The Cross

Mark 8:34 - And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Here in this one short verse is a call that is beyond our grasp. As i prepared for this lesson and this blog I hated it. I hated it because of the conviction, hurt, brokenness, and seeing how selfish I really was in my life. Here we have this commandment that says "If anyone would come after me (meaning Jesus) let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." What int he world does this mean take up my cross is it like the image I have on the side and literally carry a cross where ever I go, or is it put all the problem I have going on in my life and just put it on my back and carry it and say "Its ok...its for the Lord..." with the fake Christian smile added with it. Obviously i being sarcastic here. Then the question here what does it mean to bear the cross or take it up.

Well it goes back to what the cross it and the purpose of it. The cross is THE most shameful death that anyone could die. It was also the most painful death, where all human dignity is stripped from you and there is nothing left but you broken body and spirit. Only the worst of criminal where hung on the cross. It was so bad that the Roman emperor made a law that no Roman citizen could be crucified unless of treason. So having an understanding why the cross and what it stood for and how it was not a symbol of life as we have it now but a symbol of the most shameful death anyone could endure....and we are suppose to care it.

Now instead of beating the drum of the cross and what it stands for i want to talk about the walk we have of bearing the cross. Just as Christ walked down Calvary to the place where he was most certainly going to die. This walk with every step being mocked, beaten, and whatever else... this paints the perfect picture of caring the cross and dying to this world. Dying to this world but gaining eternity.

So my train of thought got interrupted so part two and the even more joyful side will be coming soon...