The Cross that Gives Life

We gather today to reflect on one of our faith's most powerful and paradoxical symbols—the cross.

Jesus invites His followers to see the cross not as an instrument of death but as the very means by which life is found. He overturns the world’s symbols of power and redefines victory, strength, and what it means to truly live.

In the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Life represents eternal life with God. After Adam and Eve’s sin, access to the Tree of Life was barred, representing a loss of eternal life.

The cross, however, is seen as the "new" Tree of Life, offering restored access to everlasting life. Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, believers can regain access to eternal life, as the cross becomes a bridge to salvation, similar to the Tree of Life in Paradise.

In verse 31, Jesus refers to Himself as the "Son of Man," a meaningful title. In the Jewish context, the "Son of Man" was associated with heavenly authority who would bring God’s reign and power. But here, Jesus attaches to that title something unexpected—suffering, rejection, and death.

To His disciples, this was a contradiction. The sign of the "Son of Man" was supposed to symbolize triumph, not defeat. Yet Jesus uses it to show that God’s plan subverts worldly expectations.

The path to glory leads through suffering. The road to life runs through death. By embracing the cross, Jesus reveals that the Kingdom of God operates according to a different logic: a divine logic where victory comes through sacrifice.

The "Son of Man" is not merely a figure of glory but of grace—the One who willingly endures suffering for our sake. Jesus’ life teaches us that true power is not found in escaping pain but in embracing it for the sake of love. When we follow Him, we are called to the same paradox: a life of giving rather than grasping, a life where the cross precedes the crown.

In verses 32-33, we encounter Peter’s reaction. Peter, horrified by the thought of a suffering Messiah, rebukes Jesus. In response, Jesus rebukes him right back, calling him "Satan."

Why such a strong response? Because Peter was interpreting the symbol of the Messiah through the lens of worldly power. He could not understand how the sign of the cross—an instrument of death—could align with the mission of God’s anointed.

Here, we see the tension between two ways of seeing. Peter considers the cross to be failure, defeat, and shame, while Jesus sees it as the path to salvation for humanity. Peter wants a Messiah of human power, but Jesus offers a Messiah of divine purpose.

How often do we, like Peter, view our own lives through the lens of human wisdom, seeking comfort, success, and safety?

We recoil at the thought of suffering. But Jesus’ rebuke challenges us to see beyond the surface. The cross teaches us that divine wisdom often contradicts our instincts.

What appears to be loss can be the very moment God is working on something greater. When we trust in God’s plan, even the darkest symbols—like the cross—can be transformed into signs of hope.

Jesus then says in verse 34, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." In Roman times, the cross was a brutal symbol of execution, humiliation, and pain.

No one would willingly "take up their cross." But Jesus redefines the symbol. For His followers, the cross now becomes a sign of life. It represents self-denial, surrender, and a radical commitment to walk in the way of Christ.

But what does it mean to "take up your cross"?

It means that true life is not through clinging to our desires or avoiding hardship but by embracing sacrifice. It’s the act of surrendering our wills to God, trusting that even when the path seems difficult, it leads to something far greater.

Taking up the cross means letting go of the idea that our lives should be comfortable or easy. It means trusting that God’s plan, though it may involve hardship, will lead to a deeper, richer, eternal life. The cross is no longer a sign of death but a sign of life-giving discipleship.

In verse 35, Jesus speaks one of the great paradoxes of the Gospel: "Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it."

In the world’s eyes, saving one’s life means preserving it—seeking success, comfort, and security. But in the Kingdom, Jesus says that true life is only found when we let go of control and "lose" our lives in service to Him.

This reversal of values is the heartbeat of the Gospel. The world tells us that life is about gaining—wealth, power, and prestige. Jesus tells us that life is about losing—giving, serving, and sacrificing. And in that paradox, we find real life.

In our daily lives, how often do we focus on "saving" our lives—building our own plans, protecting our own interests?

Jesus calls us to a radical shift in perspective: to "lose" our life for His sake. This doesn’t mean literal death for most of us, but it does mean a daily surrender to God’s will, a willingness to prioritize His kingdom over our ambitions.

Finally, we reach the heart of the message. The cross—once a sign of death, shame, and defeat—becomes the ultimate sign of life, glory, and victory for us.

What was intended by the world as a tool of destruction becomes, in God’s hands, a tool of salvation. Jesus transforms the meaning of the cross, not by avoiding it but by enduring it. He shows us that the path to life is not through escaping suffering but through embracing it for a higher purpose.

Saint Augustine saw a deep connection between the cross and the Tree of Life. He described the cross as the "tree of victory" and the "tree of salvation." Just as the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden sustains life, the cross sustains eternal life for those who believe in Christ.

The Book of Revelation describes the Tree of Life in the heavenly Jerusalem, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and healing the nations (Revelation 22:2). Christian theologians have often seen this as an image of the cross, which is seen as bringing life and healing to the world. In this interpretation, the cross is both the instrument of death and a source of divine life, just as the Tree of Life provides nourishment and sustenance.

Today, I invite you to look at the cross anew. It is not merely a relic of history or a symbol we wear around our necks. It is a call to live differently, to live a life where giving leads to receiving, where surrender leads to victory, and where death leads to resurrection.

Jesus redefines everything, inviting us to embrace His way of life—a way that may involve suffering but leads to glory. In Mark 8:31-38, the message is clear: the cross doesn’t destroy life; it gives life. But we only experience that life when we surrender to the paradox of the Gospel—when we lose our lives for His sake, we find them in abundance.

May we all have the courage to take up our crosses daily, knowing that, in Jesus's way, the cross always leads to life. Amen.