Taking Up Our Cross | Transformed Worldwide Ministries

As we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, let us acknowledge that the redemption work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the cross has been accomplished–“It is finished!” In light of His resurrection and ascension, we are commissioned, just like the disciples, to take up our own cross. Well, what does it mean to take up our cross?

In Matthew 16:24 it states, “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

We see in this Scripture that if anyone is to follow Jesus there are three things they must do willingly (“let him”):

1. Deny Himself,
2. Take Up His Cross, and
3. Follow Me.

Taking up your cross is sandwiched between denying yourself and following Jesus. Since all three are connected, let us get a better understanding of each so we can indeed be obedient to what Jesus taught.

Deny Himself

Let’s not interpret this to mean that we deny ourselves a dessert or a new pair of shoes we have our eyes on. The verse said, “Let him deny himself!” The hardest thing to do is to deny oneself. To deny dessert or a new pair of shoes may be hard enough, but to deny oneself is another thing. It is a natural temptation for us to try to save ourselves from discomfort, pain, loneliness, or loss. Self knows what it wants and does not want to be denied once it begins to crave something. Yet here we are being called to a Christ-centered rather than self-centered life. We are to yield to His control so completely that self has no rights whatsoever. We put self out of the picture and put Christ in the place of self. We will either deny ourselves or deny Him. We will either go His way or we will pursue our way. Jesus demonstrated this in the Garden of Gethsemane when He yielded fully to the Father’s will. In denying oneself, we belong to God, not to our things, position, reputation, or comfort. It is a call to full surrender to God. In short, nobody who follows Jesus can hold on to even the smallest bit of their own agenda, their own dreams, their own way of living in the world. As we let go of our own desires, we actually find true life in Him.

Take Up His Cross

In the Roman Empire a convicted criminal, when taken to be crucified, was forced to carry his own cross. It was not the whole cross, but the heavy cross beam. This showed publicly that he was submissive to Roman authority. Likewise, we must demonstrate our submission to the One who has authority over us. We are to “take up” or “lift up” our cross for all to see. It is not a one-time event but a daily commitment to live a life of faith and obedience to Jesus. He isn’t asking us to literally carry around a cross with us. He is not asking for us to go around defeated or depressed or looking like we have one foot in the grave. No! To take up our cross is to be willing to endure shame, suffering, and perhaps martyrdom for our Lord’s sake. It is to embrace a life of sacrifice, even if it means facing hardship or rejection. Yet throughout God’s Word we have assurance that such sacrifices will not go unnoticed or without reward in the end.

Follow Me

If you are following someone, you stay close to them, you go where they are going, and you do what they are doing. To follow someone, you have to make a choice to do so. To follow Jesus is to make a commitment to living a life that reflects Jesus’ teachings and values. To follow Him means to mimic His life here on earth. His life of humility, sacrifice, compassion, love, mercy, grace, etc. It is closely walking in His footsteps. It is living a life centered on faith and obedience to God, seeking His will and doing it regardless of any hardship or persecution. It means living a life of integrity no matter how unpopular it may be presently.

Finally, the next verse in Matthew 16 wraps this all up.

Verse 25 states, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Jesus warned that those who embrace their lives for selfish purposes will never find fulfillment. Yet, those who abandon their lives to Him, will find and fulfill the reason for their existence.

Going to church on Resurrection Day and reflecting on the cross of Christ is great, but Jesus is calling you to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Him. Are you going to do it? Something to ponder.
 
 

Happy Resurrection Day to You and Yours!