The cross as a way of life.
by Denise Kohlmeyer
Then all the disciples left him and fled (Matthew 26:56).
They ran like rabbits. Just when Jesus needed them most, they were gone. The thought of the cross was too much for them. The pain, unbearable. So they ran.
Oftentimes when I read the account of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and His arrest, I shake my head at the cowardice of His disciples. How could they abandon their Rabbi, whom they had devoted themselves to for three long years, at His greatest hour of need? But they did.
When I reflect more deeply and am honest with myself, I likely would have done the same. It’s human nature: fright and flight!
I’m not alone, either. No one likes a cross. Yet it is a cross we need. And instead of running from it, as disciples, we should be running to it.
Capital punishment
Crucifixion was a form of capital punishment that predates Christianity. It was used by the Egyptians, Assyrians, Persians, and Greeks long before the Romans used it to execute prisoners of war and enemies of the throne. It was the Romans, however, who ultimately perfected this torturous method of execution, and they extended its use to include every conceivable criminal.
In an act meant to utterly humiliate and subjugate, the criminal was forced to carry the crossbeam, on which he would hang, to his own execution. He would be paraded through the streets to the execution site, subjected to the jeers and harassment of onlookers.
Crucifixion was a public and shameful way to die in ancient times. Of course, it was something to be avoided, as Jesus’ disciples well knew.
So why would God incarnate choose the cross to die on? Could He not have chosen another way, a less tortuous, less conspicuous way?
Yes. But He didn’t. In God’s view, the cross was the perfect form of death. He saw it not as punishment for wrongdoing but as a means of payment for His wrath against sin and the pathway for redemption of humanity.
The altar in Old Testament times was a tangible, public means of sacrifice for sins. So, too, was the cross. It was the “altar” that Jesus, the Lamb of God, was sacrificed on. In this way, God reversed the symbolism of the cross, from one of shame to one of substitutionary atonement and salvation. The cross thus became a catalyst and symbol for forgiveness, healing, and restoration.
Self-denial and discipleship
The cross also became a powerful metaphor for what it means to sacrificially follow Jesus.
Fellowship with the Lord demands that anyone following Him must “deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his lifewill lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26).
In the Greek, deny means “disown.” In the context of Matthew 16:24, Jesus was saying that the disciples (and we) must disown (or sacrifice) their allegiance to themselves as being number one, the popular social theology of our culture today. Rather, our allegiance — our hearts, our minds, our souls . . . our entire being — exclusively and irrevocably belongs to Jesus Christ, our Savior and King.
Take up means “to pick up, take on board.” If one is to be a disciple (or, in our vernacular, an apprentice) of Jesus, the requirement is exacting and oftentimes difficult. It involves full submission to Jesus as our authority. It means giving up self-autonomy. It means accepting the inevitability of ridicule, rejection, humiliation, pain (emotional and physical), and maybe even death.
Jesus was saying, essentially, that anyone who desires to follow Him must sacrifice everything connected with self — pride, reputation, status — and “get on board” with everything discipleship entails. If a person can’t, then perhaps it is best to run away.
Furthermore, self-denial means surrendering our will for God’s good and perfect will. In this there is freedom. As we follow and obey Jesus, we aren’t subject to follow and obey every whim, whether cultural, political, or religious.
Our obedience is bent toward God, who will never lead us astray. He goes before us always and makes our paths straight (Isaiah 45:2, 3). We can trust that He will guide us in the right and perfect way to places of peace, grace, and healing.
There is also freedom in laying down our wearisome burdens of sin and self and finding rest in God’s sovereignty, of His being in control of all things, including our very lives. In this way, self-denial is an incredible gift of liberty and peace, which should be fully embraced.
Embrace the cross
As with all things, Jesus faced the cross with joy and scorned its shame. This sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? Joy and cross should not be in the same sentence. Yet here they are in Hebrews 12:2: “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
The joy was not in the cross itself but in what it would accomplish for humanity, and even for Jesus himself. He afterward was seated at the right hand of God, a place of authority and honor.
The disciples initially did not have the mindset of embracing their crosses with joy. This was why they bolted from the Garden of Gethsemane. Thankfully, that was not the end of their story.
After Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead three days later, the disciples had a fuller understanding of what He meant. They had just witnessed the greatest demonstration of it and knew what was fully expected of them. What they had feared most that night in Gethsemane, they now heartily got on board with, fully embracing all that the cross of discipleship meant and would cost them. They embraced it all with joy. Paul and Barnabas explained this in the book of Acts:
“For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit (13:47-52).
Perpetual practice
But the cross was work. Hard work. Long-haul work.
Being a disciple of Jesus was back then, and is today, not for the faint of heart. Self-denial and cross-bearing are not one-time things. They are a lifelong journey, a lifestyle of perpetual practice. Hence Jesus’ use of the word daily. Surrender and submission to Jesus mean getting on board with doing God’s will day by day, minute by minute, no matter the cost.
Being a disciple of Jesus requires intention, full-out devotion and dedication, patience, and perseverance. It is not a race but a marathon, with the Holy Spirit “coaching” us along the route.
Eternal rewards
When we have finished our own spiritual marathons, we look forward to the resurrection and being forever in God’s presence, feasting at the banquet table, clothed in brilliant white robes, shaded by the Tree of Life, worshiping with our fellow saints, and basking in the light of Jesus’ glory. We will reign with Him as co-heirs upon the new earth in the New Jerusalem. It’s true: No one likes a cross. Yet it is the most beautiful shape, representing our intentional discipleship, our internal and unapologetic allegiance to Jesus Christ — now and forever.
