“Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’” (Luke 9:23)

It was a time of prayer for Jesus. The Disciples were together with Jesus. He then asked them a question about the crowds who had been following Him. “Who do the crowds say I am?” (Luke 9:18) The Disciples gave Him various answers. Jesus then asked them, “Who do you say I am?”  (Luke 9:20) Many of them had heard the announcement from John the Baptist, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) In response to Jesus’ question, Peter speaks up and says, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)

Jesus tells them what is ahead and what is desired of them to follow Him. He tells them what will happen when they get to Jerusalem. “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (Luke 9:23) In his recognition of Jesus, Peter tries to correct Jesus and say that the announcement was incorrect, for that will never happen. Jesus would tell Peter, “You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Matthew 16:23b) What Jesus was going to do in order to bring redemption was beyond their understanding.

Jesus lays before them what it takes to follow Him. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) Denying ourselves is the essence of repentance. We turn from our way of living to God’s way of living. This is because our way of living leads to death and God’s way leads to life. It has been said that selfishness and self-centeredness is the essence of our sinful nature. If we are to be a disciple of Jesus, we must deny this way of life and turn to the way of God, which is opened for us through selflessness of Jesus.

Turning to this way of life requires us to act. We are to take up our cross every day. Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) Jesus’ final act of obedience in the flesh was to die on the cross. When we pick up our cross, we are to follow Jesus in obedience to God. “We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. . .. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” (1 John 2:3,5-6)

Walking with the Living Word of God is about following the Word, who gave Himself for us. Walking with Him, we deny ourselves and turn from our way to His. We then pick up our cross and follow Him. Following Him, we will be led through this life and into the life He promised into the very presence of God. “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:3)

In the Love of Jesus,

Michael Block