Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus speaks to His disciples immediately after rebuking Peter for opposing His impending suffering. He issues a conditional command outlining the prerequisites for following Him.
The words — The Greek εἴ (ei) establishes a conditional clause, while αὐτοῦ (autou) refers back to Jesus as the object of allegiance. These terms frame the subsequent imperatives as a strict requirement rather than a suggestion.
The thread — The same demand for self-denial and cross-bearing appears in Matthew 10:38 and Luke 14:27 as parallel discipleship standards. Peter later applies the same logic in 1 Peter 4:1 by linking Christ’s suffering to the believer’s necessary resolve.
Why it lands — The text commands a voluntary renunciation of personal autonomy, a deliberate acceptance of suffering, and continuous alignment with Jesus. A reader must decide whether to treat this as a literal cost of following or dismiss it as metaphorical.
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
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.
Cross-references
- Matthew 10:38 and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.
- Luke 14:27 And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.
- 1 Peter 4:1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves with the same resolve, because anyone who has suffered in his body is done with sin.
- 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.
- 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.”
- 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.
- 2 Timothy 3:12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
- Hebrews 11:24 By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
- Acts 14:22 strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
- Colossians 1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, which is the church.