2 Jun 2015
Matthew 16:24-25
Matthew 16:24: “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”
“Take up his cross” was not a metaphor. Jesus actually took up a real cross and died a slow death of torture on it – and Peter did the same. What Jesus was saying here was “If you want to be my disciple, you need to prepare to be brutally murdered in horrible, painful ways, because that is what it costs.” Following Jesus is a very costly thing to do.
The point in verse 25 is clear. Those who rejected Jesus may have spared themselves martyrdom, but they did so at the cost of their eternal soul. By saving their lives they lost eternity. However, those who accepted Jesus lost their lives (often in horrifying ways), but they saved their soul and were given eternal life. There is nothing metaphorical about it: if you abandon Jesus to save your life you will be damned forever, and if you cling to Jesus at the cost of your life you will find everlasting life. That is the choice.