What kind of Messiah are we following—and what happens when the Christ we expect isn’t the Christ who calls?

In this special episode of Wesleyan Threads, Pastor Britt steps into the tension of Mark 8:27–9:1 to ask hard questions about discipleship, power, and the cross. Jesus doesn’t affirm Peter’s vision of messianic glory—he rebukes it. He doesn't wield the cross like a banner of conquest. He carries it—and invites us to do the same.

Drawing from trauma theory, narrative theology, and exegetical work from NT 602 with Dr. Brian Blount, this episode dismantles triumphalist visions of Christianity and reclaims the cross as a site of vulnerability, resistance, and solidarity with the wounded. This is not about glorifying pain—it’s about following a Messiah who stands with the suffering, not above them.

For those disillusioned with nationalistic Christianity or a church that avoids the cost of compassion, this is an invitation: to take up not a flagpole, but the cross.

Key Threads

• Cruciform discipleship and the redefinition of messianic power
• The cost of truth-telling and resistance to imperial expectations
• Mark 8 as narrative hinge and theological confrontation
• Trauma-informed readings of rejection, suffering, and hope
• Why Jesus’ call to take up the cross is a comfort to the wounded, not a glorification of harm

Explore More

• R. Alan Culpepper, Mark: Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary
• M. Eugene Boring, Mark: A Commentary (New Testament Library)
• Cynthia Jarvis & Elizabeth Johnson, Feasting on the Gospels: Mark
• Ched Myers, Binding the Strong Man
• Brian K. Blount and Gary W. Charles Preaching Mark in Two Voices
• Craig A. Evans, Word Biblical Commentary: Mark 8:27–16:20

Link to episode recap: https://www.wesleyanthreads.org/blog/special-episode-recap-the-cross-is-not-a-flagpole

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