loses his life here for the sake of Christ, either by dying in his cause or by denying and mortifying his lusts out of love for him, he in the life to come shall find his life in the bosom of Christ and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:35-38

Parallel passages: Matthew 16:25-27 ; Luke 9:24 - 26 .— Secular profit and spiritual loss. I. A CURIOUS CALCULATION . These verses present themselves in the light of an arithmetical calculation regarding profit and loss—a calculation as important as it is curious. In this calculation the soul is on one side, and the world on the other; secular matters on the one hand, spiritual concerns on the other. A calculation of this sort involves a difficulty, for there is no common... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Mark 8:36

What doth it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? ( ζημιωθῆναι ); literally, forfeit his life ( ψυχή ) . The word ψυχή in the Greek, originally meaning simply "breath," as the sign of life, is of very comprehensive import, embracing not merely "the breath of life," but also the "soul," or immortal part of man, as distinguished from his mortal body, also the mind or understanding, as the organ of thought. "Life" seems here to be the best English... read more

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