8:34 Then 2 Jesus 3 called the crowd, along with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to become my follower, 4 he must deny 5 himself, take up his cross, 6 and follow me.
1 tn Grk “people’s.”
2 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
3 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Grk “to follow after me.”
5 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.
6 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.
3 sn How one responds now to Jesus and his teaching is a reflection of how Jesus, as the Son of Man who judges, will respond then in the final judgment.