Holy Week Reading Plan: Matthew 27:1-61
Good Friday commemorates Jesus’ crucifixion.
As we reflect on the cross Jesus carried on Good Friday, we must also consider the cross He calls us to carry today.
Luke 9:23 reads, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (NIV).
There are two ways to think about the cross in this passage: physical and spiritual. A physical cross is the death of our bodies. A spiritual cross is the death of our will.
We know from the story of Jesus’ crucifixion that He took up a physical cross. However, before Jesus’ body died on Calvary, His will died at the Garden of Gethsemane. In Matthew 26:39, Jesus prayed, “I want your will to be done, not mine” (NLT).
Most of Jesus’ disciples also died for their faith. While James (son of Zebedee) is the only disciple whose martyrdom is documented (Acts 12:1-2), it is believed that ten out of the twelve of Jesus’ disciples were killed for spreading the gospel.
The two disciples who were not martyred were Judas Iscariot and John. Judas committed suicide shortly after betraying Jesus (Matthew 27:5-8). John is believed to have lived a long life and died of natural causes.
Even though John did not take up a physical cross, that didn’t make him any less of a disciple. His spiritual cross was being exiled to the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:9). In this, John imitated Jesus, took up his cross, and chose God’s will over His own.
A Leader Worth Imitating, Principles 11: Expectations
On this Good Friday, may your prayer be the same as the prayer of Jesus: “I want your will to be done, not mine.”
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Nick Chellsen 
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