Matthew 10:38

An Understandable Version (2005 edition)

And the person who does not accept his cross [i.e., his responsibilities with all their difficulties] and become my follower does not deserve me.

Cross References

Luke 14:27

[And] whoever does not carry his own cross [i.e., his responsibilities with all their difficulties] and follow me cannot be my disciple.

Mark 8:34

And He called the crowd to Him, along with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to be my follower, he should deny himself [i.e., of always having his own way] and accept his cross [i.e., his responsibilities, with all their difficulties] and then he can become my follower.

Matthew 16:24

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to be my follower, he should deny self [i.e., of always having its own way] and lift up his cross [of responsibility] and [then he can] become my follower.

John 19:17

So, they took Jesus [away] and He went out [of the city] carrying the cross by Himself to a place called The Place of the Skull, [also] called Golgotha in the Hebrew language [and Calvary in Latin].

Mark 10:21

And Jesus looked at him, and filled with love, said to him, “There is one thing you [still] lack. Go and sell your possessions and give [the money] to poor people; become my follower, then you will have treasure in heaven.”

Matthew 27:32

As they were leaving [i.e., probably the city of Jerusalem], they met a man from Cyrene [Note: This was a city in the northern African country of Libya]. His name was Simon and they forced him to go with them so he could carry Jesus’ cross [i.e., probably only the cross-beam portion].