Luke 9:23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
This text follows two important events. The confession of Peter, where he confesses that Jesus was the Christ of God. And secondly, Jesus foretells his rejection, death and resurrection. (Luke 9:18-22) It is a passage that speaks to the cost of being a disciple of Jesus. Discipleship flows from our confession. If we confess that Jesus is the “Christ of God” and we identify ourselves as a disciple of Christ, Jesus gives us the terms of that discipleship. Terms that are involve us trusting in God wholeheartedly and living a life of self-sacrifice every day till our death.
Jesus gives three aspects of discipleship. Denying, taking up a cross daily, and following him. In the short space here I will give an over view of these aspects, praying that may be helpful in understanding the thrust of discipleship. When we begin to comprehend what is being asked of us, we will understand how radical this call is. Jesus is is telling us that the Christian life doesn’t end at the confession of faith, but that there remains a life to be lived. A life where we die to our self and live in obedience to God.
Denying your self is part of sanctification in the Christian life. We understand that in sanctification there are two components: mortification and vivification. They occur through the Christian life as we struggle with sin. (Romans 7:7-24) Part of the Christian life, is to deny the sinful desires that remain in us and live for the holy tasks God has given us in the moral law. Disciples of Jesus live lives of purity and put to death those desires of immorality and other forms of idolatry. (Col 3:1,5)
“Take up his cross daily” is not our struggle with our current predicament. It is a radical expression of actively dying to our selfishness. A contemporary way of stating this could be “putting our head in a noose everyday” or “putting neck under the guillotine daily”. The Christian is the dead man made alive. This is the reality our baptism signifies
Col. 2:11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
We are living out our baptism by dying to our sinful inclinations and desires. Baptism, a sign and seal of our dying with Christ and being resurrected with him is not meaningless. It is a font of grace for us, through which we participate in the death and resurrection of Jesus throughout our life. Taking up our cross (the dying to our sinful inclinations and desires) isn’t a one time event, it is a continual process through which we will grow in holiness. Part of the joys of discipleship is rejoicing in the power of the resurrection of Jesus, but we cannot forget that are also called to bear the cross of dying to self daily.
“Follow me” Jesus has already stated what will happen to him. That he will be rejected by the elders of the nation of Israel, the chief priests and scribes. That he would die and then rise again from the dead. This will be our example to follow. As Jesus faced total humiliation for us, we must be willing to live a life of obedience to him even if it means that we are rejected. Sharing the Gospel with someone and watching them reject it, or mock it, can be frustrating. It can be a strong force of discouragement. However, we are called to obedience. Jesus was obedient unto death and so he calls us to a radical form of obedience in the face of being mocked, ridiculed, and rejected till our death.
We may fail in this call. The disciples did. They left Jesus and denied him. Jesus however, graciously found them and spoke of the love he had for them, restored them, and then charged them to live a life of painful obedience. An obedience that would result all of their deaths, save John who was exiled. Many have not endured till the end, but many have because of the Gospel. The Gospel reminds us of the obedient one who forgives our sins and gives us life. In Christ we find the ability to be faithful disciples, and we can pray for perseverance, and victories over our weaknesses in this life for the sake of Christ alone.