Enduring the Cross

Holy Week helps us rehearse annually the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ for us. This morning, while reading through Matthew's account of Jesus' last week, my mind turned to what must have been on the Lord's mind those last few days before his cruel death. Walk with me for a bit, will you?

Crucifixion was a horrifying death, yet Jesus knew that was his fate at the end of this week. He must have seen crucified people -- it was not an unusual punishment, because the Romans were iron-fisted about maintaining order, and the death penalty was used as a public display of their power and determination. He must have seen how painful it would be for him to die that way, and though he had doubtless had splinters and cuts as a carpenter, this would be a far greater level of pain to live through. And yet he continued to teach and heal and face up to the haters, all that week.

This was to be no comfortable clinical execution, no simple hanging, and Jesus knew he would have to accept without flinching the worst that humanity could put out; to gather into himself the shame, anger, hatred and the other acidic emotions that accompany sin. Some have called him "God in the hands of angry sinners" and in the middle of it he would ask the Father to forgive the sins of his torturers, just like he openly forgave so many sinners during his ministry. In a symbolic way, sin and hatred would be buried with him on Good Friday, and when he walked out of the tomb on Sunday morning, none of it came back out with him.

Today, all over the world, followers of Jesus are run out of their homes, beaten, spat upon, shot, raped, and murdered simply because they claim Jesus as their master. The Master told us that following him would include certain death:  "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.' " (Mark 8:34). We have to die to all of our self-interest, even self-protection, following Jesus in his deliberate acceptance of painful sacrifice. And we follow him in not returning evil for evil (see Matt. 5:38-48).

This was the week Jesus walked deliberately into his torturous death. We are sobered, but grateful for his love which has freed us to live in his light and inherit "the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever" (Psa. 16:11). We can endure whatever we face, "by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne" (Heb. 12). So let's follow him, walking forward into whatever he has for us, so we can join him!