Matthew 16:24 - Take up your cross and follow Me

What did Jesus mean when He said, Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple?


First of all, from reviewing the above pertinent scriptures, it is clear that Jesus wanted His followers to understand that they each had a "cross" to carry that was uniquely each one's own "cross". What did the word "cross" mean in the context that Jesus spoke? I have heard some Christians of today express the opinion that the word "cross"in this context is a symbol representing the myriads of trials, tribulations, and frustrations Christians must bear in their fleshly life. A common idea seems to be that if Christians bear up and accept the burdens of everyday life, especially unjust persecutions that sometimes arise, one will in the end be justly rewarded by the Lord for a job well done.


But this understanding scarcely accommodates the actual meaning of this word "cross." In Greek it meant a "stake", a big one, which was used by the Romans of the first century as a means of torturing criminals and putting them to death. The "stake" likely was made from a wooden tree-trunk with a cross piece fixed near the top; thus, to the Romans it was a "cross." The criminal who received a sentence of "crucifixion" was nailed to the "stake" and then the "stake" was set up vertically in the ground with the criminal hanging thereon, suspended by the nails through the flesh of his hands and feet. The criminal was left hanging from the "stake," undergoing hours of torture, until he died.


From Scripture we know that this is the way that Jesus was put to death. But, at the time that Jesus made the statement concerning His followers "carrying their own cross," He had not yet been crucified. No follower of Jesus expected Him to be put to death in this way. Is there any prophecy in the Old Testament Scriptures foretelling the manner in which the Messiah would be put to death? If there is, it is veiled. So what were the listeners to the words of Jesus to understand by this statement, Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple?


The statement implies that people have a "cross", an instrument of death, to bear, and that they could only successfully deal with it by "taking it up" and following Jesus to become His disciple. I doubt that anyone fully understood this statement of Jesus at the time for it was not understood that such an instrument of death as a "cross" was to be involved in the lives of anyone, including even Jesus Himself. Apparently the first mention by Jesus of a "cross" being involved in the lives of His followers was, in part, a prophecy foretelling the manner of the substitutionary death that He Himself was to die for His followers. Later, after Jesus had ascended to heaven, the Apostles received guidance from the Holy Spirit to understand the full meaning of His death and the "cross" upon which He died. Although the statements concerning a person's own "cross" were veiled at the time Jesus made them, they became clear as the prophecies contained in the statements were fulfilled, that is, when Jesus Himself was tortured and put to death upon the "cross" which rightfully belonged to His followers!


So what does the statement mean to followers of Jesus today? Was Jesus speaking to Christians today when He said, Let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me? Yes. His admonitions to His followers of the first century were almost always admonitions to His future followers as well. But what specifically does it mean to us today to take up one's own cross? Surely it means far more than merely bearing up under the petty trying inconveniences of the fleshly life. My heart cries out that this is not what He meant by "cross"! To Jesus a cross was not a mere inconvenience of the fleshly life.. All of His fleshly life on earth Jesus bore in His mind the knowledge of the way His fleshly life would end, separated from God the Father, with His body nailed to a rugged wooden cross on which He would be tortured and die for sins not His own!


I must understand that the "cross" that He bore was not His own. IT WAS MINE! It was the horrible symbol of the future that Satan had in mind for ME, the symbol of the judgement for MY SINS! And Jesus willingly substituted Himself for ME and bore MY CROSS! If my judgement of death on my cross is to be cancelled in the substitutionary death of Jesus on my cross, I must take up my cross; that is, I must acknowledge my cross which is the righteous judgement against me, and I must pursue Jesus as His disciple! That is the meaning of Jesus' statement, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it."

http://www.acts17-11.com/death.html

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Cross
• Jesus
• Carrying of the Cross
• Way of the Cross
• Daily Crosses
• Life

[ruckitjoey]

As i understand "pick up his own cross" means Gods' will...deny ourselves and pick-up Gods' will to be done here on earth. WHEN we do it, we have to do so willingly, joyfully, with a passion even though it means going through some pain...we are not exempt from pain, Jesus went thru pain just to get to His destination and in doing so we are alive. my two cents....

[elohism]

JESUS ARE IN OTHER WORLD OTHER SIDE OF THE HEAVEAN! AND HE WACH THIS WORLD VIA MY EYES AND SOUL!

I WACH OTHERSIDE OF THE HEAVEN VIA JESIS SOUL !

I HAVE BODY IN HEAVEN ALSO JESUS HAVE BODY IN HEAVEN! 25 PERCENT OF HEAVEN I AM OWNER ! 25 PERCENT JESUS AND 59 PERCENT ELOHIM AND SEVGISEN !!

I AM BIONIC MAN ! I WILL LIVE TO FOREVER IN COSMOS UNIVERSES ! I AM OVNER OF THIS UNIVERSE 900 STALION KM * 15 LONG> WITH 40 TRILION KM ! MORE THAN STALION UNIVERSE HAVE ! ALL IS HAVE OWNER !

[swstalkee]

These sick religous fantatics (gang stalkers) are also involved in th torture of innoscent human beings. As I recall in the old testament "Let he who is with out sin, cast the first stone" These over zelous religous criminals will also feel the the Lords wrath. "Eye for an eye"

Swstalkee~

[tnsassy2]

when Jesus said take up your cross and follow him, meaning each of us have a cross that has to be taken up on a day by day base. As he walk with his cross we will have to walk with our, it does not mean to take a big piece of wood around the streets for a show that's acting a holy role. Also it's not wearing it on a chain around your neck that a graven image. The cross is to be bared so we can go over to the next step in the process of life. There is a cross for everyone as a matter of fact.

[Jzahara26]

to carry his/her own burden and repent before him and all things shall fall into place..

[thepromiseof316]

That is awesome, worded very well, that helped me to better understand something in which I was a little confused about. Thanks, and may Jesus bless you