What does it mean to "suffer his cross"? Jacob 1:8

What does it mean to "suffer his cross"? Jacob 1:8

Jacob is Nephi's younger brother. Nephi is about to die and Jacob is trying to follow Nephi's commandments and example. He says that he had many revelations, which is why he tried as hard as he could to persuade all men to believe in Jesus Christ, to view his death, suffer his cross, and bear the shame of the world.

In October 2012, Elder Robert C. Gay referenced this verse in his talk What Shall a Man Give in Exchange for His Soul?

One day the disciples asked the Savior who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. He told them to be converted, humble, and submissive as little children. He then said, “The Son of man is come to save that which [is] lost.”16 With that one sentence, He defined our mission. We are to go to the rescue—to the lost, the last, and the least. It is not enough to avoid evil; we must “suffer his cross”17  and “be anxiously engaged,”18 helping others to conversion. With compassion and love we embrace the prodigal,19  answer the cries of orphans in hysteria, the pleas of those in darkness and despair,20 and the distress calls of family in need. “Satan need not get everyone to be like Cain or Judas … ,” said Elder Neal A. Maxwell. “He needs only to get able men … to see themselves as sophisticated neutrals.”21

In April 2012, Elder Holland - who is kind of a rock-star - also referenced this verse in his talk The Cost - and Blessings - of Discipleship. I remember this talk.

With admiration and encouragement for everyone who will need to remain steadfast in these latter days, I say to all and especially the youth of the Church that if you haven’t already, you will one day find yourself called upon to defend your faith or perhaps even endure some personal abuse simply because you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Such moments will require both courage and courtesy on your part.

For example, a sister missionary recently wrote to me: “My companion and I saw a man sitting on a bench in the town square eating his lunch. As we drew near, he looked up and saw our missionary name tags. With a terrible look in his eye, he jumped up and raised his hand to hit me. I ducked just in time, only to have him spit his food all over me and start swearing the most horrible things at us. We walked away saying nothing. I tried to wipe the food off of my face, only to feel a clump of mashed potato hit me in the back of the head. Sometimes it is hard being a missionary because right then I wanted to go back, grab that little man, and say, ‘EXCUSE ME!’ But I didn’t.”

To this devoted missionary I say, dear child, you have in your own humble way stepped into a circle of very distinguished women and men who have, as the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob said, “view[ed Christ’s] death, and suffer[ed] his cross and [borne] the shame of the world.”

The final reference that I found for this verse in latter-day discourse is by Joseph Smith. This is from a book compiled of his teachings in the 1970's called Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is pretty cool. It doesn't even hold a candle to the stuff the church history library published recently in the Joseph Smith Papers project. You - anyone - can freely view for yourself every known piece of extant writing that is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is pretty cool. TSPS is kinda like the TLDR version of Joseph Smith's discourse. But there also was no other way to share this in the 1970's.

Temporal Economy—Care of the Poor

The temporal economy of this people should be to establish and encourage manufactures, and not to take usury19 for their money. I do not want to bind the poor here to starve.20 Go out into the country and into the neighboring cities, and get food, and gird up your loins, and be sober.21 When you get food, return, if you have a mind to.

Some say it is better to give to the poor than build the Temple.1 The building of the Temple has sustained the poor who were driven from Missouri, and kept them from starving; and it has been the best means for this object which could be devised.

Oh, all ye rich men of the Latter-day Saints from abroad, I would invite you bring up some of your money2—your gold, your silver, and your precious things, and give to the Temple.3 We want iron, steel, spades, and quarrying and mechanical tools.

It would be a good plan to get up a forge to manufacture iron, and bring in raw materials of every variety, and erect manufacturing establishments of all kinds, and surround the rapids with mills and machinery.

I never stole the value of a pin’s head, or a picayune in my life; and when you are hungry don’t steal.4 Come to me, and I will feed you.

The secret of Masonry is to keep a secret. It is good economy to entertain strangers5—to entertain sectarians. Come up to Nauvoo, ye sectarian priests of the everlasting Gospel, as they call it, and you shall have my pulpit all day.

Woe to ye rich men,6 who refuse to give to the poor,7 and then come and ask me for bread. Away with all your meanness, and be liberal. We need purging, purifying and cleansing.8 You that have little faith in your Elders when you are sick, get some little simple remedy in the first stages.9 If you send for a doctor at all, send in the first stages.

All ye doctors who are fools, not well read, and do not understand the human constitution, stop your practice. And all ye lawyers who have no business, only as you hatch it up,10 would to God11 you would go to work or run away! (Oct. 15, 1843.) DHC 6:56–59.

Basically, all that to say, the part of Jacob 1:8 that is referenced by Joseph Smith is not the "suffer his cross" phrase but the "would to God" phrase. By the way, this is not something I have ever heard spoken by any devout latter-day saint. We just...we just totally avoid saying things that are even similar to, "Oh my God." Even if it's quite literal. It isn't said.

So yeah, opening your mouth to speak Arabic in the middle east is something quite, well, strange, for most latter-day saints.

Answer:
"Suffering his cross" is a metaphor for being willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, for accepting the saving power of his atoning sacrifice, and for standing as a witness even through really difficult persecution.