March 18 | Cost
Read Mark 6:14-32
Discipleship will cost you your life. Following Jesus is a weighty decision. Mark wants his readers to be clear that the path of following Jesus isn’t an easy one. That’s part of why this story about John the Baptist is included.
John died for speaking truth to power. John told Herod it was wrong of him to steal his brother’s wife. And then Herod’s dysfunctional family gathering ended with a murder for entertainment. This was the end for the faithful one who announced the Messiah.
See, Mark’s readers were suffering too. They were being cruelly persecuted by the emperor. He wanted them to know they weren’t alone in their suffering. That others had suffered for the sake of the Gospel.
Mark’s readers didn’t need it sugar coated. Suffering was their reality. They needed verses 31-32. They needed an invitation from Jesus to rest in their suffering. To know that He was with them.
Are you in a season where following Jesus has cost you? Are you willing to follow Jesus even when it costs you? Today, confess any hesitations you have to the cost of discipleship. And ask Jesus to let you sense His presence with you in suffering. Ask for courage and willingness to follow, no matter the cost.