What Did Jesus Mean When He Said, “Take Up Your Cross and Follow Me”?
When Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24), He offered one of the most challenging and defining commands of Christian discipleship. To take up the cross is to enter into the pattern of Christ’s own life—self-denial, suffering, obedience, and ultimate glory. It means surrendering control, bearing the cost of obedience, and following Jesus even when it leads to rejection or hardship.
The cross, once a symbol of death and humiliation, becomes in Christ the symbol of redemption and victory. To follow Jesus is to live as though the old self has been crucified, and new life has begun in Him. This call to take up the cross and follow Him is not a call to self-hatred, but to the surrender of self-rule, exchanging self-determination for faithful dependence on Christ.
1. The Meaning of “Take Up Your Cross”
In the first century, the cross was not a religious symbol but an instrument of death. When Jesus told His disciples to “take up their cross,” they would have immediately pictured a condemned man carrying the wooden beam to his place of execution. It was a vivid picture of total surrender and the willingness to die.
Jesus used this image to show that following Him means dying to self-centered ambition and worldly attachment. In Luke’s version, Jesus adds the phrase “daily” (Luke 9:23), reminding His followers that this surrender is not a one-time event but a continual act of obedience.
To take up one’s cross means:
Accepting that life in Christ involves suffering and sacrifice.
Choosing obedience to God even when it conflicts with personal comfort.
Bearing reproach for Christ’s name as a mark of identification with Him.
Paul echoes this in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” The believer’s old self is put to death, and a new life emerges, shaped by the power of Christ’s resurrection.
2. Self-Denial: The Heart of Discipleship
Jesus’ first command in this passage—“deny yourself”—precedes the call to take up the cross. Self-denial means rejecting the false security of independence and yielding to the authority of Christ. It is not about despising one’s existence but about surrendering self-determination.
To deny oneself is to:
Refuse to make personal comfort or status the measure of success.
Submit one’s will, desires, and ambitions to the lordship of Christ.
Recognize that one’s life no longer belongs to oneself but to the Redeemer.
Jesus Himself modeled this perfect self-denial. He prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). His obedience led to the cross, and through His death, He conquered sin and death. Discipleship therefore mirrors Christ’s path—obedience that leads to life through the way of the cross.
This call confronts the modern pursuit of self-fulfillment and autonomy. The Gospel does not promise self-expression but transformation. By losing oneself for Christ, the believer finds true identity and freedom.
3. Following Jesus Means Sharing His Mission and Suffering
The call to “follow Me” implies imitation and participation. Jesus does not merely invite spectators to admire His sacrifice but calls disciples to walk the same road. To follow Jesus is to join His mission—to proclaim the Kingdom of God, to serve others, and to love even one’s enemies.
In John 12:26, Jesus said, “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also.” The path of the cross leads not only to suffering but also to glory. The disciple who follows Jesus shares both His humiliation and His exaltation.
This means:
Enduring hardship as a witness for Christ.
Bearing the burdens of others as an act of love.
Trusting that suffering for righteousness’ sake will result in reward (Matthew 5:10–12).
The Apostle Peter echoed this truth: “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). Suffering is not a sign of divine rejection but of participation in Christ’s victory.
4. Losing Life to Find It
Jesus continued, “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). This paradox defines the Christian life. The instinct for self-preservation leads to spiritual loss, while surrender to Christ brings eternal life.
Those who cling to worldly wealth, comfort, or reputation will discover that such things cannot save them. “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26). Jesus calls His followers to invest in eternal treasure, trusting that His reward far outweighs temporary loss.
This principle applies daily:
Choosing integrity over success.
Forgiving rather than seeking revenge.
Serving rather than seeking recognition.
Trusting God with every decision rather than controlling outcomes.
By dying to self, believers experience resurrection life. The call to take up the cross is therefore not a call to despair, but to hope—a hope rooted in Christ’s triumph over death and the promise of His return.
5. The Cross and the Gospel of the Kingdom
Taking up the cross is not merely personal piety—it is participation in the Gospel itself. Through the cross, Jesus inaugurated His reign, defeating sin, death, and the powers of darkness. When believers follow Him in self-denial and obedience, they bear witness to His Kingdom breaking into the world.
The cross points forward to resurrection and renewal. As Paul writes in Romans 8:17, “If we suffer with Him, we shall also be glorified with Him.” Every act of faithfulness, even in suffering, declares the lordship of Christ and anticipates His return in glory.
Thus, to take up the cross and follow Jesus is to live as citizens of His Kingdom now—embodying His values, loving sacrificially, and trusting that glory lies beyond the suffering of this age. The disciple’s cross is therefore a shadow of Christ’s cross: a sign of both death to sin and new life in His resurrection.
Conclusion: The Cost and Reward of Following Jesus
When Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow Me,” He was calling for radical allegiance—one that costs everything but gives infinitely more. The disciple’s path mirrors Christ’s: self-denial, obedience, suffering, and ultimately glory.
To take up the cross means to daily surrender control, to trust Christ with every burden, and to live for the Kingdom that cannot be shaken. It is the only path that leads to true life, for the cross that once signified death now signifies victory.
Those who follow Jesus discover that losing one’s life for His sake is not loss at all—it is the beginning of eternal life in the presence of the King.
Bible Verses About Taking Up the Cross and Following Jesus
Matthew 16:24–26 – “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Luke 9:23 – “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
Philippians 3:10 – “That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”
Romans 8:17 – “If indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”
1 Peter 2:21 – “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.”
John 12:26 – “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also.”
Mark 8:35 – “Whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.”
2 Timothy 2:11–12 – “If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him.”
Colossians 3:3 – “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
