A Costly Commitment

“Then Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” – Matthew 16:24

“I can’t wait till I’m on my own!”

My 16-year-old daughter’s words were punctuated by the flip of her hair and a defiant scowl as she proceeded to her room. Her desire for freedom suggested a life without constraints imposed by her parents, teachers, or authority figures. “She reminds me of me when I was her age,” I thought.

Freedom is enticing. It’s also misleading!

Living autonomously without restraint encourages us to believe that self-gratification is most important. If you question this, take a few minutes to observe social media. The pursuit of freedom is so attractive it promotes personal choices without prudence. Despite what others think or desire, the opportunity for self-expression fertilizes the seeds of individualism.

Many who reflect on their teen years will attest that self-denial was unpopular in those formative years. We lived then for the pursuit of instant gratification. We saw “delay” as detrimental, and any form of self-denial was viewed as “unfair.” After all, why shouldn’t I have what I want when I want? To deny me my “rights” is an infringement of my freedom.

Despite the prevailing cultural attitudes toward immediate pleasure and self-indulgence, instant gratification does not contribute to personal growth or achieving long-term goals.

Jesus’ message to “deny yourself and take up your cross” was not popular then and remains offensive today. Somehow, those words appear to impede our freedom. Who wants to orient their lives around a “cross”? But to follow Jesus requires our willingness to surrender self-oriented ambitions and willingly surrender to the Lord’s purpose—reflecting Jesus in selfless devotion and service to others.

Jesus’ words describe a lifestyle motivated by a radically different worldview. He’s not speaking of mere inconveniences or the common maladies of life (e.g., “We all have our cross to bear”). As Larry Chouinard writes:

“This metaphorical expression (“to take up one’s cross”) graphically recalls the actions of a condemned man who must bear his cross to the place of execution.”⁠1

That mindset is required to reflect Christ’s self-sacrificing love in our neighborhoods. Rather than preserving one’s life at any cost, followers of Jesus must assume an attitude of self-denial, voluntarily surrendering their preferences for a life of selfless devotion and service to others.

To be a follower of Christ requires a costly commitment: to deny self and take up the cross. We can’t do that without an intentional and ongoing commitment to surrender our individualism. That requires sacrifice and the re-alignment of our priorities with Christ’s. When we do, we discover that we have true freedom in Christ.

“For you were called to freedom, brothers [and sisters]. Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13 ESV).

1 Larry Chouinard, Matthew, The College Press NIV Commentary (Joplin, MO: College Press, 1997), Mt 16:24.

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¹ Sid S. Buzzell, “Proverbs,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 911.

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