Lent Journey: Week Two

Mark 8:31-38

31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Story 

 

The story is told of a very wealthy American who left instructions in his will that he wanted to be sent off in unforgettable style. He laid down that he should be buried in his gold-plated Cadillac, propped up behind the steering wheel, his pockets full of cash and an expensive cigar in his hand. The TV cameras whirred as the car was lowered into the enormous grave, and one onlooker was heard to say to his neighbour, boy, that guy sure knew how to live!” The image this time is my drawing of a scene from Monty Python's The Life of Brian. In it, the Roman officer, played by Michael Palin, is telling prisoners heading for crucifixion where they need to go to collect their cross. The original line is "Crucifixion? Yes. Good. Out of the door. Line on the left. One cross each."

Questions 

1. What does it mean to follow someone or something? 
2. Who do you follow? Celebrities? Teams? TV series? 
3. What for you is the biggest cost of following Jesus? 
4. Has there ever been a load which you have thought was too heavy to bear? 
5. What would you want to be famous for? How would you want to be remembered? 
6. Imagine that you had to a symbol of your faith, so everyone knows what you believe. Then people treat you differently, you aren't allowed in certain shops, on buses and that you get over charged for everything. How would you feel? Would you be tempted to not wear it occasionally to make life easier? 
7. What do you like or dislike about the picture (from Monty Python's Life of Brian, when the prisoners are going to be Crucified)? Does it make you think of anything in particular? 
8. How does the story link in with the Bible reading? 
9. Which affects you more the reading, the story or the image?