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NASB | Mark 8:34 ¶ And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Mark 8:34 ¶ Jesus called the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]. |
Bible Question:
What does it mean to take up your cross? Is the saying "This is the cross I have to bear," apply yo this verse? |
Bible Answer: Mark's main audience was the Romans. The Romans knew what it meant to carry a cross. It was in the same boat as when a conquering army made the conquered army submissively marched past its own cities, revealing how defeated and deflated they were. When a condemned man carried his cross, he basically made known publicly that he fully submitted to Roman authority. The condemned man knew the death that awaited him. His act showed ultimate submission and humility. Jesus uses this image of carrying one's cross to show the level of submission we should have to Christ. Note that Jesus was NOT against pleasure, NOR was he saying that we should seek pain needlessly. Jesus was talking about the heroic effort needed to follow him moment by moment, step by step, as if a huge cross lay on our shoulders and men stood around mocking and jeering at us. We as Christians are called into the ultimate submission to Jesus Christ our Lord. Shaun |
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Searcher56 | ||
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Sandman | ||
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cheri45fromPA | ||
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concern | ||
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In His Glory | ||
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stjohn | ||
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stjohn |