Luke 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Our RTS today is, in many ways, a continuation of yesterday’s. Jesus is on the same topic. IN fact, it is the same conversation. In yesterday’s RTS, we learned that Jesus required that we make him a priority or we failed at being his disciple. He makes a similar declaration in today’s verse.
In addition to coming to him, loving our parents, spouse, children and siblings less than we love him, we are to add the requirement that we must bear our cross. I have often wondered, if the hearers of this statement would have been confused by this. I am not sure that the contemporary crowd would have had the context of the cross to fully understand it. Clearly, the cross that he is referencing is a glimpse to the cross that he died on.
So what does it mean that we are to bear our cross? To comprehend that, we must better understand what the cross meant to Jesus.
1. The Cross Represents a Sacrifice
It is easy to focus on the actual pain and suffering that Jesus endured during the execution, but there is much more to his sacrifice that the few hours that he was on the cross. The cross was the mission and focus of his entire life, but before that event, he lived 33 years on this earth in a less than ideal setting. However, prior to his birth he was in an ideal setting because he was with God in Heaven, so his existence as a human was a sacrifice all on its own.
When God asks us to sacrifice, he is not asking us to do anything more than what Jesus did. In fact, the sacrifices that we make are minuscule in comparison to what Jesus endured. If we are going to be pleasing to God, we must learn to bear the cross of sacrifice.
Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
2. The Cross Represents Submission
So often in life, we seem to think that being submissive to anyone is “beneath” us. We don’t want our parents to tell us what to do. We don’t want our bosses to tell us what to do. We don’t want the law to tell us what to do. But Jesus was submissive and he was the Son of God. He is and was God! And yet he was submissive to both God and those that wanted to kill him. He had the power to refuse and to bring Sodom & Gomorrah type wrath on those that wanted to do harm to him. But he submitted.
Therefore, if we are going to bear our cross for God, we must be willing to submit our will for his. It is not easy, but it is required.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
3. The Cross Represents Obedience
So many religious people, folks that claim to be Christians have told me that obedience is over rated. In fact they say that it just is not that important. God would rather us be be people of faith and grace. So much of the Bible, including the New Testament, focuses on us being obedient. But not only that, Jesus was obedient to His Father.
John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
If Jesus, being God, was required to be obedience to the Father, Do we think we are better than Jesus and we don’t have to be? It is the height of arrogance to think that we can be disciples of Jesus but not have to follow his direction.
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
4. The Cross Represents Humility
The life and death of Jesus was a humiliating experience. But he did them both with Joy and honor. The trial and execution was designed to humiliate. Jesus was stripped of his garments, beaten within an inch of his life, hung on that tree and then was mocked for hours. Jesus allowed it to happen. There is nothing that man can do to us that is worse than was done to our master. God wants us to have the proper perspective of our selves and not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought.
Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Matthew 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5. The Cross Represents Love
The entire reason Jesus came to this earth, lived the minimal life that he did, died on the cross and was raised the third day was because he loved us. Therefore, for us to bear our cross, we must love God and man as God instructs us.
Matthew 22:36-40 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? (37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38) This is the first and great commandment. (39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
6. The Cross Represents Death
Jesus’ death was physical. Our death is of a spiritual nature.
Romans 6:6-7 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (7) For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Our cross is to die to our old sinful version of ourselves. We cannot continue in a life of sin and be his disciple.
If we want to be a disciple of Jesus, and ultimately enjoy all of the rewards that come with it, we must be willing to bear our cross for God. If we choose not to, we cannot be his disciple.
Reflecting His SON,
Dennis Hogan
Minister, North Hardin Church of Christ
1804 Sam Stewart Dr.
Radcliff, KY 40160
Questions, comments or further explanation? Contact me at: dennis.hogan@icloud.com
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