Daily Devotional – Thursday, August 17, 2023
Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Mark 8:34 (NKJV)
During the Roman occupation of Judea, the cross was the cruelest form of punishment, reserved for the worst of criminals. It inflicted chronic, excruciating pain on the offender. Moreover, the criminal had to carry his cross from the point of judgment to the place of crucifixion, which was a tiresome and humiliating exercise.
Deny Yourself
The disciples of Jesus were aware of these facts about the cross at the time when He announced, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Mark 8:34). They must have found His statement disconcerting. How could He compare them to hardcore criminals?
Christ’s statement, however, was an intimation of the death He would undergo not long after. He was also preparing them for His trial, crucifixion, and the painful and humiliating journey to Golgotha. After His crucifixion, the disciples would walk in His footsteps and experience suffering and martyrdom in some cases.
Bear the Painful and Embarrassing Cross
It was to prepare the disciples for the coming events that Jesus made His statement. Discipleship was not a mere profession of faith but an active involvement in a course that required self-sacrifice. It was the conscious decision to forsake worldly pleasure and follow Jesus and eternal life.
As modern disciples, Jesus calls us to the same standard. Christianity is a lifelong vocation. We bear the cross daily and follow Jesus wherever He leads. The cross is a symbol of our conscious decision to forsake everything that is contrary to God’s will and to obey every command of God.
Carry Your Cross and Follow Me
Jesus still invites, “Carry your cross and follow me.” This exercise is not easy because it entails sacrificing alluring pleasures and objects of life. However, the eternal life God promises far outweighs any sacrifices we make for Jesus. What sacrifices have you had to make in order to follow Jesus? Do you still carry the cross daily? Are you still following Jesus?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, once again, I am denying myself, taking up the cross and following You.
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Amen! Like Martin Luther in his book “The mark of the cross ” he reiterate the same saying “to be a Christian one must take up his cross, with all its difficulties and agonizing and tension-packed content, and carry it until that very cross leaves its mark upon us and redeems us to that more excellent way ”
Christ disciples are known by the marks of the cross they carry.
And by the way, carrying the cross would also let us walk even as Christ walk. “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. ” 1st John 2:6
Amen and Amen, Doc.