"Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me" (Mark 8:34).

At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus commissioned His followers to go and make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19–20). It is essential for us to understand the main ingredient of becoming a disciple as Jesus described it: “taking up the cross”. For us to understand what following Christ entails we must become familiar with what this means for us.

Shame. Today it is common to see crosses displayed throughout our culture. It is a popular form of jewelry (for believers and non-believers alike). It is accepted as a symbol for many things. During the time of Jesus, however, the cross was a symbol of shame. In Deuteronomy 21:23, the Mosaic Law makes clear that anyone who hangs on a tree is cursed. Therefore, in the Jewish mindset, dying on the cross implied that one was cursed by God. Paul picks up on this when he writes, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). By bearing our cross we are stating that we know what Jesus did for us and are following Him in obedience because of it.

Sacrifice. The Romans used crucifixion as a horrible torture device to demonstrate to all enemies of Rome that they were the authority. The person sentenced to death by crucifixion would be nailed or tied to a cross and would hang there until they could no longer support his or her own weight. Eventually, this would cause the person to suffocate under the weight of his own body. For us to be disciples we surrender our lives in exchange for the life Jesus wants to give us. "For whoever wants to save his lifewill lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it" (Matthew 16:25).

Service. Finally, taking up our cross means we are committing ourselves to serving Jesus as our new Master. In order for Jesus to be our master we must turn from the old way of life, through the cleansing provided by the Holy Spirit and begin to obey God. Paul told Timothy that when we do cleanse ourselves we are then “useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (2 Timothy 2:21). Taking up the cross indicates that we are ready to leave behind our old life of sin and walk in perfect fellowship with God!

Going Deeper: Are you prepared for all that following Jesus entails? Ask God to reveal any areas in your life where you have not taken up your cross and followed Jesus!

"Y llamando a la gente y a Sus discípulos, les dijo:Si alguno quiere venir en pos de Mí, niéguese a sí mismo, y tome su cruz, y sígame." (Marcos 8:34)

Al final del Evangelio de Mateo, Jesús les encargó a sus seguidores que fueran aevangelizar todas las naciones (Mateo28:19–20). Es primordial que comprendamos lo que se necesita para ser un verdadero discípulo de Cristo: "toma tu cruz". Para que comprendamos lo que significa seguir a Cristo debemos familiarizarnos con lo que esta frase dice para cada uno de nosotros.

Vergüenza. Hoy en día es normal ver cruces en todas partes a donde vamos, es parte de nuestra cultura. Lo vemos en joyería (creyentes y no creyentes). Es un símbolo de muchas cosas. Durante la vida de Jesús, la cruz era un símbolo devergüenza. En Deuteronomio 21:23, la Ley Mosaica dice que cualquiera que fuere colgado de un madero era maldito. Por esto es que en la mentalidad Judía, morir en una cruz implicaba ser maldecido por Dios. Pablo retoma el tema al decir:“Cristo nos redimió de la maldición de la ley, hecho por nosotros maldición” (Gálatas 3:13). Al comprender que "cargamos nuestra cruz" aceptamos lo que Cristo hizo por nosotros y nos dedicamos a obedecerlo al haber muerto por nuestros pecados.

Sacrificio. Lacrucifixión se usaba por los romanos como medio de tortura para mostrar a sus enemigos quien era el que mandaba. Los sentenciados a la cruz eran atados o clavados a un madero hasta que su propio peso acababa asfixiándolos. El ser un discípulo quiere decir que hemos dejado nuestra vida de pecado y optamos por aceptar la que Jesús nos ofrece."…pero el que pierda su vida por Mi causa, la encontrará" (Mateo 16:25).

Servicio. Finalmente, al tomar nuestra cruz estamos de acuerdo en que Cristo es nuestro amo y Señor. Para que él sea nuestro Señor debemos dejar nuestra vieja forma de vida, por medio de la limpieza que hace el Espíritu Santo y la obediencia a Dios. Pablo le dijo a Timoteo que cuando nos limpiamos somos"instrumento para honra, santificado, útil al Señor, y dispuesto para toda buena obra” (2 Timoteo 2:21). Al tomar la cruz mostramos que estamos preparados para dejar atrás la vida de pecado y caminar en perfecta armonía con Dios.

Profundicemos:¿Estás listo para comprometerte en todo lo que significa ser un verdadero seguidor de Cristo? ¿Hay áreas en donde no has podido "tomar tu cruz"? Ora y pídele a Dios que te revele estas áreas y sigue a Jesús.

All scripture is quoted from the New International Version unless otherwise indicated.

Todas las citas son de la Nueva Versión Internacional a menos que se indique.