“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”
—Matthew 16:24
In Matthew 16:21, Jesus said, “I have to go to Jerusalem to be killed and be raised the third day.” But the disciples did not hear the words, “be raised the third day.” All they heard was “be killed.” Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan.” Jesus was not saying that Peter was Satan. Peter was just the instrument of Satan’s attack. Satan had been trying to turn Christ away from the cross since the first temptation in the wilderness. Jesus knew where this attack was coming from. Jesus then says at the end of vs. 23, “You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Peter was thinking the way of the world. He was thinking about the crown without the cross, glory without suffering, reward without the sacrifice.
And so, once again, Jesus teaches His disciples the principle of self-denial. The word “deny” in our text means to disown or renounce oneself. Jesus is teaching His disciples what it means to be in union with Him. In other words, to be a believer is to be spiritually united to Jesus Christ by true faith, and because of this union you now live a different life. You are a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), born from above by the Spirit of God (John 3), a true branch engrafted into the vine (John 15). Simply put, you now belong to Christ and as a result you begin a life-long journey of forsaking your sinful passions and desires to follow Jesus. As a true disciple of Christ, you recognize you are not your own, but you belong to your faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all your sins (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 1). “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Does your life demonstrate that you are a true disciple of Jesus Christ? “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”
Friday Devotional: March 6, 2026
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
