Following, Denying, and Taking Up Our Cross
As I took my mini-sabbatical from posting, I read quite a bit and listened to more than a few Christian podcasts. I learned a lot and was struck by a few things that I consistently heard or read. Some of the issues that I felt were important to write about are related to the following statement that Jesus made to His disciples:
If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24, NRSV. Also, see Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23)
Before getting into this verse's specifics, it will be beneficial to look at the passage's context and Jesus’ ministry. When we open our Bibles, we see that they are separated into two major parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the Bible, the word testament also means covenant, an agreement between two parties. So, the two parts of the Bible generally describe the two covenants God made with His people. The covenants of God included promises, were practical, and were prophetic.
God actually made several covenants with His people. Typically, we think of the Old Covenant as the Law that God gave Israel through Moses aka Mosaic Covenant. However, the Old Covenant also includes elements of His agreements with Adam, Noah, Abraham, and David. God promised to bless Israel; He gave the Law's practical guidance, and He pointed to a coming Messiah who would free Israel and be King forever.
The people under the Old Covenant related to God through priests and offered animal sacrifices, year after year, to cover their sin. They lived under the Law, including the Ten Commandments, and another 603 instructions detailing what to do and what not to do. Also, they looked for a conquering Messiah to ultimately lead Israel to its proper place over the nations.
By contrast, the New Covenant allows us to relate to God through Jesus Christ as our High Priest. He was the one sacrifice to pay for sin for all time. He told Israel that He was the fulfillment of the Law or Old Covenant (Matthew 5:17-20). Those under the New Covenant have the Spirit and Law of Christ in their heart (Romans 5:5, Galatians 4:6, Hebrews 8:10). They will walk with Him all the days of their lives. Also, the New Covenant describes the future with and without God. The New Covenant includes Jews and Gentiles and is available to anyone who believes and receives Jesus.
While in the New Testament section of Scripture, the four Gospels provide descriptions of Israel under the Old Covenant while ushering in the New Covenant. This may be confusing, but it is crucial to understand the Apostles' accounts of Jesus’ teaching and life on earth.
How do we know that the four Gospels are primarily within the culture of the Old Covenant? We know by Jesus’ own words. Here’s what He tells twelve of His disciples at their Passover celebration, commonly referred to as “the Last Supper,” right before He is to be crucified:
Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22:19-20, NRSV)
The commencement of the New Covenant was when Jesus was crucified, the shedding of His blood. This event happens at the end of the Gospel narratives. So, it did not commence when Jesus was born or through His teaching. Also, Jesus made clear that His physical presence was for the people of the Old Covenant:
Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:21-24, NRSV)
Jesus is the Messiah sent to Israel. In John 4:22, He reminds the Samaritan woman that “salvation is from the Jews.” He is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant and the author of the New Covenant by His blood. When Jesus made His statement about being His followers, He spoke to those under the Old Covenant. This is essential because we need to understand what parts of Jesus’ teaching described His fulfillment of the Old Covenant and what pertains to the New Covenant, including a prophetic vision of the future. With this in mind, let’s look at Jesus’ words and actions surrounding this declaration in Matthew 16:24.
In Matthew 16:13-20, before Jesus defined what it meant to follow Him, He asked His disciples who people said He was. They reported that some people thought He was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Then He asked the disciples who they say He is. Peter then made the good confession, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus tells Peter he is blessed because God revealed this understanding to him. He also ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Messiah.
In Matthew 16:21-23, Jesus began to show the disciples that He would be killed and be raised on the third day. Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” This was when Jesus told His disciples what it meant to follow Him.
If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:24, NRSV)
Finally, in Matthew 16:25-28, Jesus talked about saving one’s life and losing it. He talked about gaining the whole world but forfeiting one’s life. Jesus asked what people would give in return for their souls. He then warned the disciples that He would return to repay everyone for what they had done.
The context of Jesus’ statement about denying self, picking up one’s cross, and following Him was in contrast to what the people of Israel thought of the Messiah. Peter’s rebuke of Jesus was likely due to this misunderstanding. It is clear from the Gospels that the people of Israel believed the Messiah would be a leader and savior to free the Jews from the tyranny of men, in Israel’s and Jesus’ case, the Romans. Jesus had avoided people so they would not make Him King (John 6:15). This likely was why he ordered the disciples not to divulge that He was the Messiah. So, Jesus’ statement indicated a different way of following a different kind of leader and savior.
The twelve disciples were with Jesus for three years. Toward the end of that time, He regularly explained to them where He was headed. Though they correctly identified Him as the Messiah and Son of God, they did not understand what that really meant. Time after time, the disciples failed to understand Jesus’ words. This misunderstanding continued all the way up to the “last supper,” when they disputed which one of them would be regarded as the greatest in the new kingdom. Other actions at that time also revealed the disciples’ misunderstanding of Jesus.
One disciple, Judas Iscariot, took thirty silver coins from the religious leaders to identify Jesus so the leaders could arrest Him. Judas later repented and returned the money. He realized what he had done in betraying an innocent Man, still he committed suicide. As Jesus was being arrested, one of the disciples, Peter, drew a sword to fight, but Jesus’ told him to put the sword down. Perhaps Peter still thought of Jesus as the conquering Messiah. Then Peter followed Jesus during His arrest and trial. Three times Peter was confronted about being one of Jesus' disciples, but each time he denied knowing Jesus. After these denials, Peter wept bitterly. The rest of the twelve scattered, leaving Jesus to carry His cross alone until Simon of Cyrene was compelled to carry it for Him.
Jesus’ statement about denying self, picking up one’s cross, and following Him was not symbolic when He spoke it; it was reality. Jesus picked up His cross and died on it! None of His disciples followed Him, despite His explanation of what a disciple would do or the disciple’s hope of what the Messiah would do.
In addition to misunderstanding Jesus’ death, the disciples did not comprehend Jesus’ statements about His resurrection. After Jesus was crucified, the eleven were behind locked doors, fearing the Jews (John 20:19). It wasn’t until after He was raised and when Jesus revealed Himself that the disciples understood the meaning of His ministry (John 12:16). Jesus confirmed His calling of them as apostles (Matthew 28:16-20) and reconciled Peter after his betrayal (John 21:15-19). Even so, right before His ascension, the disciples asked Jesus if He was now restoring the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6). What then do we do with Jesus’ statement?
Jesus was a different kind of Messiah than expected. His statement about following Him was prophetic of the New Covenant in His blood. Where did He go? He went to His death, and we are to follow Him, not by dying physically, but by spiritually joining Him. Only in losing our life do we find real life. The Apostle Paul said:
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:3-4, NRSV)
Our death with Jesus and our resurrection to new life precedes a life lived with Him and for Him. So, denying ourselves, picking up our cross, and following Jesus refers to our repentance, salvation, and rebirth or resurrection to new life. This is the only way to follow Jesus into His kingdom.
If Jesus’ statement is indeed about salvation, how does it affect how we live as Christians? In my next post, I will discuss how we view ourselves as “Christ-followers,” further examining some of the ways Christians interpret “denying self and picking up our cross.”