I’ve been saved and redeemed for a while now. Close to 15
years. (I admit, it’s hard for me to believe that I’m even old enough to say
that.) But it’s not until the last several months that the magnitude and
significance of Jesus’ death on the cross really began to register in my heart
and mind in a conscious, real-life kind of way.
I’ve been contemplating for a while now the concept of
sacrifice.
When Jesus said that we must deny ourselves and take up a
cross, he wasn’t glorifying martyrdom. Even if he were, he would have been
preaching to the wrong crowd. No one there in his presence saw anything
beautiful or glorious about a cross. When those crowds pictured the cross in
their minds they saw shame, humiliation, punishment. The legalists would have
probably seen the just reward to sinners. The hopeless would have seen fear and
darkness. Jews probably saw Rome’s power and authority and felt their own insignificance.
This is what Jesus was preaching??
“…deny yourself and take up your cross…”
It gets better. Because there is a statement made before
this that gives us the reason for such a humiliating and unappealing action…
“If anyone would come after me, you must…”
Sacrifice isn’t grand. It isn’t beautiful. It isn’t even
merit-worthy.
Today’s Christian would say that those who “sacrifice” are
something special, someone to look up to and respect, and I get that there’s a
semi-valid foundation for that line of thinking, don’t get me wrong, but let’s
not miss the true point. We have somehow managed to make something so horrid
into a marketable perk.
A couple of weeks ago I started a new focus in my 5-year-old
class – WWJD. As cliché as it may sound, it works for five year olds. :P I was
having a talk with my class about things that Jesus did/does (a project we were
about to start): he prayed, he forgives, he loves and he sacrifices. And I was
telling the kids about sacrifice and how that relates to Jesus, I found myself
fighting back tears over the magnitude of His love for me. At the same time,
one of my students pipes up, “Ms. Raychel, I love Jesus.” To which I responded
nonchalantly, with my back turned, “Me too. Sometimes it makes me cry.” Now,
because I was completely wrapped up in controlling my own emotions I missed the
significance of her little “Me too” response. But when I turned around to see a
five year old in tears because of her love for her Savior, my heart was
overwhelmed.
We look at what Jesus did for us and call it beautiful. And
it was. The redemption that came from a God who loved His created, fallen world
enough to allow His own son to die a humiliating, shameful death is worth all
the praise and adoration we can muster up. But Christ was humiliated for me. He
was shamed, degraded, belittled by choice, for me. And he calls me to do the
same for him.
When I think about the life choices that I’ve made thus far,
I often wonder, what sacrifices have I really made for God?
I live in a foreign country on the other side of the world,
separated from friends and family who have supported and encouraged me through
thick and thin, no matter how stupid a
decision may have seemed.
I’ve put aside dreams and aspirations of proving myself to
the world as something special to follow the call that God has put on my heart
to love on and help hurting souls in need of direction – and in the process
have found the ultimate purpose and value.
And perhaps there are other, smaller, seemingly
insignificant choices that have been made. And I don’t say any of this to toot
my own horn. On the contrary not one of my decisions is any less than what
Jesus said would have to happen to be His follower.
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and
take up his cross daily…” – Luke 9:23
I started this post off talking about the significance of
Christ’s death on the cross. His blood covers a multitude of sins, it protects, it heals, it redeems, and so much more. It is a glorious thing, but certainly no small
thing. I encourage you to take some time to contemplate the cross. It’s not
just about eternity.
