Why do we use the instruction to, “take up your cross,” as an excuse for living a burdened or less-than-abundant life?
I don’t find anywhere in scripture where Jesus instructs us to take up His cross. I agree, the cross He bore was burdensome, shameful, heavy, dark, sinful, and condemning, but, because of that, our’s is not.
Jesus said, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:30.
I think sometimes walking in liberty (for us) is more burdensome, so we try to carry the cross Jesus carried for us. When all you have known is bondage, the unfamiliarity of freedom can feel burdensome.
I remember studying in one of my political science classes the distinction between “freedom from” and “freedom to.” I think we as Christians frequently only get as far as “freedom from” this or that. However, the freedom Christ paid for by carrying our cross is beyond “freedom from” it is “freedom to” be what God has called us to be.
God freed the Israelites from Egypt’s bondage and freed them to take their promised land. But, a good chunk of the Bible is about Israel’s inability to walk in the “freedom to.” And they had a pretty hard time walking in “freedom from” also. How often did they want to go back to Egypt rather than continue on in the wilderness?
It’s an altogether human thing to try to make our freedom more burdensome than our bondage. Is this our cross?
#1 by Mark Penrith on June 22, 2009 - 3:49 pm
So what is our cross?
#2 by petermlopez on June 22, 2009 - 4:53 pm
I suggested that perhaps it is trying to walk in absolute freedom. Not that this is our cross exclusively, but I think it is one of the crosses we have a hard time carrying. Thanks for stopping by.
#3 by Mark Penrith on June 23, 2009 - 7:30 am
OK,
I went and reread what you wrote. I don’t disagree with you in part, the Christian life is one of joy, peace and reconciliation.
But when Jesus said in Matthew 16:24, “…If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” I’m sure He wasn’t speaking metaphorically of walking in absolute freedom was He?
I mean the symbol wouldn’t fit would it?
Maybe there’s a tension in the Christian life between these two paradoxes, freedom and divine burden.
I don’t know, I hadn’t thought about it, I’m just asking because it’s something you’re considering so I thought maybe you had an answer?
#4 by petermlopez on June 23, 2009 - 10:23 am
On a gut level, I want to agree with what you’re saying about denying himself and taking up the cross, and I don’t think this was an instance where Jesus was speaking in metaphor, but the symbol, post crucifixion, fits now. The cross is a symbol of our salvation, deliverance, healing, etc. I don’t think freedom is meant to be a burden, but we somehow make it.
And I don’t mean for this to be definitive theology on these passages, but it makes you wonder…
#5 by Fanny on May 25, 2012 - 7:09 pm
Chris is right in all he says. Salvation doesn’t always have a fieelng that goes with it. That’s the test of faith. However, God knows that we humans need to know with our whole beings that he is with us. Why not stop now and thank God for what he has done in you to make you a new person? There is a verse I can’t locate at the moment that says when you pray, thank God for his answer before you receive it. Pray with a believing and expectant heart. Ask him to make his presence real to you day by day, and thank him. I think you will become closer to God because that’s what your heart desires.
#6 by Sergio on May 27, 2012 - 7:30 pm
Jesus wasn’t born on Dec 25th. We have no idea when he was born. We have no idea IF he was born. Christmas as we know it is a pagan holiday based on the witenr solstice interspersed with all kinds of Nordic and Anglo-Saxon mythology. This war on Christmas is one of the most cynical, treacherous and evil bits of political manipulation of the masses since Lenin’s hijacking of Russia.
#7 by Michael Metts on June 22, 2009 - 5:16 pm
Mark 8:34 Peter! I enjoyed the post. I think, if I understood you right, I would agree with the point you’re making, especially about our reasons for thinking we need to carry the cross, but Jesus did say too.
#8 by petermlopez on June 23, 2009 - 10:25 am
He said to carry our cross, not His. If we are to carry His, what was the point of His carrying it? I’m just wondering what He meant by it, that’s all.
#9 by Chere Brown on June 23, 2009 - 4:18 am
This cross bearing thing is both simple and difficult. To me, we bear our cross when we allow our self-will to be crucified to do His will. The reason our cross seems so difficult is we still have more faith in our self-reliance than in God’s sufficiency. The simplicity is to exercise our “freedom to” trust and act on His truth, rather our common sense or selfish desires. The more we exercise our “freedom to”, the more we trust and act out His will. As Augustine is often quoted as saying, “Love, and do what you want.” In other words, the more we become like Him, the less we have a desire to please the flesh, and the more we want what He wants.
#10 by hislillyanne on May 6, 2011 - 12:11 pm
Yes, really agree with you Chere, to quote you, “We still have more faith in our self reliance than in God’s suffciency”. This is so true! I also think that simply, ‘we’… ‘our will’ gets in God’s way!
‘We’ take it into our own hands, because its what ‘we’ want and we want something predictable and we want it ‘now!” We must put to death ‘our will’ so that His will be done. This separates the cultural Christians from the devoted Christians. Many of my friends, did not understand ‘why’ I was putting up with my hard situation but God meanwhile was showing me… to stay still and wait on Him.
As I was going through this long journey through a really desperate ‘desert period’…I came home exhausted from work, and while pouring cat food into my cat’s bowl, she impatiently stuck her head into the bowl, preventing me from continuing, I blurted out…”If you will just move your head, I can pour ‘more’ for you!” Pause. Guess who the message was for?! Yes- the Holy Spirit was speaking to ‘my’ heart…”Lilly..if you will stop getting in My way, then I can do what needs to be done, and not only will it result in My will being done, and My glory…but ‘your’ release will then come” And so, I continued to ‘die to myself’ and do you know, that God did do a miraculous miracle in delievering me from that situation. No, it was hard, it was agonizing as I suffered mentally, physically and emotionally…BUT GOD. He did show up! I know I have experienced many…moments of personal sacrifice, in order that my loved ones…would be blessed or ministered to. Many times, ‘it was not convenient for ‘me’ but It is the only way to be the
vessel God could use to bring love or peace or healing into anothers life so, I cannot regret it.
#11 by petermlopez on June 23, 2009 - 10:40 am
I think I agree with you, Chere Brown.