Bearing our cross for paper Apr 25

Bearing our cross for paper Apr 25

Jesus said “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. Luke 9: 22 – 24

We all know of the great suffering of Jesus on the day he was crucified on the cross. Jesus willingly bore not only the pain he suffered physically that day; he also accepted the entire wrath of God for all our sin.  When he foretold of his suffering to his disciples ahead of time, just after Peter confesses Jesus as the Messiah, he also let them know that they also would have crosses to bear. Jesus knows Peter, and all the disciples will take up their crosses as they follow Jesus.

And he gives us the words of this text because he also knows so will you and I have crosses to bear. Jesus takes up a cross literally. We take them up figuratively. Your sinful nature gives you those desires to have your way rather than God’s way. But when you submit to that aspect of denying yourself, that is one way of taking up your cross. To understand what He is saying when He makes this statement. He’s saying to us, His followers, “I want you to die every day to what you want and follow me.” In other words, you need to see your old self, that old sinful nature, nailed to the cross daily.  Taking up your cross as Jesus did also means carrying whatever burdens this life may give you knowing that Jesus also carried the burden of the cross willingly.

Our Lord does not say, “If anyone wants to come after me, let him have an easy life and earthly riches.” That’s what Joel Osteen, and their kind claim—that you should expect prosperity on earth. Jesus suggests that you should expect resistance from the world—whether or not your heavenly Father grants you prosperity. “If anyone wants to come after me, let him take up his cross.” John suffered years in exile. Peter was executed. James lost his head courtesy of King Herod Agrippa. James was the first apostle to be martyred. Which is to say, James was the first apostle whose soul got to be with Christ in heaven. And when Jesus returns, James’ body as well as his soul will be transformed into a body like Christ had after he rose from the dead.

When you say you’re a Christian, people may laugh because you still believe the Bible is true. When you resist temptation, your friends may think you’re a prude. When you talk about your Lord, some people will consider you hopelessly out-of-date. When you take up your cross and follow Jesus, life isn’t likely to be easy. Maybe you’ll have the privilege of dying for Jesus. Yes, the privilege of dying for Jesus. I’m not sure what the twenty-first-century equivalent of Christians being thrown to the lions might be, but if you’re asked to endure it, remember that your Lord willingly suffered in your place and paid the whole penalty for your sin. That allows you to share in the hope we all have as Christians, to be with Christ after we have suffered whatever this life may bring to us in an eternity that is without suffering or pain or tears of any kind.

You might ask, “Why can’t we skip the suffering and go straight to glory with Jesus?” For the same reason Jesus couldn’t skip the cross. There are people on this earth who need him. You and I are the way our Lord cares for those hurting people today. And you and I are the way he gets the message of sin and a Savior to all those people out there who don’t realize that Jesus took up his cross for them.

Peter would live roughly thirty-five years after the transfiguration—thirty-five very difficult years. But nothing that he experienced in all those years, no matter how horrible, could erase what he knew his eternal future held. I don’t know what you’ll be asked to suffer in the future because you belong to Jesus, but nothing that you will experience as a Christian, no matter how horrible, can erase the promise God gave you when he baptized you into the death and the resurrection of his Son. Eternal life with him!

Blessings,