Deny yourself and take up your cross

Jesus said in Luke 9:23, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Those words are familiar, but they are often misunderstood. People sometimes describe sickness, financial trouble, a difficult relationship, or some other hardship as “their cross to bear.” Those things may certainly be burdens, but that is not primarily what Jesus meant.

When Jesus spoke these words, the cross was not a beautiful religious symbol. It was not worn as jewelry or displayed in churches. It was an instrument of execution used by the Romans to punish, shame and kill condemned men.