Pastor Tom
Johnson, March 1, 2015
Jesus says he must suffer many things, face rejection of the religious
authority, be killed, and on the third day rise again from the dead. We are so used to this truth of Jesus suffering, death, and resurrection,
the reaction Jesus get might surprise us. Peter is especially not happy about
this plan. He pulls Jesus aside privately and scolds him. “You should not
suffer like that! Your destiny should not be to die!” And Jesus rebukes him back
as the adversary. If Jesus bearing his own cross offended Peter, how much more the news
that Jesus calls us to bear our own crosses and follow where he leads? “If any
want to become my followers,” our Lord says, “let them deny themselves and take
up their cross and follow me.”
What does it mean to bear one’s own cross? This is no Hebrew Bible
reference that the disciples would understand. Jesus is using their experience
of seeing the many condemned under the Romans carrying their own crosses to
their deaths. We begin with this gruesome reality in order to understand what it
means to bear our own crosses. Rome had perfected crucifixion as a violent and
painful form of execution. There was a whole script to how they carried out
capital punishment. And it began with the individual carrying the horizontal beam of the
cross publicly for all to see. It was Rome’s way of publicizing what they would
do to you if you broke their laws or rebelled against their authority. The condemned would be paraded around the highly trafficked roads so
that everybody would feel the terror and threat of Roman power.
To bear one’s cross was to literally embrace the instrument of one’s own death. To bear one’s cross meant to deliver the other half of the device engineered to prolong and intensify ones agony. It was a sadistic irony. It is the epitome of cruel and unusual punishment from beginning to end. To bear one’s cross means to feel the weight of death on your shoulders every step you take. It means to have the burden of anxiety and the constant reminder that death is closer every step you take.
What does it mean to bear one’s own cross? This is no Hebrew Bible
reference that the disciples would understand. Jesus is using their experience
of seeing the many condemned under the Romans carrying their own crosses to
their deaths. We begin with this gruesome reality in order to understand what it
means to bear our own crosses. Rome had perfected crucifixion as a violent and
painful form of execution. There was a whole script to how they carried out
capital punishment. And it began with the individual carrying the horizontal beam of the
cross publicly for all to see. It was Rome’s way of publicizing what they would
do to you if you broke their laws or rebelled against their authority. The condemned would be paraded around the highly trafficked roads so
that everybody would feel the terror and threat of Roman power. To bear one’s cross was to literally embrace the instrument of one’s own death. To bear one’s cross meant to deliver the other half of the device engineered to prolong and intensify ones agony. It was a sadistic irony. It is the epitome of cruel and unusual punishment from beginning to end. To bear one’s cross means to feel the weight of death on your shoulders every step you take. It means to have the burden of anxiety and the constant reminder that death is closer every step you take.
Jesus had not yet borne his cross. By this saying, “Follow me [as I take up my cross],” Jesus predicts
with gruesome detail how he will die. With this saying, “Take up your cross,”
it might seem that Jesus is being metaphorical about the disciples bearing
their crosses. But even Peter himself, history tells us, would bear his cross
in Rome years later. But Jesus is also using the reality of cross bearing to speak
metaphorically. That is to say, to bear his cross now—before he literally takes
up the cross beam—is to live his life with the spiritual and emotional burden of
the path ahead. Long before he ever will receive the sentence of death by crucifixion,
Jesus will continue to live his life with humility, self-renunciation, and
sacrifice. Every step he takes is a “no” to selfishness, pride, and worldly
pleasure. Every step he takes was a “yes” to God’s plan, mission, forgiveness,
and life for the world. This is an effective way to get our attention—to use such a vivid image
as bearing one’s own cross in this life to truly be a follower of Jesus. It sobers
our outlook on the journey ahead. This is not living life under the cloud and threat of death. This is
moving forward knowing that there are formidable challenges along life’s
journey ahead. We cannot sweep them under the carpet, bury our heads in the
sand, or live in denial of the very real prospects of anxiety, pain, and
suffering along the way.
Remember that Jesus included the words “and rise again” in his prediction. The end of this journey is not death, nothingness, and a blackout of our consciousness. The end of this journey is new life, a lavish feast, and eternal light in the company of the resurrected Jesus and the whole company of heaven. This path of the cross is not a death march. It is a procession through the valley of the shadow of death. It may be an unpleasant one but a necessary detour we must take because of our sin, the reality of evil, and the corruption of this present world. Remember that we are not going out into unchartered territory either. Jesus has borne his own cross ahead. He has blazed the trail clearly before us by his perfect life, death, and resurrection.
We follow in the wake of his greatness. We draw strength from his example. We are empowered by his self-sacrificing love. We are fueled by forgiveness. We move forward knowing that the end of the journey is eternal life. To live our lives without this assurance of God’s grace is not truly living. To die with confidence and trust in Jesus, who died and rose again for us, is not truly dying. Joan of Arc said, “One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.” And so we take up our own crosses and follow Jesus. Our lives are saved. Our time is redeemed. As Jesus says in our text, “those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the Gospel, will save their life.
Remember that Jesus included the words “and rise again” in his prediction. The end of this journey is not death, nothingness, and a blackout of our consciousness. The end of this journey is new life, a lavish feast, and eternal light in the company of the resurrected Jesus and the whole company of heaven. This path of the cross is not a death march. It is a procession through the valley of the shadow of death. It may be an unpleasant one but a necessary detour we must take because of our sin, the reality of evil, and the corruption of this present world. Remember that we are not going out into unchartered territory either. Jesus has borne his own cross ahead. He has blazed the trail clearly before us by his perfect life, death, and resurrection.
We follow in the wake of his greatness. We draw strength from his example. We are empowered by his self-sacrificing love. We are fueled by forgiveness. We move forward knowing that the end of the journey is eternal life. To live our lives without this assurance of God’s grace is not truly living. To die with confidence and trust in Jesus, who died and rose again for us, is not truly dying. Joan of Arc said, “One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying.” And so we take up our own crosses and follow Jesus. Our lives are saved. Our time is redeemed. As Jesus says in our text, “those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the Gospel, will save their life.
Give strength and patience unto me
To bear my cross and follow Thee.
Lord Jesus Christ, my God and Lord,
my God and Lord,
In death Thy comfort still afford.
To bear my cross and follow Thee.
Lord Jesus Christ, my God and Lord,
my God and Lord,
In death Thy comfort still afford.
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