Made Worthy By Cross-bearing

“And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” (Mt 10:38 AV)

 

A very pointed statement.  The cross is symbolic of sacrificial ministry for the sake of others.  It is taking on oneself the mission statement of Christ Himself.  The crosses we are called to bear are frequent and varied.  But they are all for the same reason.  These crosses can double as a trial of faith.  These crosses can also come as a correction from God.  But these crosses are always for the benefit of others and the glory of God.  These crosses are not something we seek.  Nor is it something we desire.  But they come.  They come simply because God asks it of us.  Like Jesus, who struggled beneath the burden of His own cross, we are never truly prepared for them when they come.  Cross-bearing is perhaps the single most important commitment the saint can make for the glory of Jesus Christ.  In fact, the LORD says that if we are not willing to bear our cross and follow Him, then in reality, we are not worthy of His love.  That is a pretty heavy statement.

When we look at the twelve disciples, we notice there were tiers of devotion the LORD had for them.   He loved the twelve completely and wholly.  Of that, there was no doubt.  But it was Peter, James, and John who seemed to have a relationship the others did not have.  It wasn’t that the others were neglected or unappreciated.  Jesus loved them, too.  But there was something about these three that set them apart.  James would end up as the pastor of the church in Jerusalem.  Peter would serve as the first missionary to the Jewish people.  And John would suffer on the Isle of Patmos dictating the letter of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.  Of the three, it would be John to whom it was said, Jesus loved Him more intimately than the others.  John perhaps sacrificed the most to be called a disciple of Christ.  Related to men of high political standing, John would have lost it all.  The only comfort he had was being exiled rather than martyred.  John was the only one who did not deny Christ at His crucifixion.  He was faithfully at the feet of Christ right up to His death.  It was the beloved John who took in Mary when Jesus left Earth.  This John has his share of crosses others did not have to bear.  It is because of these crosses, the Apostle John is referred to as the beloved.

The point to be made is simple.  The cross will come our way.  Whether we take it up or not is up to us.  But we cannot expect a deep and intimate relationship with our Savior if we are not willing to take up our crosses.  Cross-bearing is the essence of Christlikeness.  It goes beyond total surrender.  We can surrender.  But to replace that which we have surrendered with a cross that must be born is another decision that must be made.  We don’t mind ceasing to be what we don’t like to be.  Surrendering sin, although difficult, is something we as God’s children desire.  The new man wants to live godly in Christ Jesus.  But what the old man struggles with is bearing the burden of the cross.  There seems to be no obvious and immediate benefit to self.  That is because there isn’t.  It is all about Christ and others.  If we refuse to bear the crosses Christ has for us, His response is we are not worthy, then of a close and intimate relationship with Him.