A Study of Luke 9: 23
The Meaning of the Cross
What comes into your mind when you see a cross? To many, it has a very spiritual meaning. To others, it is merely a piece of jewelry. One of our Bible studies meets in an office where there is a crucifix hanging on the wall. On many mornings as we begin our time together, I can't help but notice this cross with Jesus nailed to it. My mind and emotions run with all kinds of thoughts as to the meaning and implications of what is represented. I imagine the horror and suffering Jesus underwent as he died on that cross. And at the same time, my emotions explode with joy at the victory that cross represents for me. That is the cross - death and victory.
As we move through the passage of Luke 9: 23, we come to the statement by Jesus that we should "take up our cross daily." There again, there are so many imaginations and concepts of what it means to take up our cross. My mind goes back to the scene when Jesus took up His cross and the pure agony of Him struggling through the streets of the city to end in climbing the hill to Calvary. A beaten, tortured body bearing the weight of that wooded cross, only to eventually arrive to a point of being nailed to it and dying.
Jesus has asked us to come to Him through His marketing plan of this picture we see in the cross. Not exactly what most would consider a good plan to attract people. I am sure many of us could come up with a prettier symbol and more positive way of attracting folks to come to Jesus. When I think about it, that is exactly what we have done. We have created a image of "Come to Jesus, receive eternal life and all your troubles will disappear and life will be great." That seems to be the brand we have placed on our campaign. But if the cross represents suffering, death, and victory, where is the suffering and death represented in our come to Jesus movement?
The cross, in those days 2000 years ago, was a symbol of humiliation, suffering, and death. Here is the question I have to ask myself ; where is my suffering and death? When is the last time following Jesus cost me something? I would say that most of us do all we can to make our lives easy and pleasant. We men are creatures of Lazyboys, golf carts, and TV remotes. We are people of comfort and ease. For most of us, when we accepted Christ, we were told all about the blessings and eternal life, but nothing about the dying to self. That is exactly what Jesus is stating when He says, "take up your cross daily." We are to die to self on a daily basis.
The apostle Paul expresses the perfect picture of a man who has taken up his cross on a daily basis. "My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3: 10,11. I believe Paul is saying to us, that if we are willing to suffer the cost of dying to ourselves, we will be raised again to His glorious presence. To be dead and yet live, is to have someone else living in us. Paul states again: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." Galatians 2: 20.
What is the image of the cross? It is a picture of someone dying so that someone else can live. That death does not come easy, but it is required if we are to experience the victory of the cross. It is a victory of love over hate, forgiveness over resentment, joy over brokenness, healing over disease, peace of discord, purity over immorality, integrity over corruption, success over failure, purpose over emptiness, and victory over death.
To an admirer, the cross represents defeat. But to a follower it is victory. That victory comes only through our repentance on a daily basis. The old man goes away and the presence of Jesus comes in. Victory comes with death.
