And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. The cross appears here before the passion narrative as the image of the total self-giving that discipleship requires. The cross was not primarily a theological symbol when Jesus spoke these words — it was the instrument of Roman execution, carried by the condemned to the place of their death. Taking one's cross means accepting the cost of the path one has chosen and continuing to walk toward whatever awaits at the end of it. Luke 9:23 adds the daily dimension: take up your cross daily and follow me — the cross-bearing is not a single moment of martyrdom but a continuous posture.

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