We know what the popular ideas about the Messiah were, and against this background we can understand why the disciples were utterly unable to comprehend what Jesus went on to say after Peter's declaration about his Messiahship. Jesus said most plainly that he must suffer, be rejected and die. He then said that he would rise again to life but we can be sure that the disciples failed completely to understand what he meant by that. Inevitably, Peter's immediate response to what he had heard, that the one he had just proclaimed as the awaited Messiah was to suffer, be rejected and killed, was shocked protest. 'So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him' (8:32). .In Matthew 16:22 Peter's rebuke is recorded. Jesus' response to Peter's rebuke was even more shocking to Peter (8:33). Peter's moment of God-given revelation about Jesus had been replaced by terrifying spiritual confusion as Peter tried to understand what Jesus meant by calling him 'Satan'. This is one of the passages which we believe came directly from Peter's own recollections in Mark's gospel. Peter knew later that he had ignorantly tried to deflect Jesus from the path of the suffering Servant of God which Jesus knew he must follow.

In 8:34 there is the most austere teaching about discipleship in the gospel. The phrase 'carry his cross' had sinister significance to Mark's readers living under the rule of Rome. The Romans used crucifixion to punish and deter troublesome criminals and part of its horror was that the condemned man had to carry the heavy wooden cross beam to the place of execution (Mark 15:21).

Those who followed Jesus had to accept that if their Master suffered crucifixion, they also could be called to suffer similarly for his sake. From a human point of view, this teaching could discourage anyone hearing it from following Jesus, but it has to be understood in the context of what follows in 8:35-9: 1. The path of suffering is also the path that leads to the victory of the Kingdom of God. Jesus assured the disciples that some of them would see the coming of God's Kingdom, in their own lifetime. Jesus made it plain that his way, through suffering to victory, was also the way for his disciples.

From this passage it is clear that the coming of the Kingdom of God is essentially related to the death and Resurrection of Jesus.

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