Scripture: Luke 9:23-24
Then Jesus said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it…”
Thought for the Day: When you are trying to determine the original intent of a passage from either Luke or Matthew, it is always helpful to see what Mark said. We must remember that both Luke and Matthew used Mark as a starting place for their Gospels, and when there is a difference, we should pay attention. Luke adds a single word to how Mark’s Gospel recorded the above thought. The word is ‘daily’. Mark’s Gospel was written shortly after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and persecution under the Roman Empire was a constant happening. Both Jews and Christians were having their faith challenged daily. The Gospel of Luke, on the other hand, was written in a different context. It was a time of relative calm for followers of Jesus, and such a context can easily lead to complacency. The addition of the word ‘daily’ awakens the reader, reminding her/him that discipleship may not always require the ultimate sacrifice of one’s life in a single event, but it still requires the ongoing and exhaustive giving of self. Those of us who are attempting to live faithfully in America should probably read Luke’s version and allow our faith to be awakened to this slightly modified yet no less radical call of discipleship.
Prayer: O Seeker of the complacent, awaken me again to the opportunities I have to serve you this day…this hour…this moment. Amen.
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