Taking Up The Cross: The Story Of Joseph

In Matthew 16, Jesus calls His followers to a way of life that is far more demanding than we often imagine: “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” For the first hearers, the cross was not a poetic symbol—it was a sentence of death, a declaration that one’s life no longer belonged to oneself. This Christmas season, when we often picture the birth of Christ as quiet and serene, the story of Joseph invites us to look deeper. Joseph’s obedience was costly, misunderstood, and deeply sacrificial, yet it became a living picture of what it truly means to take up the cross. As we walk through Joseph’s story today, we will see that following Jesus requires surrender, demands sacrifice, and draws its strength from trusting a God who is not distant, but “with us.”