Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me”.
Matthew 16:24
A disciple is a student who commits their life to acquiring knowledge from their teacher, adhering to their teachings, and imitating their way of life. Disciples aspire to be like their teachers. Our Lord Jesus set the standard for discipleship. First and foremost, a disciple of Jesus Christ is a person who believes in him. A disciple of Jesus was not someone who would physically follow him around, and take notes of his teachings and actions, because this is no different from the Pharisees and Sadducees that followed Jesus around to witness his words and works. Let’s explore the standard that our Lord Jesus has set to be his disciple.
DESIRE TO FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST
A true disciple of Jesus Christ must first have a sincere desire to follow him. When Jesus called his first disciples to follow him, they immediately left what they loved and valued to follow Jesus (Matt 4:19-25). For them, Christ was more valuable than anything else. This is a perfect example of what it looks like to have a sincere desire to follow Jesus.
DENY YOURSELF
Self-denial is denying the natural human inclination towards self for the sake of Christ. The goal of denying yourself is to grow in your commitment to God, knowledge of God, and doing His will. Apostle Paul writes to the Philippians: “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ“ (Phil 3:7-8).
TAKE UP YOUR CROSS
A true disciple is fully committed to following Jesus. The phrase “take up your cross” refers to our willingness to follow Jesus fully committed even to the point of death for his sake. Jesus Christ had to take up his cross to his place of execution and he willingly endured the cross. We ought to have an all-in mentality, we can’t follow him partially or when it’s most convenient for us (Luke 14:27).
FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST
It’s only when the above requirements are met that we can follow him as his true disciples. Jesus calls us to follow Him; it’s a call to follow the person Jesus Christ (1 John 2:6) and also a call to follow the path He walked in (John 13:14-16). A true disciple of Jesus is one who walks in the same way Jesus walked in.
A true disciple of Jesus Christ desires to follow Him, denies himself, takes up his cross and follows Jesus. The goal is not to measure your ability to take extreme measures to repress yourself, rather it is to become more like Christ and live out your God-given purpose. In discipleship our eyes should always be fixed on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb 12:2).
Further study: Matthew 16:24-26 ; Luke 14:25-35
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