Take Up Your Cross, and Follow Me
The cross is a symbol of temporary death, against the backdrop of eternal life. It is the weapon the Lord chooses to fight against all the injustice and evil in this world, a universal symbol of hope in the thicket of hopelessness.
It is upon this cross that the Lord Jesus attaches himself, though it offered no comfort nor rest, it is here that it was offered to him. In his pain and sorrow, the blood shedding from his side and temples, here he received his crowning moment in this life. Sinister as it is, it is here that he received his first official title; ‘King Of The Jews’, inscribed upon a plaque for all to see. And those who really know him, bow down and worship him, even in this state.
Carry Your Cross
This is where he calls us to, when he says, “forget yourself, carry your cross, and follow me.” Forget self, the casting aside of all our physical desires, wants and needs, carrying Christ’s pain and suffering, and following him in order to suffer his same fate.
“For”, he asks us, “shall you gain anything by winning the whole world but losing your soul?” Mth 16:26. For the whole world, with all it’s splendor and glory, cannot breathe life into a dead child. Even the great emperors and kings, with giant mausoleums, had to eventually depart this world, their wealth and riches taken by others other than themselves.
If we cannot save our own lives, or prevent our own death. If we cannot, by all means, recreate life outside the womb, why not take on Christ’s proposition?
Lose Your Life for My Sake, and You Will Find it
Had Christ not died on that cross, his story would not have been told. Nor would his story inspire so many for two thousand years, asking them to give up their lives, in order to inherit a glorious life beside him for ever.
“For the Son of Man is coming, and he will reward each one according to their deeds.” Mth 16:27. And so, therefore, the death of Christ on his cross, though in appearance a demise on his part in the eyes of the world, is actually a fulfilment of life and a promise of the same to all who accept his offer.
“For if you seek to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for my sake, you will find it.” Mth 16:25. It is, then, only in death in Christ that any can find life, for he laid down his life as a ransom for many, that all who believe might have life in him and because of him.
