After Peter identifies Jesus as the Son of God, the Saviour (Mt.16; Mk.8; Lk.9), He explains to his disciples and the crowd following him what being a disciple is fundamentally all about, "if anyone actively and voluntarily desires to follow behind me, he (or she) contradicts him/herself and takes up his/her cross and comes in the way with Me." 1. Note that the "following" is not a grasping, forcing neither by us of God nor of God towards us. Nor is it a passive waiting on someone or something happening, neither is it through a rational, logical or willful purpose or assumption. The original text underlines the subjective possibility "if." Jesus is clear when he is speaking that it is not a command but an invitation. That is not to be assumed or taken as fact that all will be the followers of the kind He is calling for in this text. The follower of Jesus demonstrates a free, pleasurable, active desiring. This is a hallmark of true followers of Jesus. Wh...