Take Up Your Cross
Mike Biolsi
Matthew • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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From then on Jesus began to... [Ἀπὸ τότε ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς ]
From then on Jesus began to... [Ἀπὸ τότε ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς ]
As David mentioned a few weeks ago, in chapter 16 we have a major transition in the gospel according to Matthew. While it does not seem logical with our chapter and verse numbers, 16:21 is a chapter marker for Matthew.
David mentioned that in the original manuscripts there were no chapter numbers and punctuation. He showed us an old manuscript ⚡. That, of course, got my brain going to see what the entire book of Matthew would look like in Greek with no number or verses. I have a slide of it which I am CONFIDENT will stir your soul and draw you closer to Jesus. ⚡
Not incredibly helpful at that type size! However, I want to show you 2 red marks on the screen, ⚡. These are the two places in the text where we find the phrase, “From then on Jesus began to...” which would be the “chapter markers” that Matthew provides us with.
The first one is in Matthew 4:17 ⚡
17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Before:
Before:
Just prior to this verse, a few things happened:
Jesus was baptized
Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness
John the baptist was put in prison by Herod
After
After
It was after he heard about John that he withdrew into Galilee and to Capernaum. This location change was also part of the shift in the narrative. It is immediately after this that Jesus called Simon Peter and Andrew to be disciples.
Message
Message
The message of this section from 4:17 - 16:20 is that the kingdom of heaven has come near. Jesus taught this in the sermon in the hill. He also demonstrated it with the miracles he performed. Then, he taught more about it through parables.
Jump to Matthew 16 and today’s passage and we read this:⚡
21 From then on Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day.
16:21 is the transition to the next section. ⚡ We now are switching from Jesus teaching what the Kingdom looks like and how to live as a kingdom people, this next section starting in chapter 16 is going to demonstrate that it is not really possible for people to do this on their own, and God knew this! God sent Jesus to do what we could not do - and that is the theme of this next section.
16:21 acts as the theme intro and also a table of content or chronology of this next section.
The theme & chronology
The theme & chronology
The message of this next section is spelled out for us in 4 parts: ⚡
Jesus must go to Jerusalem
Jesus must suffer many things from the scribes, elders and chief priests
Jesus must be killed
Jesus will be raised on the third day
This is the outline of the events that will take place in this next section. Along the way there will be more experiences that will help us understand what the kingdom of haven is really like and what the Messiah really came to do.
Let’s take a look at how this become a table of contents and a chronology for the rest of the book:
Go to Jerusalem: ⚡
Go to Jerusalem: ⚡
Chapters 17-18 take place in Galilee and Capernaum
Chapter 19 takes place in Judea
20:17, “While they were going up to Jerusalem...”
Chapter 20 they left Jericho
21:1 they approached Jerusalem
21:10 they entered Jerusalem
We should note that it was about 78 miles from Capernaum to Jerusalem, and on foot, at about 3 miles per hour, that is 26 hours or walking. So this journey would take some time.
Suffer many things: ⚡
Suffer many things: ⚡
Chapter 26- trial by the high priest, scribes and elders (sanhedrin)
26:67 - the members of the sanhedrin hit Jesus and spit on him
Chapter 27 - trial by Pilate.
27:26 - Jesus was flogged and handed over to be crucified
27:28 - soldiers stripped him
27:29 - they made a crown of thorns and pressed it unto his head
27:30 - the soldiers spat on Jesus and kept hitting him in the head
27:31 - they made him carry his cross
Die ⚡
Die ⚡
27:50 - Jesus dies on the cross
Chapter 27 - Jesus is buried and guarded
Rise from the dead ⚡
Rise from the dead ⚡
Chapter 28 - Jesus was raised from the dead
Takeaway...
Takeaway...
I think we often read the Bible, especially the gospels, as just a series of non-stop stories that are disconnected and repetitive. However, the Bible is a beautifully and intentionally crafted work written by men under the inspiration of the spirit of God. There is an amazing structure and intentionality to it that we are MEANT to see if we will look. Sometimes that structure is meant to parallel a part of the Law and Prophets to help us connect Jesus to the Torah. Other times it is self contained such as Matthew’s structure, to help us see the story and understand the themes and events better.
For instance, in the first half of the scroll, Jesus had to deconstruct the mindset of the religious institutions about the law. They had built a religious system that missed the mark according to God’s purpose. He used phrases like “you have heard it said… but I say...” and he has confronted the man-made laws of the Pharisees. He taught and demonstrated what it means to have mercy over sacrifice by being friends with tax collectors and sinners.
In this second half of the scroll we read that the disciples now acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah, the chosen one, the Son of Yahweh. In the chapters that follow Jesus is going to deconstruct the disciples’ preconceived ideas of the Messiah, and he will teach and demonstrate what the Messiah really came to do.
This began with the confrontation Peter & Jesus had, which David taught on a few weeks ago, and continues on through the end of the book. Peter’s preconceived idea was that the Messiah would rule the kingdoms of this earth- which is why Peter could not accept that Jesus had to die.
THIS takes us to our passage in 16:24-28 which wraps up the end of this section of teaching.
After the confrontation, Jesus taught what it means to be a follower of the Messiah. If Jesus is the Messiah, and if you are going to follow him, then the goal must be to be like him, right? This is what Jesus told his disciples before sending them out in chapter 10: ⚡
Matthew 10:24–25 (CSB)
24 A disciple is not above his teacher, or a slave above his master. 25 It is enough for a disciple to become like his teacher and a slave like his master...
That means the question every follower of Jesus needs to ask is:
“What does it look like to be a follower of Jesus?” ⚡
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. 26 For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each according to what he has done. 28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
For someone to be a Jesus follower, at least three things must happen: ⚡
Deny myself
2. Take up my cross
3. Follow Jesus
Verses 24-26 form a chiasm that looks like this: ⚡
- Deny myself
- Take up my cross
- Follow Jesus
- Whoever save his life will lose it and whoever loses it will find it
- What does it profit to gain the world and lose your soul
Deny Yourself ⚡
Deny Yourself ⚡
To DENY YOURSELF is to place the things of this world below the things of heaven. It is to value the things of God more than the things of the earth. It is not a call to monastic living, nor is it necessarily encouraging a vow of poverty. we have already learned that money is not evil but the love of it is the root of all sorts of evil. In the book of Acts we learn how the church gave of their possessions to meet the needs of others. We also read about wealthy business owners who opened up their homes for their house church to meet in. If we start to draw the line in the sand about what it means to have too much we have fallen into the “leaven of the Pharisees”. This, like so many others, is a teaching of the heart. What do you live for? Are you willing to give up your earthly possessions to gain heavenly ones?
NOTE: Jesus will demonstrate this teaching in the chapters to come, including the rich your ruler in chapter 19.
But this is not just about possessions. This is about denying your rights and pleasures in order to be a blessing to others. This is the calling of every Jesus follower - as Jesus demonstrated with his own life. ⚡
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14 He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.
If our theology is to engage more than our brain it must inform our daily actions and how we live with God and others.
I think this is on the greatest tensions for Christians today. Let’s be honest, to open our homes to others takes work. To give our time and energy for others is exhausting. However, to deny ourselves is very much to put others first. That IS the example we have from Jesus!
Take Up Your Cross ⚡
Take Up Your Cross ⚡
To TAKE UP YOUR CROSS is to lose your life to find it. To lose your life for Jesus does not necessarily mean that every disciple must be a martyr! However, you cannot serve two masters and you cannot live for yourself and God.
While it is easy for us to read the upcoming cross events into this, the disciple would not have that context. They would know what a Roman crucifixion looked like, and that would be a horrible image in their minds.
While this sounds like an overwhelming burden, we are reminded that Jesus said:
30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
There is a way that leads to life, remember? I consider this along the lines of having no other gods before Yahweh. To put to death my own kingdom and the idea that I know better than God and choose, instead to live for him.
I think the apostle Paul read it this way: ⚡
1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
To take up our cross is to die to self and live for the kingdom - which is to live for Jesus and for others. ⚡
20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I think that sums that up pretty well, which brings us to the third point.
Follow Jesus ⚡
Follow Jesus ⚡
In a chiasm the thing in the middle is the main point and the things surrounding it act as supporting arguments or statements. So, in the immediate context of these verses, to follow Jesus as been “defined” by Jesus in the previous two statements.
LIKE much of the teaching of the Torah, the goal was not to give us an exhaustive list of things to do that define followers - such as THOU SHALT:
have a daily quiet time
read the bible through each year
have perfect attendance in Sunday School
sing songs that are only direct quotes of scripture
get a tattoo of your life verse or one of the names of Yahweh where everyone can see it
While I am sure there is nothing wrong with any of these, they are individual applications of what it means to follow Jesus that we have contextualized to our time and space.
It wasn’t until the 1500’s that the Bible was printed in common language, and many people could not afford them.
Sunday School started in Britain in the 1780’s so I am sure Jesus was not speaking directly about that.
The POINT is that we are MEANT to contextualize what it means to be a follower of Jesus based upon what it means to “deny ourselves” and “take up our cross”. We are also meant to further contextualize by examining what Jesus did and who Jesus made a priority. ⚡
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, 33 just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved. 1 Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.
IF we are to follow Jesus, to imitate HIM, then we are meant to ask and meditate on, “What might it look like for me to deny my own selfish desires and make the desires of God and the desires and needs of my family, kids, friends and church family priority?” How might that change my actions, words, schedule, and stewardship?
The 3 Arguments
The 3 Arguments
Not only do we have 3 marks of a disciple, but we have 3 compelling arguments marked by the word, “FOR”. ⚡These are the reminders as to WHY you and I should want to follow Jesus:
25 - FOR whoever loses his life because of Jesus will find it
26 - FOR what gain is the world is your lose your soul?
27 - FOR Jesus will return with rewards
The message of the masses these days is to live for yourself - YOLO. Get what you can, you deserve it. However, this leads to an empty life and destroyed relationships. Look around you - how has that philosophy been working? It hasn’t.
Each of these arguments is meant to be a rebuttal to the objections you and I might have to such demands of discipleship.
“I have to give up my life?” - YES! but the life you give up is not worth hanging on to and the life you gain in Jesus is soooo much better!
“I have to give up fun?” Well, not really! But “fun” and “pleasure” get redefined, not by what is selfish but by what pleases and reflects God, and you find out it is only in living for others that you are truly happy and find joy!
In other words, what you give up in this life is nothing compared to what awaits you in the kingdom! It is worth it!
The final word
The final word
The passage, and our chapter, ends with an “amen” statement. ⚡
28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
“Truly I tell you” is an amen statement because the Greek word for “truly” is the word we transliterate into English as “amen”.
The AMEN or the punctuation on the teaching of this section - is to live with the end in sight! While there is much debate about what specific events Jesus was referring to when he mentioned some of his disciples would see Jesus coming in his kingdom, it is not referring to his second coming that is yet to come.
It could mean the transfiguration, since only some of them got to see that
It could mean the resurrection, since all of them except Judas got to see that
It could refer to Jesus being taken away from them in a cloud in Acts 1:9 which is connected to the “sonn of ma” from Daniel chapter 7.
However you take it, there is a reality that Jesus is reminding his disciples of: in the end, the amen, will be about God’s kingdom, NOT the kingdoms of this earth.
What really matters is to give your life to Jesus (take up your cross), live for God and others (deny yourself), and follow the example of Jesus by being obedient to the Father. Trust that it is worth it and that real joy, real possessions and real life come from the formula Jesus just spelled out.
In essence, the end this chapter is the opportunity for a new chapter for every man, woman and child. ⚡Knowing who Jesus is, what it takes to be a follower and what you get in return, how will the next chapter of your life be written?
“From this day on, ________ began to _________________________________________”
Closing Prayer by DAVID