Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must DENY THEMSELVES and TAKE UP THEIR CROSS and FOLLOW ME. 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 GIVE IN EXCHANGE FOR THEIR SOUL?” (Matt. 16:24-26)
We see from what Jesus said here that we must:
- 1DENY OURSELVES: 1aparneomai: to forget one’s self, lose sight of one’s self and one’s own interests. Used within the context of the imagery of taking up the cross and following Jesus, “denying oneself” conveys the sense of a person disassociating himself from his self-interest to serve a higher purpose.
- TAKE UP OUR CROSS: To “take up our cross” is something that has to take place IN OUR MINDS. When thoughts that aren’t pleasing to God come to our mind, we “put them to death” on our own inner “cross.” When wrong thoughts come in our mind, we must choose to deny them. Our spirit filled mind stands guard at the door of our heart, and WE DECIDE WHAT COMES THROUGH.Denying these sinful thoughts is how we take up our cross daily.
- FOLLOW JESUS: When a rabbi asked someone to follow him, it was an INCREDIBLE HONOR. This invitation was an offer of UNLIMITED ACCESS to the rabbi—a chance to become a perpetual student. It not only gave them complete access to ask the teacher probing questions, but they also LIVED ALONGSIDE THE RABBI, experiencing firsthand how the Scriptures should be lived out. Becoming a disciple required an UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO SUBMIT TO THE RABBI’S AUTHORITY, but it also meant that every day was full of opportunities to learn NEW THINGS ABOUT GOD. Eventually, the disciples learned that they weren’t just following a rabbi—JESUS WAS THE PROMISED MESSIAH. The Lord had come to teach them about Himself, and they were going to help establish His kingdom. If we want to follow Jesus too, WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE HIM AS MORE THAN A GREAT TEACHER. While Christians today can’t physically follow Jesus like the disciples did, the New Testament makes it clear that following Him includes APPLYING HIS TEACHINGS. Jesus communicated it this way: “If you hold to my teaching, you are REALLY MY DISCIPLES. Then you will know the truth, and THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.” (John 8:31-32 ).
-Bill Stockham