LET US TAKE A CLOSE LOOK AT:
Matthew 10:38 Whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me doesn’t deserve to be my disciple.
Jesus is not speaking poetically here—He is making a radical, uncompromising call to discipleship. To understand it fully, you have to hear it the way His original audience did.
FIRST LET US UNDERSTAND: What “take up your cross” meant in the first century.
Before Jesus died on the cross, the cross was not a religious symbol.
It meant one thing: Death. Public shame. Total surrender. A condemned person carried their own crossbeam to the place of execution.
So, Jesus is saying: “Follow Me even if it costs you everything.” “Die to your own agenda, your own control, your own identity apart from Me.” “Your allegiance to Me must be greater than your allegiance to yourself.” This is not about suffering in general. It is about choosing obedience to Christ even when it kills your comfort, pride, or plans.
The heart of the verse is: loyalty that costs something. Jesus is drawing a line: If you want Me, you must want Me more than yourself. If you follow Me, you must follow Me all the way—not halfway. He is not demanding perfection. He is demanding priority.
Biblically, the cross is chosen obedience, not accidental suffering. It means denying the flesh, surrendering your will, embracing God’s will, following Jesus even when it hurts.
WHAT JESUS IS SAYING IS: “If you want Me, you must follow Me all the way to the end—even when it costs you everything. But in losing your life for Me, you will find the only life worth having.” It is a call to surrender, loyalty, courage, endurance, and love for Christ above all.
THIS IS THE WORD OF GOD. AMEN AND AMEN.
ARE YOU WILLING TO TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW JESUS?
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PASTOR ANDRA HIGGINBOTHAM