Have you ever considered just what Jesus actually meant when He said. “Take up your cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23)

First lets examine what Jesus did not mean.

Many people interpret “cross” as some burden they must carry in their lives: a strained relationship, a thankless job, a physical illness.

With self-pitying pride, they say, “That’s just the cross that I have to carry.”

Such an interpretation is not at all what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow me.”

When Jesus carried His cross up the hill called Golgotha to be crucified, not one witness or participant was thinking of the rugged cross as symbolic of a burden to carry.

To a person, living in the first century, under Roman domination, the cross mean one thing only: death by the most painful and humiliating means a human being could develop.

Two thousand years after the fact, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace and love.

But in Jesus’ day, the cross represented nothing but torturous death.

Because the Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion, bearing a cross meant carrying their own execution device while facing ridicule along the way to death.

Therefore, “Take up your cross and follow Me” can only mean being willing to die in order to be a follower of Jesus.

This act is called “dying to self.”

It is a call for absolute surrender. After each time Jesus commanded cross bearing, He said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whosoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:24-25)

Although the call is tough, the reward is matchless.

Wherever Jesus went, He drew crowds. Although these multitudes often followed Him as Messiah, their view of who the Messiah really was--and what He would do--was distorted. They thought the Christ had come to usher in the restored kingdom. They believed He would free them from the oppressive rule of their Roman occupiers. Even Christ’s own inner circle of disciples thought the kingdom was coming soon (Luke 19:11). When Jesus began teaching that He was going to die at the hands of the Jewish leaders and their Gentile overlords (Luke 9:22), His popularity sank. Many of the shocked followers rejected Him.

Truly, they were not able to put to death their own ideas, plans, and desires, and to exchange them for His.

Following Jesus is easy when life runs smoothly; our true commitment to Him is revealed during trial.

Jesus assured us that trials would surely come to His followers (John 16:33). Discipleship demands sacrifice, and Jesus never hid that cost.

In Luke 9:57-62, three people seemed willing to follow Jesus.

Yet, when Jesus questioned them further, their commitment was half-hearted at best.

They failed to count the cost of following Him. None was willing to take up his cross and crucify upon it his own interests.

Therefore, Jesus, appeared to dissuade them. How different from the typical Gospel presentation!

How many people would respond to an altar call (if one were even given) that went, “Come follow Jesus, and you may face the loss of friends, family, reputation, career, and possibly even you life”?

The number of false converts would likely decrease immensely! Such a call is just what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”

If you believe that you have taken up your cross, please, consider these questions:

Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing some of your closest friends!

Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family?

Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means the loss of your reputation?

Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your job?

Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing you life?

In many places in the world,these consequences are a reality.

But notice that all of the questions are preceded by “Are you willing?”

Following Jesus doesn’t mean that any of these things will actually occur to you, but “Are you willing to take up your cross?”

If it comes to a point in your life where you are forced to make the choice of--Jesus-- or the comforts of this life---which will you choose?

Commitment to Jesus, means to examine your self daily to see if you are truly willing to “take up your cross .”

Willing to forfeit all of your hopes, dreams, possessions, even you very life if need be, just to be called His disciple (Luke 14:27).

The reward, far outweighs any possible price.

Jesus followed the call of death to self, and went up Golgotha to complete the task.

Would you follow?

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25-26).