Not one iota of scripture in this thread:
Matthew 16:24-26
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
i didnt quote or draw from the scripture, because what i wrote was my opinion. the entire jesus story as we have been told over the years, doesnt sit right with me for some reason. because i am not a theologian, all i can offer is my opinion. my walk with the father (the all creator) is probably different than most, and i pray to him alone. while i do believe that jesus was an actually person, the story bears too many similarities to other figures throughout history. positive christianity is a good moral framework for people trying to do right, but to me, it leaves more questions than answers. i am not trying to get into a debate here, just offering my opinion.
Well I feel like a fool for not realizing that statement was made prior to crucifixion. Now the question becomes was he foreshadowing the method of death or was “take up your cross“ an expression that already existed at the time?
Jesus is the origin of the statement. It is a prediction, a demonstration, and a command.
So is this before or after flipping over the money changing tables at the temple? (This is a serious question I am not trolling you). I recently found out that the crucifixion occurred only a couple of weeks after the money changing incident at the temple and that the crucifixion was likely a direct result of it.
Sorry to ask sophomoric questions but the timeline and the geography of everything has been obscured.
(post is archived)