Luke 9:23: He said to all, ‘If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.
In the above verse, Jesus taught that being His true disciple involves self-denial. Consider some things in this passage and elsewhere in Scripture that shed light on the meaning of this instruction.
The Example: Luke 9:23 begins with the words, “If anyone desires to come after me.” This points us back to Luke 9:22, where Jesus warned His disciples of His upcoming sufferings and death.
Though Peter expressed a desire to stop such sufferings (Matt. 16:22; Mark 8:32), Jesus made it clear that He was choosing the Father’s will over personal comfort. He accepted whatever suffering resulted from this, including death by crucifixion.
This is the setting for Luke 9:23. Jesus did not “sugar-coat” His description of following Him. Jesus denied Himself of many temporal comforts to obey the Father. His followers must do the same.
The Commitment: After saying “If anyone desires to come after me” in Luke 9:23, Jesus instructed “let him deny himself…”
Being Christ’s disciple involves forsaking whatever pleasures, goals, ambitions, etc. one must in order to please God.
Certainly if one takes pleasure in something that is blatantly sinful, such thing must be forsaken, but self-denial goes deeper than this. It can involve, for instance, forsaking a job, hobby, or possession that hinders one from being all that God desires (Luke 8:14).
At its core, self-denial involves changing one’s aim in life from pleasing self to pleasing God (2 Cor. 5:9). It involves presenting one’s entire being to God as a “living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1), so that God becomes the complete ruler of one’s life.
The Sacrifice: The sacrifice associated with this lifestyle is elaborated on in Luke 9:23 with the words “take up his cross.”
While Jesus died on a literal cross, the implication for us is that we must be willing to accept whatever suffering comes as a result of the choice to live faithfully.
2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” Notice that this verse does not present suffering as something that might happen for those who faithfully follow Christ. Persecution is guaranteed for all of Christ’s faithful disciples.
This can include physical persecution, which was common in New Testament times (Rev. 2:10; 6:9). What is probably more common in the time and place we live is mental persecution.
Following Christ’s steps means accepting vast differences between oneself and the majority. Some people find the Christian lifestyle strange, and it is likely that some will speak poorly of us, mock us, or belittle us if we choose this path (1 Pet. 4:3-4). We might anger close friends or family members (Matt. 10:34-36).
Whatever sufferings result from our choice to follow Christ, we must not deny God’s will. This is the implication of Christ’s instruction to take up our crosses.
The Frequency: Luke’s account of Jesus’ statement about self-denial includes a word that specifies the frequency of this commitment. Notice the word “daily” in Luke 9:23.
Being Jesus’ disciple is not just a one-time event or a weekly event, but a permanent, ongoing lifestyle choice.
Self-denial is a decision to shape every day of one’s life around pleasing God (Gal. 2:20). Given the breadth of instruction covered by God’s Word, it is not hard to see how self-denial begins at baptism, but must be at the core of Christ’s faithful disciples’ lives each day.
The Worth: While the depth of the commitment Jesus calls for must not be under-valued, neither should the worth of choosing this lifestyle. No matter what we must give up to please God, it is more than worth it. This is the emphasis in the two verses that follow Jesus’ instruction about self-denial (Luke 9:24-25).
Considering this, may each of us look to Jesus’ example, deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily, and follow after Him.
– Michael Hickox