What did Jesus mean when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me”?

Answer

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Let’s start with what Jesus didn’t mean in this verse. Many people interpret the “cross” to be taken up as some burden they must carry in their lives: a strained relationship, a thankless job, a physical illness, etc. With self-pitying pride, they look at their difficulty and say, “That’s my cross I have to carry.” Such an idea is not what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”

When a person carried a cross in Jesus’ day, no one thought of it as a persistent annoyance or symbolic burden. To a person in the first century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only: death by crucifixion. To carry a cross was to face the most painful and humiliating means of death 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 a torturous death. The Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion (see John 19:17). Bearing a cross meant one was about to die, and that one would face ridicule and disgrace along the way.

Therefore, Jesus’ command to “take up your cross and follow Me” is a call to self-abasement and self-sacrifice. One must be willing to die in order to follow Jesus. Dying to self is an absolute surrender to God.

After Jesus commanded cross-bearing, He said, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone gi”ve in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:25-26). Although the call to take up our cross is challenging, the reward is unparalleled. Nothing in this world is valuable enough to forfeit eternal life.

Wherever Jesus went, He attracted crowds. Their perception of who the Messiah truly was—and what He would accomplish—was frequently distorted. They anticipated that the Christ would promptly establish the renewed kingdom «And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. », (Luke 19:11). They believed He would liberate them from the oppressive rule of their Roman occupiers. Some wished He would continue providing complimentary meals for all «Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. », (John 6:26). Jesus’ declaration that following Him necessitates taking up a cross caused people to reconsider their motives and level of dedication.

In Luke 9:57–62, three individuals appeared willing to follow Jesus. Yet, when Jesus probed them, their commitment was revealed to be lukewarm at best. They neglected to assess the price of following Him. None were prepared to bear their cross and sacrifice their own interests on it.

Jesus’ apparent efforts to deter people from following Him undoubtedly reduced the number of false converts and insincere disciples see John 6:66. However, God seeks “true worshipers [who] will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth” «But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. », (John 4:23). Jesus’ call to “take up your cross and follow Me” serves to filter out the insincere, vacillating, and deceitful.

Are you prepared to take up your cross and follow Jesus? Reflect on these inquiries:

– Are you ready to follow Jesus even if it entails losing your dearest friends?

– Are you prepared to follow Jesus even if it leads to estrangement from your family?

– Are you prepared to follow Jesus even if it results in losing your reputation?

– Are you prepared to follow Jesus even if it results in losing your job?

– Are you prepared to follow Jesus even if it results in losing your life?