Take Up Your Cross

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” Matthew 16:24 (NLT)

I hate running! As a matter of fact, there is nothing I abhor more than running (except carrots!). So, it stands to reason that as a kid I hated the game Duck, Duck, Goose. Let’s just agree right here and now that I don’t chase you, you don’t chase me and we both live happily ever after. Or do we?

The truth is, because we are made in God’s image and He continually chases after us – He pursues us – we too are made to chase after something. God chases after us for eternal purposes. But do we always chase after things that have eternal value? I don’t.

But here’s what’s not only changing my priorities on what I spend my time chasing after, but also making me think differently about pursuing in general:

In Matthew 16:21-28, after having been recognized by His disciples as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, Jesus explains to them that He will be killed, raised to life, and return yet again in His father’s glory with the angels. Peter is in disbelief and exclaims, “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!”

It’s difficult to accept when bad things happen to good people, isn’t it? It’s even more difficult to accept when it happens to us personally or to someone we love so dearly. But it wasn’t just something kind of bad that was going to happen to Jesus.  It was going to be REALLY bad. I mean, it doesn’t get any worse than being dead.

I bet though that Jesus understood why Peter reacted this way. He knew how much Peter loved Him and that Peter knew Jesus had done nothing wrong. That killing Him would be unjustified.

I’m just spitballing here, but I imagine Jesus would agree too that killing Him was definitely unjustified. And as much as He would agree it was unjustified, He knew it was necessary because of what He says to Peter in Matthew 16:23: “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.” Ouch.

Jesus didn’t mince words nor beat around the bush. He exposed Peter for exactly what He was — a stumbling block and an adversary (this is what the name Satan means).

How could Peter be a stumbling block and an adversary to Jesus merely for not wanting Him to die? Because He wasn’t being mindful of the things of God, of which Jesus was very mindful.

You see, Peter didn’t focus on the news of the Word. His focus was on the news of the world. He only heard that Jesus was going to be killed. That shattered his idea of the success and power He thought Jesus had come to live out.

He completely missed the news of the Word — that He would be raised from the dead and come again! Moreover, Peter missed the eternal purpose and value of Jesus’ death and resurrection. He missed that God’s economy involves the principle of sacrifice and reward.

I have a confession to make: In exposing Peter, Jesus has also exposed me. I too have allowed the news of the world to drown out the news of the Word. Only recently have I been aware of this and I have to tell you, it’s been a time of deep reflection for me.

I wonder how much more could Jesus have used me if I would have kept God’s concerns more in mind than the concerns of the world.

How much more joy could I have had in my life if I wholly focused on the news of the Word and less on the evening news?

How much more joy and Kingdom work could we all have and effect if we chased after the things of God, which are eternal, rather than the things of this world, which are already decaying?

Good news! It’s not too late to start pursuing the things of God, and to do it with the same love and devotion with which He pursues us. But it will cost us.

Matthew 16:24 tells us: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”

In Jesus’ day, taking up (carrying) a cross indicated only one thing — death. What Jesus is telling His disciples, and us, is that they, and we, must be willing to die to ourselves if we are going to chase after Him. We must give up our own way in order to pursue the better way. The way that leads to eternity with Jesus Himself.

I don’t know about you, but I have pursued living in comfort over carrying my cross. But the ironic thing is, I’m not comfortable. I feel burdened every day. To me, that’s a heavier weight to bear than the cross Jesus is asking me to carry.

How about you? Do you chase after Jesus more than you chase after the things of this world? Do you focus on the news of the Word more than the news of the world?

Friend, when we pick up our cross and follow after Jesus there will be pain and sacrifice. But nothing like the pain and sacrifice if we don't.

Just look at the Word and then the world to decide which cross you will carry and what you will chase after.

Duck....duck....