The Daily Cross

Luke 9:23 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.”

This metaphoric verse has often made me wonder if I interpreted the real message and practicing it properly. After all, Jesus stated it clearly to His “Followers”. One commentary points out that this same conversation and challenge is also recorded in Matthew 16:24 and Mark 8:34, except that only Luke included the term “daily.” Except for one brief reference in Matthew 10:38, this conversation marks the first explicit reference in the Bible to the practice of crucifixion, and it apparently assumes that the disciples were already well aware of this typically Roman method of torturous execution. Literally, “Taking up the cross” referred to the usual requirement that each condemned man haul his own cross to the place of execution. Jesus knew that He would soon have to be doing this Himself.

Christians sometimes use this phrase without appreciation of its true meaning, thinking of some burden or hardship as “the cross” they must bear. Such things can be serious problems, but they are not instruments of execution, such as a cross. In one sense, the Lord was telling His disciples that following Him must mean nothing less than a daily willingness to die for Him, if need be. Many disciples have indeed suffered martyrdom for Christ’s sake, but all should at least be willing to deny themselves daily.

Galatians 5:19-24 (NLT) “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery/drug abuse, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

The commentator goes on to state that “Taking up the cross” does not necessarily mean dying as Christ did, but it does mean consciously dying each day to the sinful desires of our flesh and the God-rejecting world system in which we live; living unto Him and gladly affirm this testimony: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” - Galatians 6:14. Following Jesus Christ and the daily cross are not to be taken lightly.

As Paul would say: “I am crucified with Christ; “I die daily”.

Blessings