In Matthew 16:24, Jesus tells the disciples to avoid Peter’s sin of setting the mind on the things of man instead of God. They need to submit themselves to Jesus, by following him and being united with him in all things. This now means, firstly, sharing in his suffering (John 15:20; see also Romans 6:5). The apostles had already shared some of Christ’s suffering in the hostility they met during his earthly ministry, but they must endure far more. They need to see the gulf between God and man, between God and the world (see Matthew 16:23), so that whoever follows Jesus must go against himself, for by nature we belong to the world and to mankind. We must deny our own flesh, acting as if we do not know our own flesh, not taking it into account, and giving others the first place. We must do this willingly, so the negative command is joined with a positive one that goes against the flesh: to take up the cross. Criminals condemned to death had to carry their cross, or at least its cross-beam, to the place of execution (John 19:17)—saying farewell to earthly life. Jesus tells us to take up our cross willingly: to separate from the world and give ourselves to Jesus, who is not of this world. This may be heavier or harder for some.
In Matthew 16:24, Jesus highlights the need for the disciples to avoid falling into Peter’s sin of setting one’s mind on the things of man instead of God. They have to understand what it means to surrender themselves to Jesus. For them, this entails following Jesus wherever he goes: being united with him in all things—and that now means, first of all, sharing in his suffering (John 15:20; see also Romans 6:5).1
He who wishes to follow Jesus follows him who must suffer, and someone who has made the choice to follow him must be prepared to suffer. The apostles had already experienced something of this in the opposition they encountered together with their Lord during his earthly ministry. Yet there is far more that they have to endure: they must come to see that there is a gulf between God and man, between God and the world (see Matthew 16:23), and therefore whoever follows Jesus, the One sent by God, must go against himself. For by nature human beings belong to the world and to mankind. We must deny ourselves—our own flesh: that is, we must act as though we do not know our own flesh, do not take it into account, and give the first place to another. We must do this willingly, and therefore the negative command is joined with a positive one that goes against the flesh: namely, to take up the cross.
Criminals condemned to death were forced to carry their cross, or at least its cross-beam, to the place of execution (John 19:17). This was a farewell journey to earthly life as one leaves it abruptly. Jesus commands us to take up our cross voluntarily—that is, to separate ourselves willingly from the world and give ourselves to Jesus, who is not of this world. This may be heavier or more difficult for one person than for another.2
24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.