Galatians 2:20; NKJV
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
“And he who does not take his
cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”
(Matthew
10:38; NKJV).
What
did the word “cross” mean to this first-century audience?
The
Symbol. In Matthew 10:38, Jesus
is not speaking of the “cross” of a difficult situation, a chronic disease or a
nagging spouse. I have heard devotional
sermons spiritualizing the “cross” to mean everything from a cranky
mother-in-law to a leaky roof. But this
is not what the word “cross” communicated to Jesus’ first century
audience. It did not call to their minds
the idea of long-term difficulties or troublesome burdens. It did not even evoke thoughts of Calvary because the Lord had not gone to the cross yet,
and they did not understand that He would.
The
Instrument. Christ’s first-century
audience thought of a cruel instrument of torture and death. They thought of dying in the most agonizing
method known to man. They thought of the
poor, condemned criminals hanging on crosses by the roadside. Doubtless they had seen men executed in that
fashion. The Hasmonean ruler Alexander
Jannaeus crucified 800 Pharisees (103-76 BC) and the Roman general Varus broke
up a Jewish revolt by crucifying 2000 Jews on a single day in Jerusalem (6 AD). It was customary for the condemned to carry
their cross to the place of execution.
And it was a one-way journey.
The
Call of Christ. Jesus’ listeners
knew He was asking them to die for Him.
They knew He was asking them to make the ultimate sacrifice, to
surrender to Him as Lord in every sense.
A
Life of Daily Self-Denial. Jesus
is not teaching salvation by martyrdom.
The Lord was not advising the disciples to try and get themselves killed
for Him. He was referring to a pattern,
a direction, a lifestyle. “I affirm,
by the boasting in which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily” (1
Corinthians 15:31; NKJV). Genuine
disciples do not shrink back, even in the face of death. When confronted with a decision between
serving self and serving the Lord, the true disciple is the one who chooses to serve
the Lord, even at great personal expense.
Conclusion. Take up your instrument of
death. Crucify yourself. Allow Christ to live in you. Live your life by faith in the Son of God,
who loved you and gave Himself for you (Galatians 2:20).
