Luke 9:23

Take Up Your Cross and Follow Jesus

23 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him ¹deny himself and ²take up his cross ³daily and follow me.

Luke 9:23 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 9:23

And he said to them all
Not only to all the disciples, but "to the multitude", as the Arabic version renders it, who were now called unto him, with his disciples, as is clear from ( Mark 8:34 ) ,

any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his
cross daily, and follow me;
the same is said here, as in ( Matthew 16:24 ) ( Mark 8:34 ) , (See Gill on Matthew 16:24), (See Gill on Mark 8:34), only here the word, "daily", is added; and which, though as Beza observes, is not in the Complutensian edition, nor in five ancient copies; yet is in others, and in the Vulgate Latin, and in all the Oriental versions; and to be retained, as having a very considerable emphasis in it; showing that afflictions, trials, and persecutions of one sort or another, are to be expected every day by the people of God, and to be continually submitted to, and borne with cheerfulness.

Luke 9:23 In-Context

21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,

22 saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."

23 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

Cross References

• 1. [2 Timothy 2:12, 13]
• 2. See Matthew 10:38, 39
• 3. 1 Corinthians 15:31