At the heart of today's gospel Jesus is making one of his most challenging statements: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." This comes right after Peter had rebuked Jesus for predicting his own death and resurrection.
The imagery of "taking up one's cross" would have been especially stark to Jesus' original audience. In their world, crosses weren't decorative jewelry or metaphors - they were brutal instruments of execution that people were forced to carry to their own death. Jesus is essentially saying that following him requires being willing to die to our own desires, ambitions, and even our very lives.
What makes this scripture particularly powerful is the paradox Jesus presents: "For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it." He's introducing a complete inversion of worldly values - true life is found in surrender rather than self-preservation.
The following verses about not being ashamed of Jesus and his words take on deeper meaning in this context. Jesus is acknowledging that his way of self-denial runs counter to the world's wisdom and values. There will be a temptation to be embarrassed by or to soften his radical call to discipleship.
Perhaps most striking is how Jesus connects this personal call to self-denial with cosmic events - he speaks of coming "in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." This suggests that our individual choices to take up our cross and follow him are somehow tied to this grand divine purpose.
He concludes with the mysterious statement that some standing there would "not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come with power." This could be referring to multiple events - his transfiguration, resurrection, Pentecost, or even the fall of Jerusalem. But in any case, it provides hope that although following Jesus requires death to self, it leads to witnessing and participating in God's kingdom breaking into our world.
This passage challenges us to examine what we're truly living for and what we're willing to give up to follow Jesus. It's not about mere self-improvement or adding religious practices into our lives - it's about a fundamental reorientation of our entire existence around Jesus and the Kingdom of God.
©2025 James Dacey Jr.
