The Cross-Shaped Life: The Cost of Following Jesus

By Pieter Vermeulen, ICC Board Member, as part of a series, “Persecuted but not Forsaken.” 

The turning point of the gospel story occurs when Jesus begins to explain to his disciples that his mission will lead to suffering. Until that moment, many of them believed the Messiah would establish a visible kingdom of power and victory. They expected liberation, restoration, and triumph. 

But Jesus reveals something entirely different. The road ahead leads to Jerusalem. And in Jerusalem, the Messiah will suffer. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that after Peter declares Jesus to be the Christ, Jesus immediately begins to explain what lies ahead: “From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things … and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (Matthew 16:21) 

Peter is shocked. The idea of a suffering Messiah does not fit his expectations. He rebukes Jesus and insists that such a thing must never happen. Jesus’ response is striking: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me.” (Matthew 16:23) Peter’s reaction is deeply human. He wants the throne, not the cross. He wants victory without suffering, glory without sacrifice, a kingdom without a crucifixion. 

But before we judge Peter too quickly, we must recognize something uncomfortable. Peter often represents us. Like Peter, many believers long for the benefits of Christ’s kingdom without embracing the cost of discipleship. We desire blessing without surrender, influence without sacrifice, and resurrection without crucifixion. 

Yet Jesus makes something unmistakably clear: the path of redemption leads through suffering. The cross was not a tragic interruption of God’s plan; it was the very center of it. And what Jesus says next reveals something even more challenging. He turns from speaking about his cross to speaking about our cross. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) 

In Luke’s gospel, the statement becomes even more direct: “Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27) These are among the most sobering words Jesus ever spoke. Discipleship is not merely believing the right things about Jesus. It is not simply attending church or identifying with Christian values. To be a disciple of Jesus means to follow him. And the path he walked was the path of the cross. 

Counting the Cost 

Jesus never invited people to follow him casually. In Luke 14, he tells the crowds something remarkable: “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough to complete it?” (Luke 14:28) Before beginning construction, a wise builder counts the cost. Jesus applies this principle to discipleship. 

Following him is not an impulsive decision or a cultural identity inherited from family or tradition. It is a deliberate commitment to live under the authority of Christ regardless of the consequences. The cross was not a symbolic object in the first century. It was an instrument of execution used by the Roman Empire for rebels and criminals. 

To take up a cross meant one thing: the person carrying it was walking toward death. When Jesus told his followers to take up their cross, he was calling them to a life of radical allegiance, a life in which loyalty to him would take precedence over comfort, reputation, security, and even life itself. 

A Kingdom That Advances Through Sacrifice 

This teaching exposes a deep tension in every generation of the church. Human nature instinctively seeks the throne. We desire influence, security, and recognition. We want a Christianity that fits comfortably within our lives and cultures. 

But Jesus calls His followers to something very different. The kingdom of God advances not through power, dominance, or cultural approval, but through sacrificial obedience. The cross stands at the center of the Christian story because it reveals the character of God’s kingdom. Christ conquered sin and death not through force, but through self-giving love. 

And those who follow him walk the same path. This is why the church throughout history has often grown strongest when it has faced suffering. When believers remain faithful despite hardship, their lives proclaim something powerful: Christ is worthy of absolute allegiance. 

The Witness of the Faithful 

Across the centuries, countless believers have embraced this call. The apostles proclaimed the gospel despite threats and imprisonment. Early Christians refused to worship the Roman emperor even when it meant death. Missionaries crossed oceans and entered hostile lands because they believed the message of Christ was worth their lives. 

They had counted the cost. And they concluded that Jesus was worth it. Their faithfulness became a testimony that continues to shape the church today. Their lives declare a truth that the world cannot silence: Christ is worth everything. 

Their witness reminds us that discipleship is not measured by comfort but by faithfulness. And through their sacrifice, the message continues to echo through history: The blood of the faithful still cries out. 

A Call to Re-examine Our Discipleship 

For many believers in the Western world, the cost of discipleship can be difficult to recognize. Faith can often be practiced freely and without opposition. Churches gather openly. Scripture is accessible. Public identification as a Christian may carry little personal risk. 

These freedoms are a gift. But they can also create an illusion. Christianity can gradually shift from a life of costly allegiance to a comfortable cultural identity. Faith becomes something that fits neatly within our schedules and preferences rather than something that reshapes our entire lives. 

The words of Jesus challenge this assumption. “Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” This statement invites every believer to ask a serious question: Have we truly counted the cost of following Jesus? 

The absence of persecution does not mean the absence of the cross. Every generation of Christians must still decide whether Christ will truly be Lord over every area of life. 

Will we speak truth when it is unpopular?
Will we stand for righteousness when it costs us influence or opportunity?
Will we remain faithful to Christ when the surrounding culture pressures us to compromise? 

These are the modern forms of counting the cost. Or have we embraced a version of Christianity that seeks the throne while avoiding the cross? Peter’s instinct still lives within the church today. But Jesus calls his followers back to the road that leads through surrender, sacrifice, and faithful obedience. 

The Cost That Reveals the Worth of Christ 

The call to take up the cross may sound severe, but it reveals something profound about the value of Christ himself. No one willingly sacrifices comfort, reputation, or safety for something they consider insignificant. 

The early Christians endured persecution because they had encountered something greater than the world could offer. They had encountered Jesus. They believed that the One who died on the cross and rose from the dead was worthy of their absolute allegiance. The cost of following Christ did not diminish their faith; it confirmed the worthiness of the One they followed. Their lives proclaimed a powerful message to the world: Jesus is worth everything. 

The Question Before the Church 

The stories of faithful believers throughout history do not exist merely to inspire admiration. They are meant to challenge us. They force us to examine our own understanding of discipleship. Have we truly counted the cost? Have we understood that following Jesus is not simply a matter of belief, but of allegiance? 

The call of Christ remains the same today as it was when he first spoke to his disciples: “Take up your cross and follow me.” This call has shaped the lives of countless believers across centuries. It has produced missionaries, reformers, martyrs, and ordinary Christians who quietly lived lives of courageous faith. 

Their witness continues to speak. They remind us that the Christian life is not defined by comfort, security, or cultural acceptance. It is defined by faithful allegiance to Jesus Christ. And that allegiance always carries a cost. 

Are We Willing to Pay the Cost? 

For the church today, especially in places where faith is often easy and comfortable, the question is unavoidable: Have we truly counted the cost of following Jesus? If the cross stands at the center of the life and mission of Jesus, and if the disciples who followed him walked the same path, then we must ask an uncomfortable but necessary question: Why do we so often measure ministry success by very different standards today? 

In many places, success is defined by numbers, influence, followers, visibility, or institutional growth. None of these things are inherently wrong. Yet they were never the primary measure Jesus used when he called people to follow him. 

The measure Jesus gave was the cross. “Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27) If the cross defined the life of Christ, and if the cross shaped the witness of the apostles, then perhaps it is time for the church to pause and re-examine the measure of our discipleship. 

Have we allowed the values of the world to define what faithfulness looks like? Have we quietly pursued the throne while avoiding the cross? Peter once rebuked Jesus because he could not imagine a Messiah who would suffer. Yet Jesus exposed the deeper issue: Peter’s instincts were shaped by human thinking rather than God’s purposes. 

That same struggle still lives in the human heart. Perhaps the most important response is not to defend our assumptions but to pause and allow the Holy Spirit to search us. 

Like King David, we may need to pray: “Search me, God, and know my heart … See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23–24) Where have we allowed the world to shape our understanding of success? Where have we resisted the path of the cross? Where does the “Peter” within us still long for the throne rather than the cross? If we are willing to be honest before God, the Spirit may reveal places where our discipleship needs to be realigned with the words of Christ. 

For throughout history, the men and women who most clearly reflected the life of Jesus were those who had already counted the cost. 

They understood that discipleship required surrender.
They understood that faithfulness required courage.
And they believed that Christ was worthy of their absolute allegiance. 

Because they counted the cost, their lives continue to testify to a truth the world cannot silence: Jesus Christ is worthy of our lives. 

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