Luke 9:23 NIV: “Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
Some of the first words Jesus said when he started teaching were, “Follow me.” The words were uttered just after he formally declared, “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” From the moment his ministry of proclaiming the gospel began, he continually invited people to follow him.
The invitation wasn’t merely a subjective sentiment but a literal request. Back then, rabbis (or teachers) would gather students to follow them and become disciples. This meant leaving family and jobs to live with the rabbis, learning all his teachings, following his way of life, and imitating almost every aspect of the teacher.
As the verse in Luke shows, the invitation to be a follower was not exclusive. In fact, this verse is spoken to the multitude of 5,000 that he and his disciples had just fed, which means the invitation is also to us today.
Of course, we cannot literally follow Jesus around on earth, so in anticipation of this, Jesus defines what following him looks like when he isn’t here in the flesh. Following Christ is first denying self. The Greek word used for deny is a compound of “say” and “no.” This makes it simple: say no to ourselves. Except, what does that actually entail?
Denying ourselves is a matter of control, especially in the context of following someone else. One of the best metaphors for giving up control is riding in the backseat and allowing someone else to drive. Think of all the ways this act symbolically denies self: no control over speed, safety, destination, pitstops, car temperature, music choice, etc.
Jesus likens giving up control to taking up a cross. This refers to suffering but also a willingness to follow even unto death! Look at the little word added at the end, “daily.” We aren’t asked to allow Jesus to take the wheel sometimes or only after we’ve found the route we want to take. He asks us to give up driving altogether.
The question to ponder today is: Are you following Jesus? Have you surrendered control, or are you still trying to take the wheel?
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