Luke 9:23 “Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
The questions Jesus posed were simple but profound…”If anyone desires to come after me.”
Following after Jesus is more than a decision, it is more than imitating a person, or carrying forth a moniker— following after Jesus is an abandonment of all you were and thought you might become. The determination to take the first step toward Jesus is in essence to be drawn away from an old life of sin with a determination to follow the One who has made all things new.
When Jesus gave His life, He did it to redeem a people unto Himself.
Hebrews 13:13 “Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore.”
Imagine what it meant to carry the cross:
- The cross wasn’t just a symbol of pain and suffering, the cross was representative of death. The one condemned was forced to carry their cross to their place of crucifixion, the final leg of the one condemned to die.
- The criminal bore the shame of their sentence, through jeering and ridicule the crowd was given the opportunity to watch the processional as a form of shame for those under offense.
- Whipped and scourged before the final leg of torture, Jesus was mocked for all He represented and ridiculed as a criminal. Condemned to die by those He came to save, the guilty brought judgement against the innocent.
Why the Cross?
Traditionally the cross was been known to be one of the most gruesome, inhumane forms of torture, humiliation, and execution known to mankind. As the sacrificial lamb was offered up to God during the passover meal, it’s blood was first sprinkled on the doorposts and later roasted on the fire, it was then eaten with bitter herbs and unleavened bread, so in like manner Jesus became the sacrificial lamb for all who believe.
Exodus 12:5-11 “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. Now you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it at twilight. And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails. You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover.”
In like manner of the passover, God’s people are called to spiritually partake of Christ, His attributes, His Spirit, in resembling His death that brought the hope of glory. Jesus gave His life to deliver His people from the slavery of sin and He gave His blood that death might pass over them. Jesus nourishes lives and fills those who give their live to Him with His power.
John 6:54 “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Symbolically, the cross represented the atoning sacrifice of the passover lamb. To those who are recognized as God’s people, they have identified with the death of God’s Son. The final death has passed over them because they have been sanctified by the Blood of the Lamb.
For believers in Christ, the sacrifice of Jesus remains the only reprieve from the judgement of sin. The Lord Himself is leading His people out of the corruption of this world and to a new home prepared in glory, but until they all get there, the Moral law, (given to the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai), is still the standard by which God judges the world.
The moral law serves as the standard of righteousness for which all believers strive to live and the manner by which love is expressed toward God and others. Love through obedience is the least that a faithful follower can show, considering all Jesus did to make it possible.
The Degree of God’s Love
Isaiah 53:5 “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”
Crucifixion was usually intended to provide a death that was particularly slow and painful (hence the term excruciating, literally “out of crucifying”). The process was gruesome, and public, using whatever means were most expedient for the goal.
While a crucifixion was an execution, it was also a humiliation by making the condemned as vulnerable as possible. Although artists have traditionally depicted the figure on a cross with a loin cloth or a covering of the genitals, the person being crucified was usually stripped naked. Most depictions of Jesus display him with nails through his hands and through the tops of His feet. But in Greek the word “χείρ”, usually translated as “hand”, could refer to the entire portion of the arm below the elbow. A possibility that does not require tying is that the nails were inserted just above the wrist, through the soft tissue, between the two bones of the forearm. The few skeletal remains that showed signs of crucifixion showed the heels had been nailed through, suggesting the feet were placed to the side of the wood and nailed into the beam. Some ancient depictions of the cross describe a footrest used for taking the weight off the wrists, allowing the victim to use the step to push up so that they might inhale. At the end of the process, the legs were consequently fractured to ensure the victim couldn’t push up and breath, consequently hastening their death. The length of time required to reach death could range from hours to days depending on the method, the victim’s health, and the environment.
Bearing the Cross
Grace may have been freely given but it was not freely earned.
John 12:23-26 “But Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”
The death Jesus bore for mankind depicted the measure of God’s love for people and His hatred for sin. His love for His people was His willingness to go until His last breath for their salvation. His majesty was revealed in His ability to do whatever was necessary to restore His relationship with them. Forsaking His glory, the Creator God became a man and humbled Himself. In like manner, believers are called to die to their old life and become all that Christ intended for them to be.
The importance of realizing what it took for Jesus to restore His people into relationship with Him should make us take a deeper look at what it means to follow Him.
When we sin, we offend God personally. We offend all that He did for us at the Cross. When God’s people choose to go their own way and rebel, they tarnish the incredible message He wants to reveal through His people.
Jesus exemplified meekness. Meekness that is defined as God’s strength under His control. Jesus was fully aware of all that was necessary for Him to justify His people, even at the moment of Creation. God knew the sacrifice and yet He still chose to make you.
What does that say about the measure of His love for you?
We must ask ourselves if we are willing to do what is necessary to follow.
He is worthy.
U.T. 