Matthew 16:24-28 - Pick Up Your Cross
We believers see Jesus Christ as someone who sacrificed greatly, no doubt, offering the greatest sacrifice one can make. He laid down His life for those he loved. And He did so willingly. As He said in John’s gospel, “No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily…I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again.” It was His choice to die for everyone, knowing not everyone would choose to live for Him in return.
In Matthew 16:24-28, Jesus tells His disciples that if anyone wants to follow after Him, that there is a cross to bear. A cross, the symbol we have come to equate to sacrifice and death. Jesus invites us to pick up our cross and to follow Him. Taking up our cross is us choosing to give it all up. To go to the extreme for Jesus who loves us more than we love ourselves. Because of the Atonement by Jesus Christ and the New Covenant with God we have the choice. We have the choice to take up our own cross, meaning to live with devotion and follow Jesus Christ just like He did for us. If we desire to do so. Or we can choose to get lost in a world whose only business is to devour. Let us not forget that desire begins with denying or surrendering ourselves to the will of God. This desire is something we all have or we wouldn’t be suffering in a world void of Hope, Faith, and Love. Our reward for the suffering is an eternal life in the Kingdom of God. That is something the business of this world is not selling. There is nothing to gain from this world. Yes, we live in this world, but we don’t have to be of this world.
Completely surrender yourself to Christ. It’s not just surrendering our time, money, and talent (Although the Village appreciates it very much). Let us truly surrender by denying ourselves for Christ and give in to the will of God. Let us deny our old selves and choose a new life with God through a person who chose us...Jesus Christ.
We need to stop fighting to preserve our lives, our ideals, our principles, our comforts. We need to let go of our old ways of thinking. We should try and get away from a guilt driven, fear motivated way of following Christ. We need to not be careless, casual and dismissive in our journey with God. The more we hold on to those old things, the less we can grab a hold of Him. Jesus says to give it to him and just let it all go. In doing so we win the reward Jesus says of obtaining true life. Brethren what this passage is saying is that we must lose to win.
He’s inviting us to a new way of life. Denying or surrendering ourselves is being available for this new life with God. Matthew 16:24 Jesus tells us, “If you want to be my follower, you must give up your way, take up your cross and follow me." We each have our own cross to pick up and carry. No matter where, what or who we are. We must lose old habits, lose our old stubborn way to fully transform our lives. What we hold on to is only a cheap imitation of the true-life Jesus is promising. It’s about losing your own desires your old way of doing things and surrendering it all to God. Losing to win. It’s about availability. He wants it all. Deny yourself. Give it all.
-DW