Considering My Cross
"Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?"
Matthew 16:24-26
It is the time of year for all good Christians to reflect on the cross. We consider what Jesus of Nazareth did for us by dying on a Roman cross. But I've been thinking about the cross Jesus says is my cross. Jesus says, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, and take up their cross and follow me." Why is it we contemplate the cross of Jesus, but pay so little attention to the cross Jesus says we must carry? So I'm considering my cross this year.
There is a vast difference between my cross and the Roman cross Jesus was nailed to. It appears that Jesus is saying, "Come and die with me," but that isn't what he is saying. Why does Jesus talk about a disciple's cross, what happened for Jesus to speak of, not his cross, but a disciple's cross, or specifically, "My cross"?? Let's take a look at what happens before Jesus speaks of denying or taking up.
"From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
Matthew 16:21-23
What occasions Jesus speaking of denying self and taking up crosses? Peter's response to Jesus saying he must suffer and die. It appears Jesus is saying, "Come follow me to the place of your crucifixion," but Jesus merely says, take up your cross and follow. Now if Jesus is saying "Follow me to the place of your death," then doesn't that contradict what Jesus says in Matthew 11:28? “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." If Jesus is telling us to follow him to our death on our own cross then he does contradict himself. What is missing from the text of Matthew 16 is cultural and religious context. When Peter rebukes Jesus saying, "Never, Lord! This (horrific death) shall never happen to you!", he is only going by what the Jews had been taught for centuries, beginning with Moses.
Moses was actually the mold the Jews used to measure all other Messiahs. Moses was sent by God to deliver God's people from brutal slavery to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. In the mind of the Jews every Messiah would free the Jews from their oppressors; cleans the people and nation of sin and from worshiping false Gods; and establish a kingdom for the benefit of the Jews. Peter, naturally believed Jesus was going to be the Messiah he had been taught to expect. When Peter rebukes Jesus he isn't doing it out of love for Jesus, but rather for his own selfish gain. If you'll remember several times Jesus has to break up arguments among his disciples. They were constantly arguing over who would sit next to Jesus on his right and on his left. Think about the phrase, "So and So is the boss's right hand man." The right hand man is the closest, most trusted side kick or henchman for a great leader. To be King Jesus' right hand man would make a person the second most powerful person in the land. If Jesus died then Peter wouldn't get to be Jesus right hand man. And how do we know Peter is only thinking of himself and his gain?? Jesus tells us so, "Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Peter was only concerned with gaining power wealth and position. Peter's motives weren't serving God's purposes, and actually oppose God's purposes.
So Jesus isn't talking about his cross. Taken in context Jesus is confronting Peter's (and his other disciples as well) "merely human" way of thinking and being. So when Jesus tells his disciples, "Deny self and take up your cross," he's addressing their double minded service of both God and themselves. In context what Jesus teaches is very clear, "Deny your merely human desires and concerns." If Jesus were speaking to us Americans he might say it this way, "Deny your self-serving demands/desire for your rights, and stop pursuing the selfish ideal of the American Dream." It isn't too difficult to see why Jesus tells us "Deny ourselves," in light of Peter's completely selfish thinking. Its the whole, "take up your cross," thing which gets things muddled up.
Because of Jesus death on a Roman cross when Jesus uses "your cross" to confront his disciples we automatically assume Jesus is speaking about dying with him on his cross. I believe a careful look at the matter will reveal that Jesus is saying something very different from what we've traditionally thought about Matthew 16:21-28.
For the first time Jesus begins to explain to his disciples that he must suffer and be put death, but that he will rise from the dead after three days (Matthew 16:21). What Jesus never says is how he will die. Again we tend to read into the account that Jesus told his disciples he must be crucified. But the text never explicitly says Jesus spoke of crucifixion, or any other methodology. Matthew's account merely says, "...Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." There is an internal problem Jesus creates, which makes it unlikely anyone could believe he is speaking of his death on a cross. In verse 21 Jesus says he must suffer many things and then be killed, but that he would be raised after three days. Who does Jesus say would make him suffer? Jesus tells his disciples he must suffer at the hands of the Elders, Chief Priests, and teachers of the law. I defy anyone to find a place anywhere in the Old or New Testament where the Jewish leaders crucified anyone. There are places in the Bible where people were hanged on trees, but that doesn't mean crucifixion. Crucifixion was a Roman practice they introduced to Palestine. Twice in John we are told Jewish leaders picked up stones to stone Jesus. In Acts 7 Stephan is stoned to death, by the Jewish leaders. Stoning was the method of execution the Jews preferred. The Jewish leaders weren't even allowed to execute criminals, under Roman occupation. Had the Jews crucified Jesus they could hardly have done it in secret. Stoning on the other hand could be done by dragging the intended victim to an out of the way place. The Romans would have been quite upset with the Jews for using crucifixion. It is very likely the Jewish leaders would have found themselves hung on crosses, right next to Jesus. Crucifixion is a horrible, degrading, shameful way to die, and the Romans used it to keep subject peoples intimidated and under control. The Romans, like all governments, didn't like competition, and tended to remove all competition by killing it. Only the Romans could have crucified Jesus and got away with it.
The Jewish leaders of Jesus' day were as duplicitous as any politicians today. The Jewish leaders fostered hatred and mistrust of the Romans, while at the same time seeking to keep Roman favor. During Jesus earthly sojourn the Jewish High Priest was appointed by the Roman governor, not by God. In order to keep the favor of the Jewish people their leaders could not act like Romans. The Romans were seen as hateful defilers and oppressors of the Jewish religion and people. When Jews worked with the Romans, to oppress their fellow Jews, the Jewish leaders excommunicated them. (See Luke 5:30; and 18:9-11) Even Jesus makes a negative comment about tax collectors. In Matthew 18 Jesus teaches his disciples that if a sinning brother won't give up his sin the Church should, "...let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector." (Matthew 18:17). No Jewish leader wants to do anything which makes Jews connect Jewish government (serving God) with Roman government (serving false gods, and oppressing the Jews).
There are lots of other problems with Jews and Crucifixion, but this post is already getting long. I hope I've given you enough to see that there are real problems with the idea Jesus' cross and "your cross" are connected in anyway, at least not in this part of the Scriptures. We are told in Scripture that we are crucified with Christ, but that's not the context of Matthew 16 So if Jesus isn't making a connection between his cross and "your/my cross" then what does Jesus mean by, "Take up your cross and follow me."?? If Jesus isn't saying "Follow me to the place of your crucifixion," then what is he saying? As I said before, if Jesus is saying "follow me to your crucifixion," he would be contradicting what he's already taught... "Come to me all who are weary and heavily burdened. and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28). But if we begin with Matthew 11:28 then we can understand better what Jesus is saying in Matthew 16 about, "taking up your/my cross..."
What is Jesus talking about when he says, "come to me, you who are weary and heavily burdened and I will give you rest?" What is the heavy burden? What is it which makes us weary? Sin and the brokenness it produces in our lives, right? So how can Jesus first say, "Here let me take your sin and brokenness," but then say, "Take up your cross (a terrible, shameful, slow, excruciatingly torturous death) and follow me to your place of death???" Who could believe or trust Jesus??? To be crucified with Christ on his cross; it is Christ dying on his cross which frees the sinner. Crucify me on my cross and my sin will be paid for, but I will still be cut off eternally from the presence of God. I've died, and have no way to come back to life, so I am eternally dead. And if I am to die on my cross then why would Jesus need to be crucified? Yes, Jesus is speaking figuratively when he speaks of your or my cross, but don't confuse your or my cross with the cross of Jesus. Jesus came to take my sins on his cross, and give me freedom from death. Jesus comes to take our burden, our cross and give us rest, so what is this cross of ours, and why does Jesus say deny self and take up your cross, if he comes to take it away??
When Jesus speaks of your cross and my cross he is talking of the way we live our lives without God. Our cross is the result of our sin. Jesus is comparing our sinful, godless, brokenness to being crucified. He is saying, the way you and I live our lives; everything we do to cover up our failures; how we attempt to fix ourselves by getting more and more stuff; climbing the corporate ladder; sex, drugs and rock'n'roll; all that we do to feel happy is in reality a horrible, painful, shameful, slow torturous death; CRUCIFIXION. "There is a way that seems right to people, but in the end it is the way of death." So when Jesus says, "...deny yourself and take up your cross," he is saying, "Stop thinking and living like a mere human with your focus only on human concerns and desires." Jesus is saying, "Just stop creating that cross of yours; pick up the mess of your life, just as it is, pick it up, and follow me." Jesus isn't leading us to death, but rather to life, freedom, and peace. Jesus isn't calling us to die on "your/my cross" he's calling us to stop killing ourselves with our sinful broken ways.
In Christ there is no condemnation: "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
In Christ there is reconciliation with God, truth, and everlasting life: "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life."
Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus. Stop thinking and living the old "merely human" way, because it is the way of terrible, torturous, hateful, and shameful death. Just pick up that mess you've created and chase after Jesus with all you've got. Before too long you will see that Jesus does exactly what he promises, "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest."
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