Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:24
One of the reasons why some people do not understand Christianity is that it is so counter-cultural to the American dream. You see, the American dream teaches that we need power, possessions, and popularity to be great. Christianity teaches us to let go of the American dream, which is fleeting, and live a life of sacrifice and service for the sake of Christ. It also teaches that any cost of following Jesus is meaningless compared to the reward of following Him.
In Matthew 16, He emphasized the sacrifice that following Him requires. He said to His disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me" (verse 24). Now, readers today might not understand the gravity of Jesus's statement, but His disciples certainly did. You see, in Jesus' day, the common form of punishment for those who committed high crimes was crucifixion. Criminals and murderers would have to carry their cross all the way to the place where they would be crucified. When Jesus called His disciples to carry their crosses, He was calling them to give up their very lives. He continued His teaching by saying, "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it" (verse 25). The truth is, if we try to hang on to our lives and the things of this world, we will ultimately lose them. They are temporary and will fade away. The things of Christ, however, will last forever. Any sacrifice we make to follow Jesus fully is worth the cost.
If we want to be fully devoted followers of Christ, we must be willing to sacrifice. We have to give up the things of this world in order to follow the One who created the world and everything in it. The cost of being fully devoted followers of Christ is well worth the joy of following Him and spending eternity with Him one day. Following Him is so worth any sacrifice we may be called to make.
Go on a walk today. As you walk, think about the Scripture from the Going Deeper section below. Reflect on the truth of Scripture that this world is fleeting, but God and His kingdom are eternal. Ask Him to help you live with that perspective every day.
21 From then on Jesus began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.
22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. 28 And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
