And calling the crowd together with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and come after Me.
This saying is the fundamental principle of discipleship. Christ does not limit it only to the apostles, but says, “if anyone desires,” that is, everyone who wants to be His follower must accept the same path. First, “let him deny himself.” This does not mean self-hatred, but renouncing the rule of one’s own will and a self-centered way of life. A person naturally strives to establish his own will and to direct his life, but discipleship begins where a person stops considering himself the master of his life. Then, “take up his cross.” The cross is not merely hardship, but the path a person consciously accepts, obeying Christ even at the cost of pain, shame, and sacrifice. And finally, “follow Me.” The Christian life is not only deprivation, but a walk with Christ. The cross has meaning only in being connected with Him. This verse shows that true faith does not seek only comfort, but is ready, with love and obedience, to follow the Lord to the end.