Carrying the cross
This week is on Mark 8:34-38:
Jesus is talking to his disciples here. Peter had just argued with him about whether or not he would be crucified. (People get combative about bad news a lot, it seems.) What Jesus said must have seemed like complete madness to them.
The cross was a painful and humiliating way to die. It was meant to send a message to others not to follow the example of the guy nailed up in front of them. As part of the punishment, the condemned man would have to carry his heavy cross up to the place where he was going to be crucified. And yet Jesus is telling his disciples that they're going to need to do that.
Think about what the cross represents though. It's hardship, and humiliation, and mortality. The man carrying the cross is no longer in denial of his impending death. He is humiliated and guilty. He is going to experience pain. And he is going to die. Who wants that?
But thinking about what that looks like, can someone who is justifying himself really be carrying the cross at the same time? The time where arguments made any difference ended when the judge pronounced his sentence. Innocent or guilty, someone who is carrying the cross accepts their fate. Nobody who is carrying the cross is thinking "well, I'm not all that sinful" or "I don't really deserve death. I'm just carrying this because the folks at youth camp made it look cool."
And can someone who avoids hardship really be said to be carrying the cross? You can't just pay someone else to carry it. And your fate is not going to be avoided by refusing to carry it. Someone who is carrying their cross fulfils their obligations. They absorb injustice and humiliation. You're going to die anyway, so you might as well be civil about it.
And can someone who tries to stay alive at all costs really be carrying the cross? Death may have lost its sting, but we can't really avoid it forever. Otherwise the Earth's surface would be covered with early church Christians who never died because of how righteous they were. And yet here we are, alone in our modernity. If you're in denial that you will ever die, but you're excited about the resurrection, something is flawed in your logic.
Peter had just gotten done arguing with Jesus about dying. He wasn't willing to accept that Jesus would be found guilty of a crime he didn't commit, nor that he would be beaten and crucified. How can you be a disciple if you don't accept that Jesus died and would be raised again? And how can you follow Jesus if you don't follow him down that path?
Who would accept martyrdom or serve others at their own cost if they weren't carrying the cross? Who could be patient with the insanity of this world if they weren't carrying their cross? The crucifixion wasn't the end of Jesus' story but it was still a major part of it. We can't have salvation without the crucifixion.
Next time you find yourself justifying your actions or thinking lightly of sin, think of Jesus' words here. Or next time you find yourself having a hard time with the hardships in your life, think of those words. Or even when bad things happen to good Christians, or even when they die, think about Jesus going to the cross. Is it really worse than the trip he already took?
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Jesus is talking to his disciples here. Peter had just argued with him about whether or not he would be crucified. (People get combative about bad news a lot, it seems.) What Jesus said must have seemed like complete madness to them.
The cross was a painful and humiliating way to die. It was meant to send a message to others not to follow the example of the guy nailed up in front of them. As part of the punishment, the condemned man would have to carry his heavy cross up to the place where he was going to be crucified. And yet Jesus is telling his disciples that they're going to need to do that.
Think about what the cross represents though. It's hardship, and humiliation, and mortality. The man carrying the cross is no longer in denial of his impending death. He is humiliated and guilty. He is going to experience pain. And he is going to die. Who wants that?
But thinking about what that looks like, can someone who is justifying himself really be carrying the cross at the same time? The time where arguments made any difference ended when the judge pronounced his sentence. Innocent or guilty, someone who is carrying the cross accepts their fate. Nobody who is carrying the cross is thinking "well, I'm not all that sinful" or "I don't really deserve death. I'm just carrying this because the folks at youth camp made it look cool."
And can someone who avoids hardship really be said to be carrying the cross? You can't just pay someone else to carry it. And your fate is not going to be avoided by refusing to carry it. Someone who is carrying their cross fulfils their obligations. They absorb injustice and humiliation. You're going to die anyway, so you might as well be civil about it.
And can someone who tries to stay alive at all costs really be carrying the cross? Death may have lost its sting, but we can't really avoid it forever. Otherwise the Earth's surface would be covered with early church Christians who never died because of how righteous they were. And yet here we are, alone in our modernity. If you're in denial that you will ever die, but you're excited about the resurrection, something is flawed in your logic.
Peter had just gotten done arguing with Jesus about dying. He wasn't willing to accept that Jesus would be found guilty of a crime he didn't commit, nor that he would be beaten and crucified. How can you be a disciple if you don't accept that Jesus died and would be raised again? And how can you follow Jesus if you don't follow him down that path?
Who would accept martyrdom or serve others at their own cost if they weren't carrying the cross? Who could be patient with the insanity of this world if they weren't carrying their cross? The crucifixion wasn't the end of Jesus' story but it was still a major part of it. We can't have salvation without the crucifixion.
Next time you find yourself justifying your actions or thinking lightly of sin, think of Jesus' words here. Or next time you find yourself having a hard time with the hardships in your life, think of those words. Or even when bad things happen to good Christians, or even when they die, think about Jesus going to the cross. Is it really worse than the trip he already took?
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