And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Parallel translations
- WEB He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me, isn’t worthy of me.
- BSB and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.
- NKJV And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
- NASB And the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
- NLT If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
True discipleship means taking up one's cross and following Jesus. It requires self-denial and willingness to suffer for His sake.
Overview
The cross was an instrument of shameful execution; to 'take it up' meant readiness to die. Jesus calls would-be followers to die to self and embrace whatever suffering loyalty to Him brings. Spoken before His own crucifixion, the call finds its meaning in the cross He would bear for sinners, which His people are summoned to follow.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Luke 14:27And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
- Mark 8:34And 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.
- Matt 16:24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
- Luke 9:23–24And 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.
- John 19:17And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
- Mark 10:21Then 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.
- Matt 27:32And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 10:38 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.