What does the scripture in Matthew 16:24 mean to you as a follower of Christ, and?

Question

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

Does taking up your cross ever get so heavy that you've felt you could walk no further?

Answer 1

YES

BUT I FOUND HIM TO BE FAITHFUL
and ""AN EVER PRESENT HELP IN A TIME OF NEED""

WE ALL have a Cross to bare in our life, but GOD gives us strength and grace to bare it
For HIS GRACE is sufficent..........

But even JESUS DID NOT BARE THE WOODEN CROSS

WE WERE THE CROSS HE BORE
and it was TRULEY A HEAVY BURDEN
that even He asked it be taken away ( the flesh asked )
BUT HE CAME TO GIVE HIS LIFE AND BARE ITS SHAME
FOR US AND CARRY US....UPON HIMSELF
THAT THE JUST for the UNJUST....
and a RANSOM for many and an ATONEMENT
ONCE AND FOR ALL...
mankind maybe SAVED through HIM and
RESTORED BACK TO GOD
where they seperated Themselves from HIM

HE ALWAYS MAKES A WAY
and Bears it , when we cannot
for it is written
"Cast ALL your cares upon Him for he cares for you "
and we also are to" Bear ye one anothers burdens "

it would be so simple if we would just simply
OBEY GOD
then that Cross , would be so easy to carry
for then HE would be carrying US ALL

Answer 2

The Phrase ‘ take up his cross ‘ also appears in Matthew 10:38 , in both verses we have Jesus explaining to his ( 12 ) disciples , that if they also wish to be considered worthy for Priesthood , they must begin the arduous task of denying worldly goods and putting the needs of God before the needs of their family.

The whole of Chapter 16 is to do with Jesus’ campaign to become a Priest and have his own ‘ Kingdom’ . Jesus was unable to satisfactorily pass the test of the Pharisees ( 16:1 ) and had to go back to his own ministry. Verse 16:21 talks again about the difficult tests he must pass . Peter is playing the traditional role of Satan 16:23, to discourage Jesus and test his determination . The last Verse 16:28, Jesus again re-assures his disciples that he will become a priest before they die.

In these particular 1st century allegorical texts Verses 16:11-12 give us a nice little insight into the teachings of the Pharisees and the use of allegory in 1st century Judea.

On the journey back home , after Jesus fails the test of the Pharisees, Jesus warns his disciples to be careful. But the poor ol’ disciples get a little confused and think Jesus is upset because they did not bring any Bread. Jesus reminds the disciples about the allegorical meaning of the word Loaves and warns them to study harder - I think that is a cute touch by the author of Matthew to include that litte ditty.

Answer 3

There are so many ways to interpret this saying. I would say most are accurate even if they are different.

First, if you would follow Jesus and his example you must willingly sacrifice yourself and all that you would have wished to have. Second, your cross could be your "destiny" if you pardon that term. Whatever God has called you to be and do it with all your might even if it means your life. Third, do as Jesus did and boldy proclaim God till some one kills you.

Does taking up your Cross get so heavy? Sure. Even Jesus wept tears of blood and wished for another way, but even as the thought entered his mind he cast it aside and praised God and took the next step. We too must realize our frailty and then take another step knowing that we have God for a cruch and a coach. When we cannot carry on he will carry us unless we slap his hand away.

Answer 4

Today we have many crosses.They are on our Bible,Church Steeple,jewelry that we might wear, but this cross that you speak of here is not seen as often as we see these other crosses.For many it appears that there is no cross,Believe that Jesus saved you and thats it seems to be the tradition.For those who carry their cross, it only becomes heaven when we try and carry it alone.We need not carry this cross alone.When it becomes heavy it is generally a good sign that we are placing to much emphasize on the world at its appeal. There is One who will help "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light".

It is good how the Spirit is leading you here today to asked these important questions.I am praying that He will continue to guide you.

Answer 5

Jesus is telling His people to denounce self and do His will. To emulate Jesus in the way of the cross; that is to embrace a ministry of selfless devotion and service on behalf of others.

Discipleship is not a convience, but a way of life which humbly walks the path first walked by Jesus.

Answer 6

Yes, @ times the cross has felt so heavy I felt I could go no further. But then I"m reminded God said we'd not be given a burden we can't bear. We are to cast all our burdens on Him.

Answer 7

No. It means that with faith and understanding, you will go through all the earthly trials and find what you are looking for. Denial of self must be understood fully, and this is a very hard point for human thought to come to terms with, for many do not know about false self.

Answer 8

okay, i am sorry but this is going to sound really cliche.

denying yourself is never easy. and taking up your cross is hard too! it means that you are just going to live to die, just like Christ. it means that you are going to live your life to the fullest of God's expectations, and then die and live with him.

yes, the cross gets heavy. it is a very heavy burden, but you should be glad to carry it. but God has promised that he will not give us any hardship THAT WE CANNOT HANDLE. so he will let bad things happen to you, but he won't let it get so bad that you can't walk any further.

think of it this way: you are running on a treadmill. it starts out kinda hard, and it gets harder and harder every second you are on there. you are on the verge of tears, because your legs hurt so bad. but, you push on and meet or exceed your goal. it isn't easy to do, and you thought you were going to pass out or something. it wasn't fun. but you did it. taking up your cross is the same way. it isn't fun and games, and you will get tired. but with God, you can make it.

Answer 9

Yes our cross does get heavy, but, it is nothing compared to the Cross he carried, for us.He gave his life for us. Hang in there, And God Bless
It is always the darkest before the dawn.

Answer 10

do you mean being a Christian became so hard you felt you couldn't go on??
Jesus wants us to deny ourselves, so we shouldn't say I want that so I'm going to do it if God doesn't want you to (like in the bible it says not to steal and you do anyways) we should follow Jesus, and take up our cross, which I've always interpreted as being Christianity