Taking up your cross

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus told his disciples that "whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me". What does this verse really mean?

A lot of people have and still do use this verse in a manner which doesn't go quite deep enough in its meaning. Some people even use it so flippantly the lack of seriousness makes it almost a joke to say they're bearing their cross. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines "cross to bear" as "a problem that causes trouble or worry for someone over a long period of time". Collins Dictionary, also online, defines the same phrase as "a responsibility or an unpleasant situation which you must live with because you cannot change it". Examples of these "crosses" can be helping a drug-addicted child, caring for a parent with dementia, dealing with an overbearing boss, or dealing with one's own depression or feelings of loneliness. While these situations may call for us to deny our own wants and needs, which is the first part of the verse, they don't really meet the standard for carrying a cross. Taking care of people who need our help is and will always be part of serving others as a way to serve Christ. The situations in which people treat us unfairly or our own problems aren't crosses to carry, but are burdens to lay a the foot of Jesus' cross through prayer.

Some very notable preachers have taught about the verse in Matthew. As Billy Graham said, we need to put to death our own needs and desires and commit our entire lives to serving Jesus. This isn't just laying aside some time every day to deal with other people's problems or even our own. We're to constantly evaluate our wants and desires and put aside anything that takes away from our ability and time to perform acts of service for Christ. You can deny yourself that morning cup of coffee from your favorite coffee shop and give the $5 to a food pantry. You can put aside watching a professional playoff game on television and go visit your grandmother at the nursing home. There are numerous other examples that can be given about putting aside what we want and doing something that serves God by serving others. Yet, these examples only show what it means to deny oneself and not what I believe it means for a person to "take up their cross".

The meaning of taking up the cross can be found in chapter 16 of the book of Matthew. "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it do for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" (verses 25-26). The cross can be seen as a symbol of torture and death. We know that Jesus voluntarily died on the cross for our sins; however, that wasn't why the Jews wanted him crucified. The Jewish leaders wanted Jesus to die because they didn't like what he was teaching and who he claimed to be. They denied he was the Messiah promised to the Jewish people. They didn't like the fact Jesus had large crowds following him around and accepting as God's truth what he taught. They were being stripped of their power and control because people chose to follow Jesus instead of them. Their solution to their problem was the death of Jesus by crucifixion. Jesus willingly carried the cross to Golgotha, let himself be nailed to it, and gave up his life. He did so, not only to cleanse us of our sins, but so that he could show us that our souls don't belong to man, they belong to God.