An end to self-advocacy
This week's study is on Luke 9:23-26:
Being something of a traditionalist, I don't like how the newer translations use the word "self" instead of "the soul." (What good is a Bible that has gained marketshare but lost its "soul?") Still the meaning is clear enough, even if they've dumbed it down for the youngsters.
Jesus is talking with his disciples here. He's just reminded them that he has to be crucified, and then he shares these horrifying verses. People portray the Christian lifestyle as being all love and cupcakes, but Jesus lays down some reality to bring a correct perspective. There will be times where we will have to choose between living our lives freely on one path, and being a Christian on the other.
To carry your cross means living life as a man on death row. It means accepting that the end could come at any time. It means not putting too much emotional stock in the long term outlook. You may exist here for 20 years or for 24 hours, but the end result is pretty much already set in stone. It means accepting the hatred of others, accepting being marginalized by society, and accepting the petty attempts at revenge from those who resent you. Your fate is sealed.
Contrast that gospel with the prosperity gospel and the cheap grace gospel. The prosperity gospel says that God will give you "mo money and mo money" if you just keep giving to the church. The cheap grace gospel says that God doesn't care what you do, as long as you self-identify as a Christian. But that's not the gospel Jesus is sharing here.
Christianity may involve being wealthy, and it does involve being forgiven and tolerated, but it's also a potentially catastrophic experience for people who think it's only about being enriched and being loved. Those aren't experiences Jesus got to enjoy, and in representing him it's possible our lives may begin to resemble the reality of his life more than they do the Christianity of our dreams.
Does that mean that we are not loved, or that we won't succeed in life, or that we don't matter? Not at all! We are loved by God, even if those around us hate us and persecute us. We succeed eternally, even if from time to time we are in rough shape on earth. And even if we are not in a place to gain influence and power and wealth in the areas we desire, we still matter so much to God that he sacrificed his only son to win us eternally.
So if things go badly, ask yourself if maybe that's how things are supposed to be. Is it necessary that a condemned man have luxuries? Is it unreasonable for a condemned man to be despised by those around him? Are we worse off than Jesus? And yet Jesus triumphed over all of the powers of heaven and earth, even over death and Hell themselves!
If we're not willing to take up the cross, to taste a little bit of death each day, we don't share the character of Jesus. And if we lack Jesus' character, how are we supposed to represent him effectively to others? Jesus made it so that death would have no power over us. Let's start living like we believe it!
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
Being something of a traditionalist, I don't like how the newer translations use the word "self" instead of "the soul." (What good is a Bible that has gained marketshare but lost its "soul?") Still the meaning is clear enough, even if they've dumbed it down for the youngsters.
Jesus is talking with his disciples here. He's just reminded them that he has to be crucified, and then he shares these horrifying verses. People portray the Christian lifestyle as being all love and cupcakes, but Jesus lays down some reality to bring a correct perspective. There will be times where we will have to choose between living our lives freely on one path, and being a Christian on the other.
To carry your cross means living life as a man on death row. It means accepting that the end could come at any time. It means not putting too much emotional stock in the long term outlook. You may exist here for 20 years or for 24 hours, but the end result is pretty much already set in stone. It means accepting the hatred of others, accepting being marginalized by society, and accepting the petty attempts at revenge from those who resent you. Your fate is sealed.
Contrast that gospel with the prosperity gospel and the cheap grace gospel. The prosperity gospel says that God will give you "mo money and mo money" if you just keep giving to the church. The cheap grace gospel says that God doesn't care what you do, as long as you self-identify as a Christian. But that's not the gospel Jesus is sharing here.
Christianity may involve being wealthy, and it does involve being forgiven and tolerated, but it's also a potentially catastrophic experience for people who think it's only about being enriched and being loved. Those aren't experiences Jesus got to enjoy, and in representing him it's possible our lives may begin to resemble the reality of his life more than they do the Christianity of our dreams.
Does that mean that we are not loved, or that we won't succeed in life, or that we don't matter? Not at all! We are loved by God, even if those around us hate us and persecute us. We succeed eternally, even if from time to time we are in rough shape on earth. And even if we are not in a place to gain influence and power and wealth in the areas we desire, we still matter so much to God that he sacrificed his only son to win us eternally.
So if things go badly, ask yourself if maybe that's how things are supposed to be. Is it necessary that a condemned man have luxuries? Is it unreasonable for a condemned man to be despised by those around him? Are we worse off than Jesus? And yet Jesus triumphed over all of the powers of heaven and earth, even over death and Hell themselves!
If we're not willing to take up the cross, to taste a little bit of death each day, we don't share the character of Jesus. And if we lack Jesus' character, how are we supposed to represent him effectively to others? Jesus made it so that death would have no power over us. Let's start living like we believe it!
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