What did Jesus mean when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me”?

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Question

What did Jesus mean when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me”?

질문
예수님께서 “자기 십자가를 지고 나를 따르라”고 말씀하신 것은 무슨 뜻인가요?

Answer

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Let’s begin with what Jesus didn’t mean in this verse. Many people interpret the “cross” to be taken up as some burden they must carry in their lives: a strained relationship, a thankless job, a physical illness, etc. With self-pitying pride, they look at their difficulty and say, “That’s my cross I have to carry.” Such an idea is not what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”
답변
마태복음 16장 24절에서 예수님은 제자들에게 “누구든지 내 제자가 되고자 하는 사람은 자기를 부인하고 자기 십자가를 지고 나를 따를 것이니라”고 말씀하셨습니다. 이 구절에서 예수님이 의미하지 않은 것부터 살펴봅시다. 많은 사람들이 '십자가'를 삶에서 짊어져야 할 짐, 즉 긴장된 관계, 보람 없는 직업, 육체적 질병 등으로 해석합니다. 그들은 자기 연민에 찬 교만으로 자신의 어려움을 바라보며 “그것이 내가 짊어져야 할 십자가”라고 말합니다. 이런 생각은 예수님께서 “자기 십자가를 지고 나를 따르라”고 말씀하신 뜻이 아닙니다.

When a person carried a cross in Jesus’ day, no one thought of it as a persistent annoyance or symbolic burden. To a person in the first century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only: death by crucifixion. To carry a cross was to face the most painful and humiliating means of death human beings could develop.
예수님 시대에 십자가를 지고 다니는 사람은 아무도 십자가를 귀찮거나 상징적인 짐으로 생각하지 않았습니다. 1세기 사람들에게 십자가는 오직 한 가지, 즉 십자가에 못 박혀 죽는다는 의미였습니다. 십자가를 진다는 것은 인간이 선택할 수 있는 가장 고통스럽고 굴욕적인 죽음의 수단을 마주하는 것이었습니다.

Two thousand years later, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace, and love. But in Jesus’ day the cross represented a torturous death. The Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion (see John 19:17). Bearing a cross meant one was about to die, and that one would face ridicule and disgrace along the way.
2천 년이 지난 지금 기독교인들은 십자가를 속죄, 용서, 은혜, 사랑의 소중한 상징으로 여깁니다. 하지만 예수님 시대에 십자가는 고통스러운 죽음을 상징했습니다. 로마인들은 유죄 판결을 받은 범죄자들에게 십자가를 지고 십자가 처형 장소로 가도록 강요했습니다(요한복음 19:17 참조). 십자가를 진다는 것은 곧 죽음을 의미했고, 그 과정에서 조롱과 불명예를 감수해야 했습니다.

Therefore, Jesus’ command to “take up your cross and follow Me” is a call to self-abasement and self-sacrifice. One must be willing to die in order to follow Jesus. Dying to self is an absolute surrender to God.
따라서 “자기 십자가를 지고 나를 따르라”는 예수님의 명령은 자기 비하와 자기 희생을 요구합니다. 예수님을 따르려면 기꺼이 죽어야 합니다. 자아에 대한 죽음은 하나님께 대한 절대적인 항복입니다.

After Jesus commanded cross-bearing, He said, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:25–26). Although the call to take up our cross is tough, the reward is matchless. Nothing in this world is worth passing up eternal life.
예수님은 십자가를 지라고 명하신 후 “누구든지 제 목숨을 구원하고자 하는 자는 잃을 것이요, 누구든지 나를 위하여 제 목숨을 잃으면 찾으리라”고 말씀하셨습니다. 사람이 온 천하를 얻고도 제 영혼을 잃으면 무엇이 유익하겠습니까? 또는 사람이 자기 영혼과 바꾸어 무엇을 줄 수 있습니까?” (마태복음 16:25-26). 자기 십자가를 지라는 부름은 힘들지만 그 보상은 비교할 수 없을 만큼 큽니다. 이 세상 그 어떤 것도 영생을 포기할 가치가 없습니다.

Wherever Jesus went, He drew crowds. Their view of who the Messiah really was—and what He would do—was often distorted. They thought the Christ would immediately usher in the restored kingdom (Luke 19:11). They believed He would free them from the oppressive rule of their Roman occupiers. Some hoped He would continue to provide free lunches for everyone (John 6:26). Jesus’ statement that following Him requires taking up a cross made people think twice about their motivations and level of commitment.
예수님은 가는 곳마다 군중을 불러 모았습니다. 메시아가 실제로 누구인지, 그리고 그가 무엇을 할 것인지에 대한 그들의 생각은 종종 왜곡되었습니다. 그들은 그리스도가 즉시 회복된 왕국을 열 것이라고 생각했습니다(눅 19:11). 그들은 그리스도가 로마 점령자들의 억압적인 통치에서 그들을 해방시켜 줄 것이라고 믿었습니다. 어떤 이들은 예수님께서 계속해서 모든 사람에게 무료 점심을 제공해 주시기를 바랐습니다(요한복음 6:26). 예수님을 따르려면 십자가를 져야 한다는 예수님의 말씀은 사람들이 자신의 동기와 헌신 수준에 대해 다시 한 번 생각하게 만들었습니다.

In Luke 9:57–62, three people seemed willing to follow Jesus. When Jesus pressed them, however, their commitment was shown to be half-hearted at best. They failed to count the cost of following Him. None were willing to take up their cross and crucify upon it their own interests.
누가복음 9장 57~62절에 보면 세 사람이 기꺼이 예수님을 따르고자 하는 것처럼 보였습니다. 그러나 예수님께서 그들을 압박하셨을 때, 그들의 헌신은 기껏해야 반쪽짜리 헌신으로 드러났습니다. 그들은 예수님을 따르는 대가를 계산하지 못했습니다. 아무도 기꺼이 자기 십자가를 지고 자신의 이익을 십자가에 못 박으려 하지 않았습니다.

Jesus’ apparent attempts to dissuade people from following Him surely limited the number of false converts and insincere disciples (see John 6:66). But God seeks “true worshipers [who] will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth” (John 4:23). Jesus’ call to “take up your cross and follow Me” serves to screen out the disingenuous, double-minded, and dissembling.
사람들이 예수님을 따르지 못하도록 설득하려는 예수님의 명백한 시도는 분명히 거짓 개종자와 불성실한 제자의 수를 제한했습니다(요한복음 6:66 참조). 그러나 하나님은 “영과 진리로 아버지께 예배할 참 예배자”(요한복음 4:23)를 찾으십니다. “자기 십자가를 지고 나를 따르라"는 예수님의 부르심은 불성실하고 이중적이며 분열하는 사람들을 걸러내는 역할을 합니다.

Are you ready to take up your cross and follow Jesus? Consider these questions:

– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your closest friends?
– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family?
– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your reputation?
– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your job?
– Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your life?
십자가를 지고 예수님을 따를 준비가 되셨나요? 다음 질문을 생각해 보세요:
- 가장 친한 친구를 잃는다면 기꺼이 예수님을 따를 의향이 있나요?
- 가족으로부터 소외되는 것을 의미한다면 기꺼이 예수님을 따를 의향이 있나요?
- 당신의 평판을 잃는다면 기꺼이 예수님을 따르겠습니까?
- 직장을 잃는다면 기꺼이 예수님을 따를 의향이 있습니까?
- 목숨을 잃는다면 기꺼이 예수님을 따를 의향이 있습니까?

In some places of the world, these consequences are a reality. But notice the phrasing of the questions: “Are you willing?” Following Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean all these things will happen to you, but the disciple of Christ must be willing to suffer loss. Are you willing to take up your cross? If faced with a choice—Jesus or the comforts of this life—which will you choose?
전 세계 일부 지역에서는 이러한 결과가 현실로 나타나고 있습니다. 하지만 질문의 문구를 주목하세요: “기꺼이 하시겠습니까?” 예수님을 따른다고 해서 이 모든 일이 반드시 여러분에게 일어날 것이라는 의미는 아니지만, 그리스도의 제자는 기꺼이 손해를 감수할 수 있어야 합니다. 기꺼이 십자가를 지시겠습니까? 예수님과 이 세상의 안락함 중 하나를 선택해야 하는 상황에 직면한다면 어떤 것을 선택하시겠습니까?

Commitment to Christ means taking up your cross daily, giving up your hopes, dreams, possessions, and even your very life if need be for the cause of Christ. Only if you willingly take up your cross may you be called His disciple (Luke 14:27). The reward is worth the price. Remember that, as Jesus called His disciples to “take up your cross and follow Me,” He, too, bore a cross. Our Lord led the way.
그리스도를 향한 헌신은 매일 자신의 십자가를 지고, 그리스도의 대의를 위해 필요하다면 희망, 꿈, 소유물, 심지어 목숨까지도 포기하는 것을 의미합니다. 기꺼이 자기 십자가를 져야만 주님의 제자라고 불릴 수 있습니다(눅 14:27). 보상은 그만한 가치가 있습니다. 예수님께서 제자들에게 “자기 십자가를 지고 나를 따르라”고 부르셨을 때, 그분도 십자가를 지셨음을 기억하세요. 우리 주님이 앞장서셨습니다.

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What did Jesus mean when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me”?