Jesus said, you want to follow me? Then you might as well right now go pick up that cross bean.

Every Jew in Israel was conscious of the symbolic significance of the word cross.

Now Jesus addresses the disciples and those who gather around about what discipleship involves.

Not simply what sonship involves for himself, not simply what it means for him to be

the Messiah, but what it means for you

and for me to follow the Messiah.

He said, whoever desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

It sounds like an acronymism.

Doesn't it sound like, why would the world would Jesus say something about a cross in

the middle of this lesson when the cross is yet in front of him?

He hasn't experienced this yet.

Isn't this an example of editorial redaction where the gospel writer is reading back into the

historical context an allusion to the cross, when the cross hasn't even occurred yet?

Not at all, dear friends.

Every Jew in Israel under the bondage of Roman authority was completely aware and conscious

of the symbolic significance of the word cross, because the chief means of execution

by the Roman government at this time was crucifixion.

And as a matter of procedure that took place in every work of execution in Rome and

in Roman provinces, the convicted person was required to carry the cross beam of the cross

from their place of judgment to their place of execution, which Jesus himself would we

require to do at the time of his death. And so they all knew this idea of the cross. And Jesus said,

you want to follow me? Then you might as well right now go pick up that cross bean.

...