A Christian's Cross
Note: Our preacher, Alan Hitchen is currently in Malawi, Africa. We have been blogging his weekly reports when available. This past week's report has been delayed. So in its place, below is an article written by our webmaster, Jeff Cox.
----------
Introduction. Our English language is very dynamic. Everyday words, phrases, and sayings continually come into existence, change meaning, and fade over time. The same is true for language found in the Bible (e.g., “Ebenezer”, "steward", "church"). Sometimes it is useful to pause, probe the original meaning, and translate the result into current terms.
“Take Up The Cross”. This was a common term used by Jesus (e.g., Matt. 10:38; Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Mark 10:21; Luke 9:23; Luke 14:27). His audience would have been well acquainted with Roman practices associated with crosses and crucifixions. In Jesus' day, crucifixion was used by Rome to make a public example of Rome’s worst criminals. They would often be publically whipped, beat, or scourged in advance. Next, they would be stripped (often naked) and bound/nailed to a cross. There they would suffer multi-hour/day sun exposure, dehydration, muscle spasms, and eventual suffocation. Often their bodies were left to rot on the cross. All of this public humiliation, degradation, and punishment was designed to send a very clear message - Rome would not tolerate such criminal activity and would do everything possible to crush it from their society.
We have mostly lost this meaning in our modern society that minimizes the execution of the death penalty, shields it from the public, and carries it out in a bloodless clinical manner.
But Jesus often made the potentially shocking demand exemplified in Luke 9:23-26: “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For …”
What was Jesus saying to his would-be followers? And more importantly, what is He saying to us today?
“And he said to them all, If any man …”. Note the universal appeal of "all" and "any". Similar sentiments can be found elsewhere:
“let him deny himself …”. This was not to become a hermit, ascetic, or monk with “a vow of poverty” as shown by Col. 2:20-23. In the context of Luke 9, we see two key elements:
“and take up his cross daily ...”. Note this is a matter of choice and free will. It is personal (not everyone has the same one). It is “daily”, ongoing, and continuous (not a "once and done" statement of belief). And it involves a symbol of public mistreatment, extreme suffering, shame, and death. Jesus is not saying Christians need to wear a cross-shaped piece of jewelry, tattoo, or tee shirt with a logo!
External crosses. In extreme cases, this can involve enduring threats to one's life. Matt. 10:21, 37 says “And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. … And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." In less extreme cases, this can involve various forms of verbal harassment, snickering, name-calling, loss of friendship, loss of job opportunities, and such (especially in cultures like ours that are decreasingly "Christian" and increasingly pro-evolution, pro-sexuality, materialistic, etc.).
The Center for Studies on New Religions showed nearly 90,000 "Christians" were killed for their faith in 2016 and that as many as 600 million were prevented from practicing their faith through intimidation, forced conversions, bodily harm or even death. And the trend is increasing due to recent nationalist religious movements and rising Islamic extremism.
Internal crosses. Contextually, "take up his cross" is closely associated with "deny himself" and internal temptations – doing everything possible to show we will not tolerate such activity in ourselves and will do everything possible to crush it from ourselves.
“For …”. Why? Because of coming judgment:
----------
Introduction. Our English language is very dynamic. Everyday words, phrases, and sayings continually come into existence, change meaning, and fade over time. The same is true for language found in the Bible (e.g., “Ebenezer”, "steward", "church"). Sometimes it is useful to pause, probe the original meaning, and translate the result into current terms.
“Take Up The Cross”. This was a common term used by Jesus (e.g., Matt. 10:38; Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Mark 10:21; Luke 9:23; Luke 14:27). His audience would have been well acquainted with Roman practices associated with crosses and crucifixions. In Jesus' day, crucifixion was used by Rome to make a public example of Rome’s worst criminals. They would often be publically whipped, beat, or scourged in advance. Next, they would be stripped (often naked) and bound/nailed to a cross. There they would suffer multi-hour/day sun exposure, dehydration, muscle spasms, and eventual suffocation. Often their bodies were left to rot on the cross. All of this public humiliation, degradation, and punishment was designed to send a very clear message - Rome would not tolerate such criminal activity and would do everything possible to crush it from their society.
We have mostly lost this meaning in our modern society that minimizes the execution of the death penalty, shields it from the public, and carries it out in a bloodless clinical manner.
But Jesus often made the potentially shocking demand exemplified in Luke 9:23-26: “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For …”
What was Jesus saying to his would-be followers? And more importantly, what is He saying to us today?
“And he said to them all, If any man …”. Note the universal appeal of "all" and "any". Similar sentiments can be found elsewhere:
- Matt. 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
- Rom. 1:16 "… gospel of Christ … is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."
- Gal. 3:27-28 "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
“let him deny himself …”. This was not to become a hermit, ascetic, or monk with “a vow of poverty” as shown by Col. 2:20-23. In the context of Luke 9, we see two key elements:
- Self-preservation - saving or losing one’s life
- Wealth - gaining the whole world
- Gen. 3:6 with Satan and Eve
- Matt. 4:1-11 with Satan and Jesus
- John 2:15-17 with the World and the things of the World
“and take up his cross daily ...”. Note this is a matter of choice and free will. It is personal (not everyone has the same one). It is “daily”, ongoing, and continuous (not a "once and done" statement of belief). And it involves a symbol of public mistreatment, extreme suffering, shame, and death. Jesus is not saying Christians need to wear a cross-shaped piece of jewelry, tattoo, or tee shirt with a logo!
External crosses. In extreme cases, this can involve enduring threats to one's life. Matt. 10:21, 37 says “And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. … And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." In less extreme cases, this can involve various forms of verbal harassment, snickering, name-calling, loss of friendship, loss of job opportunities, and such (especially in cultures like ours that are decreasingly "Christian" and increasingly pro-evolution, pro-sexuality, materialistic, etc.).
The Center for Studies on New Religions showed nearly 90,000 "Christians" were killed for their faith in 2016 and that as many as 600 million were prevented from practicing their faith through intimidation, forced conversions, bodily harm or even death. And the trend is increasing due to recent nationalist religious movements and rising Islamic extremism.
Internal crosses. Contextually, "take up his cross" is closely associated with "deny himself" and internal temptations – doing everything possible to show we will not tolerate such activity in ourselves and will do everything possible to crush it from ourselves.
- Gal. 5:19-24 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. . . . But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
- Col. 3:5 “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. … in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them. But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.”
- Matt. 7:21-27 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ … hears these words of Mine and acts on them …”
- Luke 6:46 “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
“For …”. Why? Because of coming judgment:
- Luke 9:26 “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.”
- Matt. 16:27 “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
- Matt. 10:32-33 “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”
- “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”
- “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”