And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.
As Josh McDowell has said, people will die for a cause they believe in but no one would die for a lie. Here Jesus calls his followers to do something antithetical to our survival instinct; to die for Jesus and the good news of salvation. His hearers would need to be convinced that he is who he says he is. If the disciples analyzed the evidence in the previous events of the ministry of Jesus, this would be their data. He calmed a storm, healed many, fed the multitudes. Twice. Oh, and walked on water. Then he asked the disciples who they said he was and Peter got it right just before being called on the carpet for trying to thwart the mission of Jesus to save the world. Peter would forever relive the words, “Get behind me Satan!”
The reason Jesus did all this was to get the disciples ready for what Jesus would ask of them later. If they did not believe Jesus was the Son of God and the Savior of the world, they would not be able to take up their cross and follow him. In fact, Peter struggled at this more than any of the others. Today, reassure yourself that Jesus is the Christ and the Bible is true and declares that those who believe in Jesus are saved. Then you will be ready to take up your cross and…
Carry on.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church