And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.

Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

They *pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross.

They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out,

bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Cannot

yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he

falls away.

strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

General references

And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.

Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’