Mark 8:34
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
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After Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ and Jesus foretells His suffering and death, Jesus calls the crowd and disciples together to explain the demands of following Him.
What Does Mark 8:34 Mean?
Mark 8:34 lays out the cost of following Jesus -- self-denial, taking up one's cross, and walking after Him. Jesus speaks this to the crowd and the disciples just after foretelling His own suffering and death.
The invitation is open to all: "Whosoever will come after me." No one is excluded, but the path has clear terms. First, "let him deny himself" -- to set aside self-rule and the demand that life center on one's own desires. Second, "take up his cross" -- a vivid and costly image, since the cross was an instrument of suffering and death that a condemned person carried to the place of execution. To take it up is to embrace whatever sacrifice faithfulness may require, even the surrender of one's own life. Third, "follow me" -- the goal of it all. Denial and cross-bearing are not ends in themselves; they clear the way to walk closely behind Jesus on His road. This is not a call to misery but to a reordered life in which Christ, not self, holds the center. The cost is high, yet so is the promise -- the surrendered life is the one that truly finds itself in Him.
In the Original Language
The Greek "aparneomai" (deny) means to disown or renounce. "Stauros" (cross) was the Roman instrument of execution carried by the condemned.
Cross References
“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.”
- Matthew 16:24
“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.”
- Luke 9:23
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
- Galatians 2:20
Application
Following Jesus means surrendering self-centered living and embracing whatever sacrifice faithfulness requires, in order to walk closely with Him.