And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”
– Mark 8:34
If you hear something enough times, it starts to sound normal, even if it is a drastic statement that would deeply disturb a person hearing it for the first time. For many of us, language of the cross has become normal. We sing about the “old rugged cross” and barely raise an eyebrow. We talk about taking up our cross almost as casually as we would talk about carrying our luggage. To a significant degree, the imagery of the cross has lost its shock power.
Those within the sound of Jesus’ voice must have stopped dead in their tracks when hearing these words from him. People knew what it meant to follow a rabbi. You listen to his teaching, adopt his interpretation of scripture, and travel with him to observe how his teaching manifests in his lifestyle. The twelve apostles, and many others, had been doing just that with Jesus. However, things had recently taken a turn. Jesus had changed the tone of everything by revealing his eventual persecution and death. It was a difficult truth for the disciples to hear, but Jesus didn’t waver or leave any doubt about it. As if the news couldn’t get any worse, Jesus now indicates that his followers must embrace the idea of traveling the same path as him.
What makes the idea so radical? It has to do with the imagery Jesus uses. He could have just said, “Be aware that some people are not going to like you if you follow me.” That would be true, but not radical. He could have said, “My teaching will cause people to get violently angry.” Also true, but not radical. He even could have said, “You will find yourselves directly involved in conflict if you faithfully follow me.” That would make them pause and think, but again it is not radical. Radical is to portray discipleship using the image of the hideous form of Roman execution called crucifixion. I promise you, no one submitted to crucifixion willingly.
Consider how his followers would have heard language about a cross. It would not have been casual as in our modern culture. We make crosses and hang them on our walls as decorations. We fashion them out of precious metals, adorn them with stones, and wear them as jewelry. It is a fair question to consider if we would do that with other devices of capital punishment, such as an electric chair or a hangman’s noose. Most likely we would be repulsed by such a proposition. Why is our reaction so different with a cross?
As stated previously, I would contend that the imagery of the cross has become so familiar that it no longer grabs our attention. This is not to say that the cross no longer has power. It most certainly does. The apostle Paul wanted to make sure that the cross stayed front and center, not lost in the background behind eloquent arguments (see 1 Corinthians 1:17). Why does the cross have such power? Because it is a radical instrument of punishment that Jesus used to demonstrate radical love. What could possibly be more moving to us than a man who would endure such a suffering death for our sakes? This is the power of the cross.
Jesus asks if we would deny self, take up our cross, and follow him. Perhaps there is another way to hear the invitation. Jesus takes his cross and says, “This is how much I love you. Will you love me the same?” Paul says in Philippians 3:8, “I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.” This is one man’s radical response to the radical love of Jesus. What is your response?
See you along the Winding Path.
The Winding Path 