Take up your cross and follow me

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt. 16:24–25).-

When we begin reading the Gospel of John in chapter one, we encounter one of the most enigmatic truths presented to us in the entire Bible: the incarnation of Christ. Verse one tells us that the Word—the “Logos” in other translations—was with God in the beginning and that the Word was God. Then, in verse fourteen, it tells us that this Word became flesh and dwelt among men. Behold the mystery of the Incarnation!

Jesus walked on this earth as a complete man, but also, in the fullness of deity, God Himself. He was not God with a human covering, as if it were a bit of makeup. He was truly a man of flesh and blood, yet God Himself at the same time. A mystery that our finite minds will never be able to unravel on this side of eternity.

We can observe that during his ministry, Jesus called people to follow him and walk alongside him. As he walked in human form on earth, this call to follow was obeyed by many through the physical act of setting their feet on the ground and walking behind him as part of his traveling party. But Jesus was aware that he would not always be on earth to have followers in this physical sense (John 16:5, 7).

Therefore, the call to follow him was not only relevant to the people of those days while he was on this earth, but to people of all times. Not only were those who had the opportunity to walk physically alongside the incarnate God to follow him; we must do so today as well. Until Jesus returns, he expects us, his disciples here on earth, to follow him. The point has been made clear that we today must also follow him, but what did those words mean both then and now? Certainly, this command implies relinquishing control of our lives and submitting to his authority. When I hear people speak of this call, believers generally make this observation, and while it is correct, it is not the only thing this call entails.

Taking up our cross and following him also implies that we must join him in what he was sent to do. When Jesus said to Peter and Andrew, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Mark 1:17), he was not calling them to elite professional evangelism; he was using imagery they could understand, and it applies to everyone who follows Christ. This demand requires that everyone who follows Jesus must also participate in the work he came to do, and he repeatedly tells us what he came to do. Let’s look at some examples in Scripture:

For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10).

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32).

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10).

Christ came to die for sinners, to save them from their sins and give them eternal life and a new purpose for which to live: the glory of God. Whoever follows Jesus is called to be an instrument in God’s hands so that sinners may come to Christ. That is not just the task of “professional evangelists.”

Taking up our cross and following him also involves sharing in his suffering. Being co-workers in the task he came to accomplish involves sharing in his sufferings. We must keep in mind that Jesus always emphasized this point when he called people to follow him. He knew he was heading toward the cross and demands that we do the same.

When the time had come, Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem, knowing exactly what would happen to him there (Mark 10:33–44). But Jesus also knew that those who followed him would share in that pain and suffering (John 15:20). That is why we must understand that the ultimate test in his call to follow him is being willing to suffer alongside him.

The emphasis is on denying ourselves and taking up our cross. And the cross meant only one thing in those days: death. We must die to our self-centered selves and be willing to share in the sufferings of the cross when the time comes—and we can be certain that such suffering will come. Not all of us will experience it in the same way or with the same intensity, but we will all suffer at some point because of our faithful following of Christ.

What does all this mean for us in practice, in our daily lives? It is clear that trials and tribulations will come into our lives. And on many occasions, they will come directly because of our proclamation of the message of the cross. But how should we behave in the midst of hardship and suffering? We must remember that Jesus did not die to make our lives easier or more prosperous—the message of prosperity theology is very appealing, but it simply offers what Satan offered Jesus in the desert.

Jesus died to save us from the sin that condemned us and separated us from God. Certainly, blessings of all kinds may come into our lives through His divine providence, but what prosperity theology presents is an unbiblical aberration promoted by wolves in sheep’s clothing—in some cases, they no longer even wear the disguise; people are so ignorant of the Bible that they don’t need it. Jesus gave His life to remove all the obstacles that prevented us from having joy and delight in God.

Something that will help us not to lose that joy is to remember that suffering is temporary, but our delight in Him will be forever. Suffering will always be present in this life in one form or another, but Jesus does not call us to suffer eternally:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us (Rom 8:18).

No suffering we must endure in this life can compare to the joy that springs from walking in the light with Jesus: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). My dear brothers and sisters, our Lord Jesus has promised to be with us always, no matter how hard and difficult the situation may be:

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Amen (Mt 28:20b).

God bless you.