681 B
681 B
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple
This could be stated with positive verbs. Alternate translation: "If anyone wants to be my disciple, he must carry his own cross and follow me" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives)
carry his own cross
Jesus does not mean every Christian must be crucified. The Romans often made people carry their own crosses before they crucified them as a sign of their submission to Rome. This metaphor means they must submit to God and be willing to suffer in any way to be Jesus' disciples. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit)