Take Up Your Cross

Discipleship 101

Jesus is giving a primer on true discipleship: “There are a great many things you will learn from me and seek to be, but here’s something so central that you can’t afford to get it wrong. If you get this wrong, the rest means nothing.”

There are a lot of people out there (and some in here) calling themselves Christians who have no idea what they’re about.

It’s as if they are standing up and proclaiming to be a soldier of the United States military. And then you ask them, “Well, which branch do you serve in? Where are you stationed? Who’s your commander? What unit are you with? What’s your current mission?” And when they can’t give a satisfactory answer to any of these most basic questions, you rightly say to yourself... and to them, “If what you are telling me is true, then, well, you aren’t a soldier at all, are you?”

Unfortunately this fluffy and fake version of following Jesus can be all too common. It’s a paltry image of Christianity. - We want a Jesus to get us out of condemnation for sin, but we don’t want a Jesus who commands our complete allegiance, who condemns sinful living if we claim to confess him as Lord. We want his sacrifice to pay for us, but we don’t want to sacrifice anything for him. We don’t want him telling us what to do and how to live. We want a Jesus to make us feel good about ourselves the way we are and the way we’re living rather than a Jesus who tells us that our way leads to death and we must therefore follow a better way.

This is the very problem that Jesus corrects as he transitions from Peter’s confession, and it’s a true confession (even if it’s still limited in its understanding), and he says “OK, if you are going to say that, and rightly so, then let me explain to you what that is going to mean.” It’s not enough for you to claim to be my disciple. You’ll actually need to follow me—be like me and do what I do.

One more thing to clarify: What we have here isn’t guilt-tripping from Jesus to prove that we can’t be as good as him. Nor is it merely a motivational, emotional pep talk to get us to try harder. No, this is... if you understand and embrace my grace to you, then give me your all and I will lead you and I will be with you and in you (through the Holy Spirit). It also serves as a sharp warning: If you won’t follow me like this, don’t bother. This is the only version of following me that is sincere.

(In order get into it, though, we need to first review vv. 18-22.)

With all that Jesus has been doing and teaching, people (the crowds) are absolutely beginning to see that this is someone special, someone unique. He is a messenger from God, in the category of one of the great prophets, perhaps even one of them come back to life in their own time. The most popular theory at the moment seems to be that he is a resurrected John the Baptist, whom Herod Antipas has already beheaded. (His illegitimate wife and her daughter say give me John’s head on a silver platter, and so he does. Great guy, this Herod.)

Anyway, Jesus is in the process though of drilling down with his closest followers who he really is and what it will mean for them to continue being his disciples (which he will do with care and patience). And so he follows up with this second question in v.20, “Who do YOU guys say that I am?”

“Who Do You Say That I Am?”

We have said in our study that as we look at the Gospel of Luke, we find that Luke presents Jesus in such a way that anyone who hears this historical account of Jesus is faced with answering the same question: Who do you say that I am? - On that front things haven’t changed in 2000 years. This man Jesus is without a doubt the single most consequential person in all of human history, and each one of us must still answer today in the year 2020 this pointed question from the Jesus: Who do you say that I am?

Well now, Peter, acting as spokesman for the group, answers correctly, “You are the Christ of God,” which is to say that you are more than merely a prophet but in fact are the “anointed one” sent from God to be the promised Messiah. - Jesus’ disciples have seen enough to know that he is indeed the Christ who was coming into the world.

Jesus tells them, though (v. 21), not to publicize the information yet because there is an element central to his mission as the Messiah that they still could not comprehend but that he must accomplish. He must suffer many things (v. 22), including rejection by the Jewish religious leaders, themselves acting as spokesmen for the nation; and he must be killed but be raised on the third day.

What It Means that Jesus Is the Christ

He was essentially telling them, yes, Peter, your answer is correct, but there’s a great deal more to what it means for me to be the Messiah than you can yet comprehend. Jesus has just introduced to them for the first time that he must suffer rejection and death at the hands of Israel’s leaders but will also be raised from the grave.

We described previously why this all would have been befuddling to Jesus’ contemporary audience. What he’s explaining to them as his mission is not what they anticipated about the Messiah. He is indeed the Christ, but the purpose of his first coming was to be the suffering servant (of Isaiah 53) who would be a perfect sacrifice for sin and who would resurrect in power over sin and death, meeting the desperate spiritual need of mankind. In doing so he provides spiritual life and restoration to God for all who come to him by faith.

Jesus the Messiah did prove his sovereign Lordship, but the kingdom He inaugurated was a spiritual one; one that transcends nations and people groups and individual languages. So rather than his followers reigning with him in a political kingdom, his followers would become true spiritual children of God.

And, he continues, that means there’s a great deal more to following me than simply reaping the benefits of my power and authority. Being ambassadors of my kingdom will require that you become selfless and submissive, willing to sacrifice and to suffer. You must follow in my footsteps in this new way of self-denial and suffering, of submission and sacrifice.

To make the point, Jesus uses an image to describe discipleship that they can readily picture, but that will make more sense to them after what he predicts in v. 22 actually takes place. - “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

“Follow Me”

First let’s be clear about the most obvious part: Jesus is talking about following him—becoming like him and doing what he does. “If anyone would come after me...” - Whoever makes this confession, that Jesus is Lord, that he alone can save:

Romans 10:9 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Whoever makes such a commitment is claiming to be a disciple of Jesus, and Jesus says that disciples follow their master, they strive to be like him: to live like him and to teach like him, to make his mission their mission. - That’s the plain meaning of the first and last part, both “if you would come after me” and “follow me.”

The two middle verbs then are the eye-opener (two aorist imperatives… two fundamental decisions, two fundamental acts... that lead up to the present imperative… continual following of Jesus). - Let me tell you that I wouldn’t know that without the help of a scholar like Darrell Bock. I understand enough of NT Greek to get what Bock explains, but not enough to have come to that conclusion on my own. (Thank the Lord for these guys who invest 5-7 years of their lives in researching and studying a single book of the Bible!)

Anyway, it’s these two other verbs then that are both critical to understanding “follow me” and which are a gut-punch to the listener who would rather just ride Jesus’ coattails into the sunset but not actually BE like Jesus. I want what Jesus offers but I don’t want to submit to God like that, I don’t want to sacrifice like that, to give up everything else if need be, and I SURE don’t want to suffer.

Oh my, it’s that kind of talk coming from our hearts that is the VERY reason Jesus must say “deny yourself.”

Denying Self & Submitting to God

It’s the “I want” and “I don’t want” that is the problem! You don’t get to tell God who he is and why and how he does things. And you sure don’t get to tell him what he created you for and what his plan is for you.

In our fallen human nature we say (according to our actions), “I want to be in charge and I want to be right.” - The reason that’s a problem is that I’m not in charge and I’m not right. The incredible irony is that it is in fact in my own best interest to the glory of God for me to submit my will and way to God and say, “You are right and I am not. You are in charge and I am not.” - In fact, without that kind of humble recognition, we don’t repent and turn to God to save us in Jesus Christ. (Jesus came to deal with the heart of the problem, which is the problem of the human heart.)

What you’re doing when you deny yourself is you’re finally saying, “You’re right, God.” I don’t know what I’m doing and I don’t know what I’m about. I don’t know anything at all unless I submit to you. Change my heart. Give me a new one.

Self-denial is to willingly give up what you think is best and give up your own will and doing things your way, and submit to God’s way and his will. Self-denial means... I am not right. I am not in charge. It’s not about me. God is right. God is in charge. It’s all about him. - And bc of our inclination toward self-centeredness, heart submission to God and self-denial is something we must fight for every day, to take wayward desires and aims captive to make them obedient to Christ.

Just to state the obvious on this topic, too, I guess: Self-denial doesn’t mean you don’t eat and you don’t sleep. You only wear scratchy clothes and you live in a shed… by choice. (Some of us might legitimately face those things bc of poverty. Some of us might face them at some point because we have denied ourselves to follow Jesus, as a soldier who might face sleep-deprivation and hunger in the trenches, but not because he sought it out but because he’s an obedient soldier fighting for the King’s cause.)

But it’s that very idea which is the thrust of Jesus metaphor about cross-bearing: having given yourself so completely to the will of God that you will sacrifice anything and suffer along with Christ for the good of others to the glory of God and in order to reach the finish line and receive the glorious eternal reward.

Taking Up Your Cross

What does Jesus even mean by this taking up your cross language anyways? He isn’t at this point telling any of them that they will be martyred for the sake of his name, though that will come up later, because indeed most of them will.

It’s metaphorical, and when things are more figurative than literal we can sometimes be a bit lazy in terms of drilling down to the meaning behind the metaphor. - Of course, we don’t want to over-extend metaphors nor be lazy and gloss over them.

The point Jesus makes is in the image itself. They can picture this. They’ve probably seen it. A person sentenced to die a heinous death as a criminal to the Roman state, and now here he is, already beaten and carrying the cross-member of the cross on which he is to be hung to die. He walks along the road bearing not only the beam, but also the condemning shame of all the eyes that look upon him. His life is forfeit; this is a one-way walk with no return.

On first blush everything about that picture seems incredibly negative. But shockingly, Jesus speaks of this as a positive illustration for us, his followers.

Bearing the cross is to submit to the will of God in suffering the rejection of men, to gladly bear the so-called shame of the Son of God dying for the sins of man. It is to count your life in this world as forfeit in order to gain Christ and be found in him.

How is that also then a positive image? It is to give up the world’s values and acceptance, to consider such a life as forfeit, in order to gain that which is infinitely better—even life in God. Take up your cross means... I am committing my life to God, knowing that any and every sacrifice for the good of others to the glory of Christ only makes me more like Christ and will make the final reward that much sweeter.

An Image of Beauty… Not of Tragedy

The problem is that some of you are tragically thinking of the Christian life like this: The oncologist has just informed you that you have cancer in your nose, and that more than 50% of your face will be missing after surgery. It’s tragic trade off, but at least you’ll live. You’re going to look like a hideous monster, but at least you’ll live.

Nothing could be further from the truth of what God does to us through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The world is indeed looking at you in contempt and disgust and shame, but they are the ones who are blind and backward. Restored to God through faith in Jesus, your life couldn’t be more beautiful and purposeful. If you have repented of your selfish rebellion and turned to God by faith in Jesus, God has already taken your broken soul and restored a spiritually dead heart to life, bringing you into relationship with him. It’s what you were made for!

You aren’t tragically carrying a cross to your doom! No, you are carrying this cross-member with joy and peace and rest and strength and courage because you know precisely that Jesus did so once-for-all! He already walked the road and suffered the punishment of your sin by his death on a cross, and he rose again to lay that sin to rest and to give you new life in God.

So now you bear the cross of his name proudly, and in his grace and strength, knowing that you do it to be like him and to draw attention to him.

To the world this will all seem terribly tragic, but you will know that such giving up of your life to God is anything but wasting it. You lay your life down in order to actually gain it. And that is only made possible by the fact that Jesus did it first, and he laid his life down and took it up again so that through him you can be made right with God.

The tragedy would be to waste this opportunity to believe in Jesus and be restored to God.

The tragedy would be to waste your life by spending it for any other cause.

LET’S PRAY.

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