Luke 9:21-26 (NIV)

21Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

23Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

Reflection:

The disciples were probably still trying to process what Jesus was saying must take place when Jesus goes on to explain what this means for their lives. This is a critical time for His disciples. What is unthinkable to them is about to happen. But Jesus’ heart for them is to not only know what will happen to Him on the cross, but also to fully embrace what it means to be His disciple. He wants them to know that the way of the cross is suffering. This is what we are to hear as well. The encouragement is that if the cross we are called to bear is of Him, God will work it for His glory.

Responding to the Transmission:

This is probably not what we would think of when asked about our favorite verse in the Bible. But this is too important and central to the message of the cross to ignore. Jesus says to anyone who wants to be His disciple to deny themselves, take up their cross daily and follow. Today, let the Spirit of God testify to the truth of this passage as we read and reflect. As we come let’s not try to look for another way, but allow the Spirit’s work in us so that we come with greater faith, greater love, and greater hope as we hear Jesus’ call to us: “then take up your cross and follow Me”.