Dear Explorer,
Re-Read Matthew 16:24-27
And
Re-Read Mark 8:34-38
And
Re-Read Luke 9:23-26
Jesus wanted to make sure His disciples knew the truth and He began to teach them what would happen in the coming year.
He also began teaching His disciples that following Him would cost them their lives, too.
There is only one purpose for a cross. Death. The Greeks had introduced crucifixion as a means of death. Rome was the first to use it widely. Previously, people were just beheaded or hung – which is a relatively quick death. But crucifixion was excruciatingly painful and took hours and sometimes days for the person to die. Most of the people listening to Jesus had seen multiple crucifixions since the Romans used it as a deterrent to crime or uprisings against them.
When Jesus says that we must take up our cross daily, what is He talking about?
I believe that Jesus is saying that SELF must be in submission to the Holy Spirit. This is a daily (minute-by-minute) battle. We don't actually “kill” SELF, but we must kill its power and authority in our lives so that we are totally obedient to the Holy Spirit.
This goes back to the study we did on having two bosses on Day 84.
Is it easy to let the Holy Spirit have control over our SELF?
How is giving up control of SELF like death on a cross?
Sometimes it is slow and painful! It is hard to give up control since we have been controlling our own actions since birth. It is a process of dying to SELF's demands and letting Jesus be totally in control.
What do you gain by letting God be in control instead of SELF?
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and SELF-under-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) as well as satisfaction and success and growth and God's blessings and heavenly rewards, etc. etc. etc.!
Re-Read Matthew 16:28
And
Read Mark 9:1
And
Re-Read Luke 9:27
What do you think Jesus is telling His apostles here?
I think it means that 11 of the 12 apostles would see God's Kingdom change from the cocoon to the butterfly. This change happens when Jesus dies on the cross, is buried and then is resurrected! Judas is the only one who did not see the Kingdom change!
Other scholars think these verses are talking about Peter, James and John seeing Jesus transfigured temporarily into His Heavenly body. We'll study that next time.
In His service, dale
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