The Mount of Self-Denial

From the time he first predicted his death, Jesus made clear that being his disciples called for self-denial (Matthew 16:24). He made that point in a graphic way: “pick up your cross and follow me.” When would anybody pick up a cross except on the way to their own crucifixion?

A crucial factor here is that in so doing we are following him. We are not choosing self-destruction. We are not opting for self-negation but choosing him, his values, and purposes over ours. We are heading for something rather than nothing, prioritizing one thing over another, in this case his interests over ours. In so doing, we emulate the One who entered this event saying, “Not my will but yours be done” (Matthew 26:39).

An idea we most clearly understand by seeing it embedded in something real that happens. Something true we more easily grasp by observing it expressed in extreme fashion. A gift we especially appreciate from someone that’s under no obligation to “spend” what it takes to give it. Jesus really did something outstanding in giving himself for us.

Golgotha pictures double self-denial: Jesus obeying the will of the Father by doing what was for benefitting us and our practicing double self-denial by deferring to God’s will for selfless living as it considers the needs of others in choosing our way of life.

The bread and wine take us back to the extreme demonstration of self-denial that paved the way for his disciples to carry forward the interests of others in matters great and small. We serve as the living legacy of The Mount of Self-Denial.