“TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW ME”
Luke 9:23 (NIV)
“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
This statement of Jesus was also written by Matthew in his book, Matthew 16:24.
Before developing the meaning of these words, I would like to briefly bring some context about what was happening before Jesus said this.
I would say that the “hard work” was truly beginning. As you know, Jesus had called the disciples to follow Him, and here in Luke 9 we can see that their ministry of proclaiming the Kingdom of God was in fact beginning. Consequently, the difficulties, the fatigue, the challenges—including persecution—were also starting to appear.
That realization of, “Wow! I’m just starting the work now, and it’s really not going to be easy!”
They were sent out right at the beginning of Luke 9.
When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Luke 9: 1-2.
So spreading the news, caring for people, feeding the multitude (verses 10–17), and facing persecution and the disturbance from the authorities (verses 7–9) were becoming difficult tasks.
To make matters worse, before this statement, Jesus speaks about His own death and resurrection. Peter becomes indignant and tries to maintain an optimistic attitude:
“Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
Matthew 16:22
And he receives a rebuke from Jesus, a real scolding:
Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Matthew 16:23
And then Jesus says what we read first.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24
So now let’s understand step by step what Jesus meant for them—and for us. The very fact that it is recorded in the Bible already shows God’s purpose: to preserve His teaching and message, so that it can reach us more than 2,000 years later.
“Whoever wants to be my disciple”
Here Jesus makes it clear, once again, that it will always be a personal decision born from our own will—I want/I don’t want! We will always have a choice. It’s not an imposition, not an obligation, not a command. If someone wants to eat bread, let them eat. If someone wants to swim, let them swim! If someone wants to be my disciple… And to be a disciple means to learn from the Master and seek to live out His teachings in practice — and what do we need to do?
“must deny themselves”
The call of the Gospel is not self-centered. On the contrary, it is directed toward love for others, for God, toward serving, giving, considering others more important than yourself. It’s about leaving your pains for Jesus to take care of and going out to care for the pains of others. It’s about putting your dreams and plans in God’s hands and letting Him guide your life… And for me, this is perhaps the greatest proof that Jesus is the Son of God, sent to save us. How can such a challenging invitation become so compelling and still inspire countless people today to live for this cause? The messages that usually attract the most attention are exactly the opposite: “Get rich! Be self-sufficient! Be the best at what you do! You are the most important! You need to be the most beautiful! You can do this, you can do that, you deserve it!!”
How can an idea that goes completely against that—be so powerful that it gathers so many followers? And on top of “denying yourself,” there are still persecutions even today. How can someone persecute—or even try to kill—someone who only preached love??? It can only be something truly divine!
And then comes the final part:
“and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
First let's understand: What is the cross? It is precisely the persecution and hardships of being His follower. It’s about denying yourself and following Him. Do you want to come? Come, but carry this cross: the call is not easy. Constant giving and love. Persecution and mockery. But it will be worth it!
Well, this is the explanation given by most theological studies of this passage, but this week I have been thinking a lot about the Cross—my cross, our cross—looking at His.
And I think I uncovered a little more about this. The cross is much more than the hardships faced by following Jesus.
WHAT IS THE CROSS?
In this context, we can analyze it from different perspectives:
For the Romans and the people of that time:
PUNISHMENT!! He was accused of a crime (or not) and will pay that punishment with death on the Cross!For Christians:
THE PATH HE OPENED! Therefore, our most important symbol, which brings the challenges of following HIM.For Jesus (and I say this with all reverence and awe):
PURPOSE!
I love the artistic interpretation Mel Gibson gave in The Passion of the Christ when Jesus encounters the cross. He touches it with love and a certain relief, as if to say: THIS IS WHY I CAME!! THE TIME HAS COME TO SAVE THEM AND GIVE THEM A REASON TO LIVE!!
So I started thinking from this perspective: the cross is purpose!
Carrying my cross is fulfilling my purpose—the reason we were born!
Then, not by coincidence, I read some biblical stories showing different characters living out God’s purpose for them, and from a human point of view, it seemed “too heavy to carry.”
I read about Joshua, whom the Lord needed to encourage (Joshua 1:9).
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Today we saw Noah, facing mockery and countless challenges to fulfill the purpose assigned to him.
We can read about Moses, Ruth, Paul, the disciples, Saul, David… and while reading about David, I came across this phrase:
"David’s true purpose was not shepherd boy, but nor was it King. David’s ultimate purpose was to worship. And the same is true for us."
WE ARE BORN TO WORSHIP HIM, and until we understand this, our life will be WITHOUT PURPOSE—and a life without purpose is empty, dry, and meaningless.
"If a man hasn’t discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live." —Martin Luther King Jr.
But what if carrying this is too heavy… what if I can’t bear it? Then Jesus comes and tells us in another passage (a little before the one we studied):
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
He Himself provides the strength to follow Him! There is no better choice in this life!
I read it in my devotional yesterday:
“May we have courage today to follow God’s purpose for our lives, even when His path for us requires tremendous faith.”
A have two questions for you:
What is your purpose in life?
Do you say yes or no to Jesus question?
Dani Caldeira