In Matthew 16 Jesus told his disciples, 24“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?”
When you read these words, deny yourself and take up your cross, what images come to mind? Immediately I think of having to resist worldly temptations and shouldering a burden so heavy that even Jesus couldn’t carry it to Golgotha on his own. It all sounds very hard and it seems to fly in the face of Matt 11, 28 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
So what is going on? I like the latter verses more than the former. Is this really about denying myself that second piece of cake or is it about something else? For sure, throughout history, many have taken this as the letter and denied themselves to the point of asceticism. They fear the natural pulls of the body. What is interesting is that there are no appetites of the body that are inherently evil. God provided us with them all for specific purposes. Of course, all can be abused and result in sin, but that is not what this is about. As always, Jesus is revealing something spiritual and deep.
First let’s take a look at the background in Matthew 16. Jesus just had another altercation with the religious authorities of the day who continued to taunt and test him. He told the disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. They didn’t get it so he had to explain he was referring to their teaching, not about the lack of bread.
The Pharisees and Sadducees had an affliction common to man even today and it is summed up in Matthew 23, Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. . . . 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others,” and also John 12: 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
The bottom line is that the scribes and Pharisees made a choice. They said yes to self for self and said no to self for others. Whenever we say yes to one thing, that means we say no to another by default. They may have had the appearance of ministering to others, but in actuality, they were in it for themselves.
The concept of denial is not about depriving ourselves. That is looking through the wrong end of the telescope. It’s about choosing one life over another. When we say yes to Jesus, who is the Life, we say no to the other life, the self for self life, which isn’t life at all. Once we choose Jesus, we begin a new life that is so far superior to the old that it is ridiculous to try and make a comparison.
We no longer fear the world, its temptations, or our motives. We have the mind of Christ and we trust that our desires are His desires, if so be we are in the Spirit. And you are in the Spirit if Christ dwells in you. Then the burden is light and the yoke is easy because we live, yet not us, but Christ.
Read The Lost Coin by Samuel Hayes Sherwood. A young man’s journey takes him on a path revealing Total Truth, understanding the mystery which is Christ in us.
