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Take Up Thy Cross What did he mean by this? Firstly, it is useful to unpack the term disciple. Disciple was the name given to those who gathered around Jesus during his earthly ministry. He was the Teacher or Master; they were his disciples – a term involving too much personal attachment and commitment to be rendered adequately as pupil. It was a close, intense and intimate relationship. The key characteristics of a disciple are absolute loyalty and faithfulness – character traits that must be able to withstand any kind of persecution or turmoil. A few chapters earlier, in chapter 9, Jesus spells out the nature of discipleship: (Verse 23) ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’ Take up your cross daily – a hint that the cost of following Jesus can be almost unrelenting persecution in one way or another. In faithfully following Jesus, there is a submission to his will, his teaching, his agenda for the world. It is denying our own flawed agendas, our whims, and our selfishness and following the precepts and teachings of God. In this way we are contributing also to a greater good as we strive for justice, fairness and equality, and we are part of a large movement – the church – who are all heading in the same direction. But following Jesus like this is not popular amongst many in society, and they react badly. Sometimes the reactions may be unkind or downright nasty comments, sometimes it might be in the form of officialdom trying to ban overtly Christian displays or presentations in one form or another. And don’t think that this is something that can’t happen in the Western World – I am here to tell you it can and will. Much of Christmas in England, for example, has been stifled and changed forever by politically-correct Councils banning all manner of traditional Christmas celebrations from references to Christ and Christmas in schools to public nativity scenes, because these might be ‘offensive’ to other groups. We need to pray for more Christians to enter public life there to begin to redress the balance. We must also be on our guard against this kind of political-correctness gone mad in our country – it works subtly and behind closed doors for a start, and before we know it is out of control and goes off like a runaway train. Chapter 9:24 indicates that while the nature of discipleship may lead to paying the ultimate price, that sacrifice for Christ would not be wasted: ‘…Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.’ Discipleship is not easy and it calls for great tenacity. Discipleship is also an all-or-nothing commitment. You can’t be a lukewarm disciple, nor can you decide that you will be a disciple only on certain days a week. It’s a total commitment of service to Christ. To put it plainly: A disciple is prepared to give up their earthly life for Jesus, confidently knowing the reward that awaits them which is eternal life. Those who don’t have absolute commitment and think first of saving their own skins to live another day are the truly lost ones. Taking up the cross describes discipleship and its totality. To first century Palestinians, who often witnessed the condemned carrying the crossbar to the site of their final torture, Jesus’ words ‘Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple’ must have come with a jolting, graphic impact. Jesus insists that the humiliation and suffering that culminated in his crucifixion were to characterise the experience of his followers. ‘It is,’ he says in Matthew 10:25 ‘…for the disciple to be like the teacher.’ In the next several verses of our passage from v28 to 32, Jesus gives more examples about the nature of the commitment of a disciple. It is clear that his comments are demonstrating the imperative for faithful discipleship, and warning against those who aspire to follow for other selfish and personal reasons. It is commitment from beginning to end. His message is simple in each example: Don’t start something you don’t want to see through to the finish. Jesus notes that no one becomes involved in a large project whether it is a tower or a war without being confident of bringing the enterprise to a successful conclusion. To embark on such an undertaking but not believe in it would be madness. The builder or general is convinced that he has the wherewithal to see the project through to its intended end. So the gist of what Jesus is saying is simply ‘if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen’. There is no room for the half-hearted in the Kingdom of God. Jesus powerfully indicates that unless you are wholeheartedly devoted you cannot be a disciple. He must be given primary allegiance. He wants to have priority in every area of life. At this point it is important to say that Jesus is concerned with intent. Jesus is not saying we have to be perfect – after all, salvation is by grace and it is also by his grace that he keeps working within us, refining our characters and giving us the strength to enable us to be who he would have us be. Discipleship has often been described as a long journey: People grow in their understanding and application of what it means to give Jesus a primary role in their lives. Most of us, if we think about it, know that God is constantly claiming more of our lives for himself. We continue to discover fresh areas of our lives that need to be turned over to God as we reflect on those that already have been. And, crucially, we must remember that while we are striving our hardest to be the best and most committed and faithful disciples we can be, because of our humanity we can never be perfect disciples. As one commentator has put it, ‘we never completely arrive as disciples; we are always on the road with God.’ The concluding verse, v33 sees Jesus make a summary comment. ‘…None of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.’ To join Jesus on his journey, we must bid farewell to all we have – by which Luke means ‘all we hold dear’. We are called to empty ourselves of everything. We must give all we have to him, including that which is our more important possession – our own lives. This ‘giving up’ is clearly part of the characteristic of a disciple. The distinctive property of disciples, Jesus says, is in the way that they put aside all other competing securities in order that they might refashion their lives and identities according to the norms of the Kingdom of God. The lot of a disciple is not an easy one. To follow Jesus and take up our cross daily may mean that friends, neighbours, family or work associates may not always understand what we do. Sometimes they will not support us and sometimes they will do things that are hostile or hurtful to us. Our understanding of true discipleship becomes all the more clear when we are placed in such situations, and because we committed ourselves for the long-haul like the builder or the general earlier in the passage, we will be ready when the hard moments come. And they will come. And when they do, we must rely completely on God and turn to him in all situations. We need to seek his wisdom and strength when we are called to choose him over family, self or possessions. As the Scriptures say, ‘He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.’ Let us give thanks to God during this Lenten season for the gift of discipleship, and let ourselves reflect on it and renew our commitment to his service. |
