Carrying the Cross
Scripture: “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14.27 ESV)
Main Point: True discipleship requires bearing our cross daily, embracing the path of suffering and death to self that leads to resurrection life.
In Jesus’ day, everyone knew what a cross meant. It wasn’t a piece of jewelry or a decorative symbol. It was an instrument of execution, reserved for the worst criminals and enemies of Rome. To see someone carrying a cross meant they were walking toward their own death, having been condemned by the authorities and rejected by society.
When Jesus tells His followers that they must bear their own cross, He’s not speaking metaphorically about minor inconveniences or daily troubles. He’s speaking about the willingness to die—to die to our own plans, our own reputation, our own safety, our own will.
But here’s what’s remarkable: Jesus doesn’t just command us to carry a cross; He carried one Himself. The cross He bore was not just any cross—it was the cross that should have been ours. He died the death we deserved, bore the condemnation that was ours, experienced the rejection that our sins earned.
Now when He calls us to take up our cross, it’s not as condemned criminals walking toward hopeless death. It’s as beloved children walking in the footsteps of our Savior, knowing that the path through death leads to resurrection life. Our cross-bearing is not about earning salvation but about living out the salvation He has already won for us.
The crosses we bear—whether literal persecution, sacrificial service, or daily dying to self—are opportunities to participate in Christ’s suffering and, therefore, in His glory.
Reflection:
Meditate on the path from death to life that Christ calls us to walk. What “crosses” is God calling you to bear right now? How does knowing Jesus carried the ultimate cross change your view of suffering? Where do you need to “die to self” to live for Christ?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, grant us courage to take up our cross daily and follow Jesus through death to resurrection life. In Jesus’ Name. AMEN.
Responses