Taking up the cross

When any saying is used often and becomes familiar, it can lose some of its original impact. That has certainly happened with the phrase, “take up your cross”. We often use it to describe any sort of hardship that we encounter in life. But is that what Jesus meant? We need to remember that texts have their original context with the interpretation of the original audience. We need to remember that our context is different. This doesn’t mean we can’t learn from the text, but we need to consider how our situation is similar and different from the original audience.

WIth this in mind, lets look at this week’s gospel reading.¹

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi, and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” (Mark 8:27-33 NRSV)

In Mark’s gospel, people are confused about who Jesus is and what his actions mean. Is he the forerunner to the Messiah? Is he a prophet? Peter answers correctly, “You are the Messiah”. This is the first time in Mark’s gospel that a human (and not a demon) correctly states who Jesus is.² However Peter doesn’t get this exactly right. Evidently Peter, like most people who were expecting the coming of the Messiah, had definite ideas about what the Messiah was going to do and how they were going to accomplish things.

Messiah or Christ (Messiah is Hebrew , Christ is Greek) means “the anointed”. Throughout the Bible, a variety of people were considered to have been God’s anointed- prophets, priests, kings. The general expectation in Peter’s time was that the Messiah would, somehow, free Israel from Roman occupation. People expected the Messiah to restore Israel to its status as a free nation that could then properly worship the one true God. In some ways people were expecting the Messiah to make Israel great again, as it had been in the time of David. How the Messiah would accomplish this was an open question. Some expected a military victory. Some expected a miracle. There appear to have been a variety of ideas in play. Some scholars think that this is why in Mark’s gospel, Jesus repeatedly tells people not to talk about him and what he is doing. People won’t understand, can’t understand what kind of Messiah Jesus is until after the resurrection.

Essentially no one was expecting a Messiah like Jesus. Rejection, failure, and death were not the marks of a successful Messiah. A Messiah who dies is failure and failure won’t overthrow the Roman Empire. What Jesus described was so shocking that Peter doesn’t simply question or disagree with Jesus; Peter “rebukes” him. This was strong language. Disciples didn’t talk back like this to their teacher. Jesus returns the rebuke. He essentially tells Peter that he is thinking like people think focused on power and winning just as every other kingdom has. But this is not God’s way.

He called the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake , and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8: 34-38 NRSV

When Jesus told those who wanted to be his followers to “take up their cross”, he meant just that. Following Jesus could result in the follower’s death. This was not a theoretical risk.

Today following Jesus, for most of us, does not run the risk of death by execution. But it still requires us to give up the expected and normal ways of engaging the world. Think about our current social and political context in the US.

Consider Jesus’ words again.

“If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?”

Following Jesus did not result in the successful overthrow of the Roman Empire. It did not result in the reestablishment of the kingdom of Israel. These words of Jesus are not the words of someone who wants to “take back our nation” or make Israel great again. It simply isn’t. These are not the words of someone who wants to fight back. Or fight at all. These are not the words of someone who wants to win by power over others. These are not the words of someone who wants to win at any cost and by any means. They simply are not. And neither is anything else Jesus said.

Sadly, tragically many Christians today are looking for the same kind of Messiah people in the first century were looking for. A Messiah figure who wins through violence and force.

Christians are not called to live in fear of losing power and influence, and authority. Nor are we called to win at any cost. Or to threaten violence toward those with whom we disagree. We are not called to be afraid of the “they” some politicians like to talk about. We are not called to be great. We are not called to live in a great nation. We are not called to “gain the whole world” or save our way of life. Jesus calls us to “deny ourselves”.

The way of Jesus is the way of the cross. Fortunately today, Christians in the US are not called to actual death. Christians in the US are called to die to the love of power and money. A death to the desire to control others. A death to judgment and exclusion. This is hard. The temptation, the desire to fit into cultural norms is immense. Our culture raises us to material and financial success. Our culture raises us to win. Our culture raises us to compare ourselves against others to be sure we are better. The temptation to react to those with whom we disagree with verbal and/or physical violence is immense. The temptation to intimidate others is enormous and commended.

Jesus’ call to follow him remains unpopular and difficult. The physical costs have changed but the emotional and spiritual costs remain. What does it mean for us who live in the US, in these days to “deny themselves and take up their cross and follow”? What does this mean as we live in a diverse society with a secular government? And how in these days before an election do we deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus?

1. https://bible.oremus.org/?ql=593340977 ↩︎
2. “Mark” Pheme Perkins in The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol 13, Abingdon Press”1994, page 622. ↩︎