Take Up Your Cross

𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘸 16:24-25 𝘕𝘈𝘚𝘉

24 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴, “𝘐𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘔𝘦. 25 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵; 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵.

𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬 8:34-35 𝘕𝘈𝘚𝘉

34 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, “𝘐𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘔𝘦. 35 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭’𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵.

𝘓𝘶𝘬𝘦 9:23-24 𝘕𝘈𝘚𝘉

23 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘭, “𝘐𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘦, 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘺 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘔𝘦. 24 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵.

This is so important that 3 of the 4 gospel accounts record this, but what strikes me more is that Jesus hadn't been crucified yet, and no one on earth but Him knew that He would be, yet here He is telling people to take up their cross and follow after Him.

Jesus was telling us to bear the burdens, following the example that He was going to set in the final moments of His mortal life. He was telling us to endure persecution, so that in Him we can triumph in the end.