Bible Strands
Matthew 10:38
and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses His disciples during a commissioning discourse, placing this command directly after warning against loving family above Him.
The words — σταυρὸν (stauron) translates to "cross," and λαμβάνει (lambanei) means "takes," describing the active bearing of one's own instrument of execution.
The thread — The text appears in Mark 8:34, Luke 14:27, and Matthew 16:24, where Jesus consistently links bearing one's cross with following Him.
Why it lands — The verse states that refusing to bear one's cross disqualifies a person from being worthy of Jesus, demanding exclusive allegiance over personal comfort or safety.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Cross-references
- Mark 8:34 Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with His disciples, and He told them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
- Luke 14:27 And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.
- Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
- Luke 9:23 Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
- John 19:17 Carrying His own cross, He went out to The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha.
- Mark 10:21 Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said to him, “There is one thing you lack: Go, sell everything you own and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”
- Matthew 27:32 Along the way they found a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.