If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me

 

 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.  But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."

 

- Luke 9:18–27 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  And he said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.  Whatever house you enter, say there, and from there depart.  And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them."  So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.  Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again.  Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?"  So he sought to see Him.    And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done.  Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.  When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provision; for we are in a deserted place here."  But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."  And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people."  For there were about five thousand men.  Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down.  Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.  So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

 

 And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"  So they answered and said, "John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again."  he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God."  My study bible says that, as in every generation, what the crowds have to say about Jesus is usually unpredictable and misguided.  Who do you say that I am? is the ultimate question in Scripture and in all theology.  Whichever way that this question is answered will define the universe, my study bible tells us.  Christ (Messiah, in Hebrew) means "Anointed One."  The declaration of Peter that Jesus is the Christ of God reveals that Jesus isn't simply another anointed king or prophet.  He is, rather, the long-awaited Savior.  

And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."  Here my study bible comments that Jesus desires to keep His identity as the Christ hidden, in order to avoid the popular political and theological misunderstandings of His time.  Only after His Passion and Resurrection can His identity as Messiah be understood.  He is also preparing the disciples for the crisis they will undergo, and through which they will be transformed in faith.

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  For whoever is ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels."  My study bible asks us to note two things.  First, that each person must take up his own cross.  The burden in this world is different for each person, and each has been chosen by God to bear particular struggles for one's own salvation and the salvation of others around oneself.  Second, the cross is to be taken up daily.  The commitment to Christ isn't simply a one-time event.  He asks of us the continual practice of faith and obedience -- even to the point of being shameful and persecuted by the world.  

"But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God."  My study bible says that this is a reference to those who will witness the Transfiguration (verses 28-36), as well as to those in each generation who experience the presence of God's kingdom.  

What is it to take up one's cross daily?  What is it to be transformed in that light of the Cross that asks us to give up who we are in order to become something or someone different?  How do we choose what to give up or sacrifice for the greater life in abundance that Christ promises to us?  Sometimes there are things which are quite dear to us which we need to let go of, to find the way that God is asking us to move forward.  It could be an issue about control, or seeking to prevent harm to someone or something dear, or any number of things we would call sacred to ourselves -- because we do hold them so dear.  But there are times when God will ask us to give control to God, to find where God is leading us.  It may be "control" itself we are asked to let go of, testing our faith, asking us to walk through a place unsure and unknown.  But like the disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee, we are sometimes asked to walk the unknown in faith -- times when we must let go of something and walk through uncertainty.  Each time this happens it's another refinement or honing of our faith, and the important thing is that even though we walk through a field of unknowing, we are capable of doing so without fear and while waiting upon God for the new next step, the new thing that replaces what we've let go or given up.  This is the time for prayer, for being comfortable in "not knowing" and waiting upon God.  It's the cross, our cross, and we need to be free enough to take it up.