“Then He said to them
all, ‘If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his
cross daily, and follow Me.’”
– Luke 9:23
Since
the Passion of the Christ came out
several years ago, I usually pull out my DVD and watch it during this time of
the year. I know many people that have a problem with the movie because they do
not like seeing the graphic display of the beatings and crucifixion of Jesus.
For me, I need that visual reminder of the price that Jesus Christ paid for us.
I think we have cheapened the gospel so much in our society that we think that His
sacrifice did not cost too much. Growing up in Mississippi, I remember hearing
old stories of people receiving the death penalty and dying from the electric
chair or the gas chamber at Parchman Penitentiary. There was even a portable
electric chair that was transported from county to county when it was needed.
Now put that in perspective a moment. We have glorified the cross so much that
I think we have forgotten what it was used for. It was used as a means for
capital punishment! When Jesus was carrying His cross through the streets of
Jerusalem, He might as well been pushing that portable electric chair. Don’t
get me wrong, I am thankful for the cross and the price He paid on it, but let’s
not forget that it is a symbol of death and punishment. I believe that is the
image that Jesus is trying to get across to His disciples in the scripture
posted above. If anyone is going to follow Him, they must give themselves fully
over to Him, even to the point of death!
In
the account of Jesus’ crucifixion, there is one man that I wish I could have a
conversation with; one man who I would truly like to know more about. That man?
Simon of Cyrene.
“As they led Him away,
they seized Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, and laid the
cross on him to carry behind Jesus.”
– Luke 23:26
Can
you imagine what it was like to carry THE cross of the Lord Jesus? The blood
that stained and ran down that cross was now on you. The blood that washes away
the sins of believers was now on you! Can you imagine seeing His beaten and
battered body walk ahead of you as you carried His cross to His execution? Can
you hear the crowds cry out, some with tears others with insults? As you stand
on Golgotha, stained with His blood, can you imagine seeing Him nailed to the
cross and die? How hopeless that must have made Simon feel as well!
How
did our Christian culture move from Simon carrying the blood-stained cross to
the non-committal, fickle people who follow Christ today but only at their convenience?
We want salvation, but do not ask us to live out our life for you or serve you.
Today many self-proclaimed Christians want all the benefits of Christianity
without any of the sacrifice.
Will
anyone today take up His cross and truly follow Him?
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