“And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me — the call to take up the cross is the public application of the passion prediction to discipleship. The call is not addressed only to the twelve but to the crowd along with the disciples — cross-bearing discipleship is the universal form of following Jesus. Deny themselves (aparnēsasthō heauton) is the absolute denial of self as the organizing principle of life. Take up their cross is the acceptance of the death that following Jesus may require — literally in the first century, and always spiritually.
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