Take Up Your Cross

Modern states that allow for the death penalty attempt to carry out the sentence as quickly and as painlessly as possible. The ancient Roman Empire did not share these sensibilities. Its execution process was designed to inflict as much pain as possible for as long as possible. The public spectacle of a man slowly dying as he hung naked, beaten and nailed to a cross, was a highly effective deterrent.

Why, then, would Jesus choose such a metaphor when He talked to His disciples about following Him? It doesn’t make sense; who would want to be crucified?

Unless it wasn’t a metaphor.

Jesus wasn’t trying to be dramatic. He literally went to the cross, and He literally lost His life. He made a choice to suffer and die for a greater purpose, and He called His disciples to do the same.

He wasn’t trying to give an inspirational speech. Instead he was warning His followers to steel their resolve and be ready for the hard road ahead. While many were eager to hear the message of Christ, others were often violently opposed. Jesus’ disciples faced intense persecution and death.

In fact, during the early years after Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension, following Jesus was essentially a suicide mission. Christians had to be willing to die, both figuratively and literally, in order to follow Him. Jesus was not just a part of their lives. He was their life.

They didn’t care about possessions, careers, or paying for their kid’s college education. They only cared about following Christ. Paul said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

We may never have to face the level of persecution that the early Christians did. Yet Jesus’ call still stands: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
What would it look like if we were to have this level of commitment?

What if, instead of working to achieve our own comfort, we embraced a higher purpose?

What if the desire to follow Christ and tell others about His goodness was so powerful that we would be willing to face any level of persecution?

Jesus’ early followers did these things, and they were able to change the world. Can we do the same?

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