Carrying Your Cross: What Did Jesus Really Mean?

In Luke 9:23-24, Jesus says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” Right from the start, Jesus makes it clear that following Him isn’t about comfort or self-preservation. It’s a call to self-denial and sacrifice. The cross is not just a one-time decision, it’s a daily choice. To follow Jesus means to lay down our own desires and to give up control of our own life, choosing His will over our own.

This call to carry the cross would have been particularly striking to the people listening. They were very familiar with the sight of condemned criminals carrying their crosses through the streets, headed toward their own execution. The cross was a symbol of death—shameful, public, and final. To carry a cross wasn’t just about physical burden; it represented the end of everything the person had known. It meant the loss of personal freedom and the certainty of a painful, humiliating death.

In Luke 14:27, Jesus says, “Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” This verse emphasizes the absolute necessity of carrying the cross in the life of a true disciple. There is no following Jesus without this willing surrender. The cross isn't optional; it’s a vital part of what it means to follow Christ.

In Luke 14:33, Jesus takes this further by saying, “In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.” To follow Jesus is to surrender everything, the things we hold dear, our personal ambitions, even our own comfort. It's not a light calling. It's not about adding Jesus to our lives as a side benefit; it’s about giving up everything for the sake of knowing Him and following His will.

In Philippians 3:8, Paul echoes this same heart of surrender: "What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ." Paul understood that nothing, not even his past achievements, could compare to the value of knowing Jesus. He was willing to lose everything, his status, his possessions, and his former way of life, in order to gain Christ. This is the kind of radical sacrifice Jesus is calling His followers to.

And in Matthew 16:24, Jesus sums it all up with a call that goes beyond just words: “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” This verse shows us the full depth of discipleship. To deny ourselves isn’t just about giving up certain pleasures or inconveniences, it’s about surrendering our entire will, our desires, and our life’s direction. It means letting go of our plans, our dreams, and our ambitions, choosing to follow Jesus wherever He leads, regardless of the cost. It’s an active decision to align our heart and actions with His will rather than our own.

The command to “take up his cross” takes on even more weight when we understand the significance of the cross in Jesus’ time. It wasn’t just a symbol of sacrifice, but of shame, rejection, and death. When Jesus calls us to carry our cross, He is calling us to embrace the full reality of following Him, knowing that it may involve hardship, persecution, and pain. But it’s also a call to trust that through these trials, we gain life in Him, an eternal life that far outweighs the temporary sufferings we may endure.

The invitation to follow Me is not a passive call. It’s an invitation to walk the same path Jesus walked: a path of sacrifice, obedience, and unwavering faith. It’s not about a one-time decision or a moment of enthusiasm; it’s a lifelong journey of living out the gospel in our everyday actions. Every day, we must choose to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Jesus—no matter the challenges we face, or the personal costs involved.

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“What I write is not for everyone, but what I write is meant for someone.”

I am the author of two books: Embracing God's Wisdom: A Journey of Faith and Reflection and Embracing God’s Wisdom: Paul’s Commands for Victorious Living. Both are available on Amazon.

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I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service. (1 Timothy 1:12)