Take Up Your Cross
Matthew indicates that Jesus has entered a new phase of His ministry. For the first time, Jesus makes it clear that His purpose involved death. John the Baptist did introduce Jesus as the Lamb of God. However, the disciples did not understand what that truly meant.
Matthew 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
Peter was horrified at the reality that Jesus would suffer and die. “Far be it from you. This shall never happen to you,” Peter said. Jesus rebuked Peter.
Matthew 16:23 "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
Jesus told Peter that a gospel of triumph without a Cross was something directly from Satan. Peter’s mind was influenced by Satan. When Satan had tempted Jesus, he offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world at the simple bowing of the knee.
Before we condemn Peter too quickly, we must admit that Peter was thinking like any of us would think. Peter wanted a good outcome that would not involve suffering, pain or death. Peter had the faith to believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God. However, Peter lacked the faith to believe that it was Jesus’ destiny to die.
Jesus’ greatest disciple began speaking out of fear. Jesus directs Peter to think toward God’s eternal purpose and plan. Jesus must suffer and die for our sins and be raised from the dead.
What Jesus shares with His disciples contains a great challenge to us. We have a choice concerning how we approach our lives today. The closest word to disciple (mathetes) we have today is the word “apprentice.” This is becoming a daily follower of someone in a hands-on learning experience. It is not a student who sits at a desk and learns from lectures and books.
To those of us who wish to be Jesus’ apprentices today, Jesus presents to us a serious decision we must make.
Matthew 16:24-27 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.
Seven decisions for life transformation:
1. Will you deny yourself or live for yourself?
To deny yourself does not mean to live as a monk. It does mean that in whatever context God has placed you, you live your life totally devoted to Jesus Christ.
Philippians 3:7-8 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.
From the human perspective we lose ourselves (our motives, our attitudes, our goals and dreams); from God’s perspective we find Christ and become like Him. When we do this, we become the person that God intended for us to be.
2. Will you take up your cross or ignore the cross?
To take up your cross does not mean to deal with a burden or problem. Specifically, it means to identify with the Crucified Jesus Christ in His shame and suffering.
The Greek word for cross was a reference to a pointed stake used to form the walks of a defensive fence/wall. Bodies of executed individuals were displayed publicly on the wall to discourage disobedience and to mock those who had been defeated.
Such a scene of horror was not prescribed by the Jewish law. Bodies were not allowed to remain on display overnight. This set the Jews apart from the other nations who allowed victims to rot in public.
To identify with a Cross in the disciples day would be a foolish thought. Why would anyone wish to be associated with an instrument of torture and death? It makes no sense whatsoever. The men and women of that day would have never thought of wearing a cross of gold around the neck. Jesus spoke of the Cross before His death. How awful it must have been for Jesus to know that this was His destiny.
3. Will you follow Christ or follow the world?
Jesus made it plain that following Him was to surrender completely to Him. You cannot follow Him and follow the world simultaneously.
Following Jesus is a step by step process. It is a day to day series of choices and consequences. That makes it difficult for many people. We like to live in special experiences and coast in between—instead of being consistent.
Following Jesus is voluntary, but never optional. Discipleship begins with conversion. Christians are saved to serve.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Discipleship is living out the confession that Jesus is Lord.
4. Will you lose your life for Jesus’ sake or save your own life for your own sake?
We can waste our lives on things which do not matter. Or, we can invest our lives into things of eternal significance. Once we have spent our time and energy, we cannot get those things back.
To save your life is to lose it? What on earth could that mean? How do you get it back again when you lose it? Jesus doesn’t seem to be making sense here.
The Jews had renounced Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus calls on his followers to renounce themselves.
5. Will you reject the world or gain the world?
You can gain the world and be a success in the eyes of the people around you. However, in the process of gaining the world, you lose the most important thing. You have nothing to show for your life when you stand before God.
If you gain the whole world, it still would not be enough to buy another chance at life—to purchase another opportunity to do things the right way. If a person had a deed to every piece of property in the whole world, he would still be too poor to buy back a life lost to selfishness.
6. Will you keep your soul or lose your soul?
Jesus was speaking with His disciples here. These were men who had already confessed Him as the Savior sent from God. He was instructing them on how to make the most of their investment on this earth. Losing your soul is the equivalent of wasting one’s life.
It makes no sense to try to preserve your own life—as a coward. All the while, you lose everything of significance when you eventually die anyway. The wise thing to do is to invest for the Kingdom—your time, your ability, and your resources—in what will make a difference for eternity.
7. Will you share His reward and glory or lose His reward and glory?
Satan promises you glory, but in the end gives you only suffering. Jesus Christ promises you suffering, but in the end gives you glory! (Wiersbe)
1 Corinthians 15:24-26 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
To live for Jesus Christ, one must be willing to give up the things of this world—even relationships that are important.
