Click Here: Read Luke 9
“Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny
himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” – Luke 9:23In Luke’s 9th chapter is rich in the glory of Jesus Christ and His presence on this earth. It is one of my favorite chapters, for in it we once again read of His power and authority, the miracles performed by Jesus, His empowerment of the disciples to take the message into cities far and wide. Here, we see the disciple Peter outright declare, “You are the Messiah, the Son of God.” We read of the transfiguration, where He talks with Moses and Elijah, and God calls down from heaven, “This is my Son, Listen to Him”, because the disciples wanted to take control of the situation. Later, Jesus tells them of the coming persecution, of His death, as prophesied in Isaiah 53:7 “…led like a lamb to the slaughter…” But, what I want to focus on today is His command to those who want to follow Him. “…deny himself and take up his cross daily…”
I imagine it was 15 feet long, and the cross beam was
probably 8 feet wide. Hewn from a strong
tree, perhaps a dogwood or an olive tree, which were common in and around
Jerusalem at that time. I’ve tried to
carry a 16 foot 2x8 that I used for the head beam in my children’s swingset,
and it was unbelievably heavy. I
resulted in dragging it from the bed of my truck to the back yard, because
there is no way I could have carried it any other way due to it’s length. I imagine that the hewn wood of the cross was
more than likely either 6x6 or 8x8 to support the weight of a body, and the
cross beam was likely 6x6, secured by spikes and rope. Together the crucifixion cross must have
weighed well over 400 pounds of solid wood.
As he stepped into the narrow streets of Jerusalem, his body was unrecognizable. His flesh was brutally beaten to the point of disfiguration, and open lacerations covered his back, legs, chest and arms. I picture the soldiers holding him as two or three others lowered the cross onto his shoulder and then they forced him to walk carrying that cross. Every step on the cobbled stone or dirt street would shoot pain through his body as the cross bit into his shoulder and back and pressed down upon his weak body. Periodically, I can imagine that the foot of the cross would hit a rock or a hole in the street and the vibration would amplify through the length of the wooden beam and bounce upon his bloodied back. It is recorded that he stumbled a few times and fell to the ground at which point this heavy cross would fall upon his helpless body, crushing his legs and back as it did. Somehow he would manage to steady his legs and lift himself back up, and the cross was placed back on his shoulder. At one point, as it is recorded in Mark 15:21, Simon from Cyrene was forced to carry the cross of Jesus Christ after one of these falls, to Golgotha, where the crucifixion would take place.
So, when you put that cross around your neck in the morning, do you fully comprehend what it means? It is not bling, nor is it a piece of jewelry as some might believe. It is a symbol of the pain, agony and sacrifice that one man chose to make for your eternal life. It was the most selfless expression of love ever recorded in history, not because of the cross, but because of what he did with that cross. He gave up everything he had so that you and I could have eternal life. His joy, happiness, comfort, peace, human desires, his blood and his very life. In doing so, he set in motion God’s plan of redemption and grace. If Christ had not carried that cross, died and rose again; our lives are lost. It took a sacrifice of a spotless lamb to redeem the souls of mankind, and Jesus Christ was the only one worthy of this task.
Today’s scripture tells us to “deny ourselves and take up the cross daily”. I am quite sure this doesn’t mean putting that necklace around your neck each morning. I believe Christ is telling us to serve, and give everything we have to love and help others. He left it all on that cross, and the cross he tells us to pick up each day is the choice to serve Him whole heartedly, with everything we have and to put aside our selfish and self-centered attitudes. Carrying the cross of Christ is not a physical event, but a spiritual event of giving of one’s self for the betterment of mankind. The cross necklace is a wonderful symbol to remind us just what we are supposed to be doing with our life. To carry one’s cross is one of the most sincere instructions that Christ ever gave to his disciples, and is meant to be taken seriously, not for show or to draw attention to ourselves, but to Him and only Him. If it has become a piece of jewelry or bling to you, please take a moment to step back and grasp the reality of what it represents.
As he stepped into the narrow streets of Jerusalem, his body was unrecognizable. His flesh was brutally beaten to the point of disfiguration, and open lacerations covered his back, legs, chest and arms. I picture the soldiers holding him as two or three others lowered the cross onto his shoulder and then they forced him to walk carrying that cross. Every step on the cobbled stone or dirt street would shoot pain through his body as the cross bit into his shoulder and back and pressed down upon his weak body. Periodically, I can imagine that the foot of the cross would hit a rock or a hole in the street and the vibration would amplify through the length of the wooden beam and bounce upon his bloodied back. It is recorded that he stumbled a few times and fell to the ground at which point this heavy cross would fall upon his helpless body, crushing his legs and back as it did. Somehow he would manage to steady his legs and lift himself back up, and the cross was placed back on his shoulder. At one point, as it is recorded in Mark 15:21, Simon from Cyrene was forced to carry the cross of Jesus Christ after one of these falls, to Golgotha, where the crucifixion would take place.
So, when you put that cross around your neck in the morning, do you fully comprehend what it means? It is not bling, nor is it a piece of jewelry as some might believe. It is a symbol of the pain, agony and sacrifice that one man chose to make for your eternal life. It was the most selfless expression of love ever recorded in history, not because of the cross, but because of what he did with that cross. He gave up everything he had so that you and I could have eternal life. His joy, happiness, comfort, peace, human desires, his blood and his very life. In doing so, he set in motion God’s plan of redemption and grace. If Christ had not carried that cross, died and rose again; our lives are lost. It took a sacrifice of a spotless lamb to redeem the souls of mankind, and Jesus Christ was the only one worthy of this task.
Today’s scripture tells us to “deny ourselves and take up the cross daily”. I am quite sure this doesn’t mean putting that necklace around your neck each morning. I believe Christ is telling us to serve, and give everything we have to love and help others. He left it all on that cross, and the cross he tells us to pick up each day is the choice to serve Him whole heartedly, with everything we have and to put aside our selfish and self-centered attitudes. Carrying the cross of Christ is not a physical event, but a spiritual event of giving of one’s self for the betterment of mankind. The cross necklace is a wonderful symbol to remind us just what we are supposed to be doing with our life. To carry one’s cross is one of the most sincere instructions that Christ ever gave to his disciples, and is meant to be taken seriously, not for show or to draw attention to ourselves, but to Him and only Him. If it has become a piece of jewelry or bling to you, please take a moment to step back and grasp the reality of what it represents.
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