Daily Good News – Take Up Your Cross

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Jun 24, 2015 1385

“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37, 38).

When someone takes up a cross, it is because he is going to a place of crucifixion. Jesus says we are only worthy of him if we follow him to the place of crucifixion, bearing our own crosses.

Jesus took his cross to the place of crucifixion so he could die for everything that came between God and us. He died to remove the barrier of our sins. When he tells us to take up our cross to follow him, he is saying that we must crucify everything that comes between Christ and us, so that his free gift of eternal life is not blocked from reaching us.

The family was of the utmost importance in Jesus’ day. Here was Jesus saying that people must put aside even the most important things in their lives if they became an impediment to faith in Jesus. There can be no compromise here, because Jesus demands nothing less than radical discipleship of his followers. Anything and everything that comes between Christ and you has to be crucified. Jesus died on the cross to remove the barrier of our sins between God and us, and he expects his followers to do likewise.