What Does It Mean to Deny Yourself and Take Up Your Cross?
By Christy Gambrell
In his interactions with others, Jesus often got straight to the point. His call to discipleship in Mark 8:34 is no exception: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Discipleship equals self-denial and cross-bearing. Period.
But what does Jesus mean by “deny himself”? What does the ultimate cross-bearer mean by “take up his cross,” since Jesus’s cross and our cross cannot accomplish the same thing? And why does he use such a harsh metaphor to describe discipleship?
What the Text Says
Two considerations, in particular, can guide us to a correct understanding of Jesus’s meaning in Mark 8:34.
1. Closer Look at ‘Deny’
The Greek verb translated here as “to deny” is aparneomai. Although this word can simply mean to deny the truth of a statement, it almost always has overtones of association or connection to a person. Denial in the New Testament is the intentional disassociation from relationship with a particular
person. Another translation, then, might be to “disown” or “renounce.” For example, this is the verb used when Peter “denies” Jesus. He denies that he knows Jesus or has any association with him.
Self-denial, then, is intentional disowning of the self, or stepping away from relationship with the self as primary. Jesus is not making a statement about whether the self is bad, but about who we are most closely associated with. Who is our primary allegiance to—him, or ourselves?
2. Historical Practice of Cross-Bearing
Jesus made this statement about taking up one’s cross before he was crucified. Although the metaphor would certainly gain a fuller meaning after his death, it must have meant something to his listeners beforehand as well.
Crucifixion was reserved specifically for offenders who had rebelled against authority. To “take up one’s cross” referred to the practice of forcing a condemned person to carry the cross beam to his execution site. This showed that although he had rebelled against authority, the condemned person was now so completely conquered that his last act in life would be to carry the instrument of his demise to the place of his death. It was a show of complete and utter submission. A call to bear one’s cross as part of following Jesus, then, is a call to be as submitted to Christ as the condemned criminal was to his death.
Therefore, when Jesus calls for self-denial and cross-bearing, he’s claiming authority. Following Christ means disowning the self and giving allegiance to him instead. And it means giving him allegiance down to the very depths of our being.
Article excerpt taken from The Gospel Coalition (U.S. Edition). Read the full resource here:
Comments