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.
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Matthew 16:22-26
Tyndale Open Study Notes (CC BY-SA 4.0).
16:24 give . . . take . . . follow: These three imperatives use different images to speak of the same radical commitment of confessing one’s sinfulness before God in humility, surrendering one’s personal ambition to God, and living according to his will (see also 5:20; 10:34-39; 18:1-5; 20:20-28). • Take up your cross is a metaphor for devotion (see Luke 9:23) rather than a call to martyrdom, although martyrdom is an ever-present possibility for Jesus’ disciples (Matt 5:10-12; 10:21). • In Matthew, follow is used both literally (9:19; 26:58) and metaphorically.
Other Bible passages linked to this one, most cited first.
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?
Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Authorship: the book itself or Christian tradition. Approximate dates, as in Carson and Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament, and Longman and Dillard, An Introduction to the Old Testament.