Jesus’ call to “take up your cross and follow Me” is found in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In all three accounts, Jesus speaks these words to His disciples and the crowds following Him. This powerful statement from Jesus has profound implications for all who would be His followers.
The Context of Jesus’ Statement
In each of the Gospels, Jesus’ command to take up one’s cross comes after Peter confesses that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16, Mark 8:29, Luke 9:20). Jesus affirms Peter’s confession and declares that He will build His church upon the truth Peter has spoken. However, Jesus also begins to prepare His disciples for His coming death on the cross. He explains that He will suffer, be rejected by the religious leaders, be killed, and rise again after three days (Matthew 16:21, Mark 8:31, Luke 9:22).
Naturally, Peter and the other disciples are shocked and dismayed by Jesus’ words about His coming death. Peter even takes Jesus aside and begins to rebuke Him, saying this will never happen! (Matthew 16:22). But Jesus sharply corrects Peter and declares that anyone who wants to follow Him must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23). Only those willing to lose their lives for His sake will find true, eternal life (Matthew 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24).
So Jesus delivers this call to take up one’s cross and follow Him on the heels of predicting His own death by crucifixion. His disciples are slow to grasp what He means. But Jesus wants them to understand that they too must be willing to suffer and lay down their lives, just as He will do. There is no crown without the cross.
The Meaning of Taking Up One’s Cross
What did Jesus mean by telling His disciples they must “take up their cross”? At the most basic level, Jesus was referring to the cross as an instrument of torturous execution. The Romans used crucifixion to punish rebels, slaves, and the worst criminals. It was a shameful, excruciatingly painful way to die. So in calling His followers to take up their cross, Jesus was telling them they must be willing to suffer and die in following Him.
However, Jesus’ words had an even deeper meaning than just a general call to sacrificial living. He spoke these words knowing full well that He himself was on His way to Calvary’s cross. Jesus knew that just as He would literally be crucified, so too might His faithful followers face the same fate. The disciples eventually would grasp the dark reality that proclaiming Jesus as Messiah would be dangerous business – they themselves could end up nailed to a cross.
So in the most literal sense, Jesus was preparing His disciples to follow Him even to a martyr’s death. Church history bears out that many early believers indeed faced crucifixion and other forms of violent persecution for their faith in Christ.
The Cross in Our Daily Lives
While relatively few believers today face literal crucifixion, Jesus’ words still ring true. The way of the cross stands in stark contrast to the way of comfort and self-preservation. To truly follow Christ means denying ourselves and embracing a life of sacrifice. It means dying to our old way of life so that new life can emerge (Romans 6:1-14). This requires putting to death fleshly desires and sinful habits by the empowering grace of God (Colossians 3:5).
Jesus said His disciples must take up their cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). This speaks of an ongoing, continual commitment to living sacrificially. Every day, we must lay down our lives so that Jesus’ life can shine through us. The cross becomes a picture of going lower so that Christ can live through us and lift others up. As the apostle Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
So in our everyday lives, following Jesus means…
- Crucifying our fleshly desires and sinful habits
- Laying down our rights and personal agendas
- Releasing control of our lives to God
- Serving others sacrificially
- Giving generously to advance the Gospel
- Pouring ourselves out for the spiritual and physical needs of others
In short, it means living for Christ instead of for self. It means exchanging our life for His life. This is the core meaning of denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Jesus.
Following Jesus Requires Total Surrender
As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” There can be no casual or partial response to Jesus’ call. Following Him demands our all. We must cling to Jesus above all else, even our own lives.
Jesus highlighted the cost of following Him in two parables recorded in Luke 14. In the parable of the tower builder, He warned about failing to count the cost before beginning to follow Him (Luke 14:28-30). In the parable of the king going to war, Jesus said disciples must be willing to forsake all for His sake (Luke 14:31-33). Being a follower of Jesus requires total surrender and commitment to serving Him, no matter what the cost.
This does not mean that every disciple must become a martyr or sell all their possessions. But it does mean placing Jesus above all earthly loves, comforts, and ambitions. He alone is worthy of that kind of unconditional devotion. There is no greater purpose than living all out for the glory of Christ.
The Reward for Those Who Follow the Crucified Lord
While following Jesus by way of the cross is extremely costly, the eternal rewards far outweigh any earthly sacrifice. Jesus assured His disciples that “…many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Matthew 19:30). Living sacrificially in this life stores up eternal treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). No earthly gain or comfort can compare to the surpassing glory that awaits those who give their all for Christ (Romans 8:18).
Jesus knows that losing our lives for His sake leads to true life. He who endured the cross for the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2) welcomes into eternal glory all who are willing to suffer for His name. Following the crucified Lord down the Calvary road leads ultimately to resurrection life and everlasting joy in His presence. As Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
So taking up our cross and following Jesus means exchanging temporal, earthly rewards for eternal treasure. It means willingly accepting hardship now for the sake of a glorious inheritance in the age to come. As we walk the sacrificial path of discipleship, we can trust that the best is yet to come for those who follow the Lamb wherever He goes (Revelation 14:4). Our pain pales in comparison to the joy set before us.
Key Bible Verses
Here are some key Bible verses on taking up our cross and following Jesus:
- “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'” (Matthew 16:24)
- “And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.'” (Mark 8:34)
- “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'” (Luke 9:23)
- “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
- “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14)
- “For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
Summary
Jesus’ call to take up our cross and follow Him conveys the radical nature of discipleship. It expresses…
- Willingness to suffer for Christ, even to the point of death
- Dying to self and living sacrificially as Jesus did
- Surrendering everything to Jesus’ lordship
- Embracing hardship now for eternal reward
- Giving our lives for the One who gave His for us
May we count the cost, declare Jesus supreme, daily take up our cross, and follow Him wholeheartedly. He is infinitely worthy!