"What did Jesus
mean when He said, "Take up your
cross and follow Me"
(Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34;
Luke 9:23)?"
Answer: Let's begin with what
Jesus didn't mean. Many people
interpret "cross" as some burden
they must carry in their lives:
a strained relationship, a
thankless job, a physical
illness. With self-pitying
pride, they say, "That's my
cross I have to carry." Such an
interpretation is not what Jesus
meant when He said, "Take up your
cross and follow Me."
When Jesus carried His cross up
Golgotha to be crucified, no one
was thinking of the cross as
symbolic of a burden to carry.
To a person in the
first-century, the cross meant
one thing and one thing only:
death by the most painful and
humiliating means human beings
could develop.
Two thousand years later,
Christians view the cross as a
cherished symbol of atonement,
forgiveness, grace, and love.
But in Jesus' day, the cross
represented nothing but
torturous death. Because the
Romans forced convicted
criminals to carry their own
crosses to the place of
crucifixion, bearing a cross
meant carrying their own
execution device while facing
ridicule along the way to death.
Therefore, "Take up your
cross and follow Me"
means being willing to die in
order to follow Jesus. This is
called "dying to self." It's a
call to absolute surrender.
After each time Jesus commanded
cross bearing, He said, "For whoever
wants to save his life will
lose it, but whoever loses
his life for me will save
it. What good is it for a
man to gain the whole world,
and yet lose or forfeit his
very self?"
(Luke 9:24-25). Although the call is
tough, the reward is matchless.
Wherever Jesus went, He drew
crowds. Although these
multitudes often followed Him as
Messiah, their view of who the
Messiah really was-and what He
would do-was distorted. They
thought the Christ would usher
in the restored kingdom. They
believed He would free them from
the oppressive rule of their
Roman occupiers. Even Christ's
own inner circle of disciples
thought the kingdom was coming
soon (Luke 19:11). When Jesus began
teaching that He was going to
die at the hands of the Jewish
leaders and their Gentile
overlords (Luke 9:22), His popularity sank.
Many of the shocked followers
rejected Him. Truly, they were
not able to put to death their
own ideas, plans, and desires,
and exchange them for His.
Following Jesus is easy when
life runs smoothly; our true
commitment to Him is revealed
during trials. Jesus assured us
that trials will come to His
followers (John 16:33). Discipleship demands
sacrifice, and Jesus never hid
that cost.
In Luke 9:57-62, three people seemed
willing to follow Jesus. When
Jesus questioned them further,
their commitment was
half-hearted at best. They
failed to count the cost of
following Him. None was willing
to take up his cross and crucify
upon it his own interests.
Therefore, Jesus appeared to
dissuade them. How different
from the typical Gospel
presentation! How many people
would respond to an altar call
that went, "Come follow Jesus,
and you may face the loss of
friends, family, reputation,
career, and possibly even your
life"? The number of false
converts would likely decrease!
Such a call is what Jesus meant
when He said, "Take up your
cross and follow Me."
If you wonder if you are ready
to take up your cross, consider
these questions:
. Are you willing
to follow Jesus if it means
losing some of your closest
friends?
. Are you willing to follow
Jesus if it means alienation
from your family?
. Are you willing to follow
Jesus if it means the loss of
your reputation?
. Are you willing to follow
Jesus if it means losing your
job?
. Are you willing to follow
Jesus if it means losing your
life?
In some places of the world,
these consequences are reality.
But notice the questions are
phrased, "Are you willing?"
Following Jesus doesn't
necessarily mean all these
things will happen to you, but
are you willing to take up your
cross? If there comes a point in
your life where you are faced
with a choice-Jesus or the
comforts of this life-which will
you choose?
Commitment to Christ means
taking up your cross daily,
giving up your hopes, dreams,
possessions, even your very life
if need be for the cause of
Christ. Only if you willingly
take up your cross may you be
called His disciple (Luke 14:27). The reward is worth
the price. Jesus followed His
call of death to self ("Take up your
cross and follow Me")
with the gift of life in Christ:
"For
whoever wants to save his
life will lose it, but
whoever loses his life for
me will find it"
(Matthew 16:25-26).
have a blessed
day, Gary
yfc77jesus@aol.com