There is an
old saying that we all have a “cross to bear” in this life. I have always
disliked this saying because it is wrong. Yes, you have a unique burden to bear
in life, but please don’t call it your cross. A cross is not for carrying around;
it’s a place to die.
Jesus said
to his followers, "Whoever
wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow
me.” (Matt 16:24) Where did Jesus go with his cross? He didn’t
carry it around and show it to people and talk about how heavy it was. He died
on it, and if we want to be his follower, he says we must do the same.
Those are
heavy words. What kind of religious leader asks all his disciples to follow him
to his execution? He tries to help us understand as he goes on to say "For
whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me
will find it." As we lose our selfish way of living, we exchange it for real
life.
He is not
talking about physical death, though losing your life for Jesus can sometimes
lead to this. We will all leave our bodies eventually, but the death he wants
us to die starts now, while we are still alive in our bodies. The apostle Paul explains
what it means to die, yet continue to live. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives
in me. The life I now live in the
body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for
me.” (Galatians 19:20)
What does it mean to die, yet continue to live? It means
giving up pride, and the right to be treated fairly by the world, or even by
your best friend, because you know these things are meaningless compared to the
value of who you are to God.
Jesus knows exactly who he is, and where he stands with the
Father and this is why it is easy for him to serve others and perform menial
tasks without shame. He knows that the opinions of men mean nothing, and to be
the greatest, you must be the servant of all. (John
13)
Jesus showed his greatest humility when he died for us, but
he also showed us what it means to die, yet continue to live when he served his
disciples by washing their feet. He took up the task of the lowest servant of
the culture at that time by picking up a towel, and bending down to clean the
smelly filth and grime between their toes. Then he asked them, and us, to do
the same for each other.
If you want
to be like Jesus, it's time to stop carrying your cross around town. It's time to die on that cross. It's time to die to your pride and your right to be heard, respected and appreciated. Only then can you can rise to truly live, by picking up a towel.
