Matthew 16:24

16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower, ¹  he must deny ²  himself, take up his cross, ³  and follow me.

Matthew 18:3

18:3 and said, “I tell you the truth, ⁴  unless you turn around and become like little children, ⁵  you will never ⁶  enter the kingdom of heaven!

Matthew 19:5

19:5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? ⁷ 

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¹ tn Grk “to come after me.”

² tn This translation better expresses the force of the Greek third person imperative than the traditional “let him deny,” which could be understood as merely permissive.

³ sn To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion; see Gal 6:14.

⁴ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

⁵ sn The point of the comparison become like little children has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit, as well as willingness to be dependent and receive from others, than any inherent humility the child might possess.

⁶ tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.

⁷ sn A quotation from Gen 2:24.