To follow Jesus involves the cross. I wrote a bit about this last week (though by no means did I exhaust the topic). In that discussion, I leaned toward understanding “taking up one’s cross” as pledging our allegiance to Christ. It is breaking ties with the systems of this world, specifically its power structures, and following Jesus and the ways of his kingdom.
As a result of this separation from the powers that be, conflict will ensue. The world will, in some sense, crucify you. In the Roman world, to take up your cross meant that you went against Rome. This is why you were being executed and why you would lose everything. Those condemned to death by crucifixion forfeited their estates and were even denied burial. So when Jesus is telling his disciples, and us, to take up our cross, he is saying that to go against the world could most likely result in suffering.
Once again, it must be mentioned that we don’t seek suffering. We seek Jesus! But we shouldn’t be surprised when suffering comes. In fact, Peter writes that we need to be prepared for it (1 Peter 4:1). Nor should we view suffering negatively. One of the great paradoxes of Scripture is that we gain life by giving ours away. True joy and suffering are linked together. This is not how we are accustomed to thinking.
What I want to mention briefly in this short post however, is not so much the suffering that comes from “taking a stand” for the gospel, such as losing a job or being ridiculed for believing in Jesus (I realize these are minor things compared to some parts of our world). What I want us to grasp is that part of our suffering, if not the majority of it, is for the sake of those around us.
God’s mission is one of rescue. And his followers, who have now been rescued themselves, are now a part of this mission. In fact, Paul writes to the church in Corinth, so we are ambassadors who represent Christ. God is negotiating with you through us. We beg you as Christ’s representatives, “Be reconciled to God!” (2 Cor. 5:20).
As Christ-followers who are his ambassadors on this earth, we live for His namesake as we make him known. And how do we make him known? Well, we obviously develop conversations about the gospel with those around us. But as Christ’s representatives, we do more than just share information. We serve. We listen. We give. We sacrifice. We love. And we do so to make Christ fully known. We model the cross of which Jesus gave of himself for our sakes (see 2 Cor. 5:21) Therefore, we also give of ourselves. And we do so to those around us
So what does this look like? Well, for some of us, this means spending time listening to a colleague whom no one else in your workplace seems to care about. It could also mean that you stick with your church though many are leaving due to a few struggles over who the next pastor should be. Though there are plenty more examples like these above, I hope you notice that these are not necessarily the “big things” we often think about when we think about sacrificing and serving others. And yet what if more people lived out the so-called “smaller” sacrifices in life?
So let’s “deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus.” For some this might mean you actually lose your life or job. For most of us however, this might just mean you lose your reputation as you begin caring for “those neighbors” in the neighborhood.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
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