Wisdom 9:13-18; Philemon 9-10,12-17; Luke 14:25-33
A century before Christ was born, crucifixion was introduced by the Roman authorities as a punishment for those who committed treason. Crucifixion soon became commonplace in Palestine, the region where Jesus was born and raised. When Jesus was about ten years old, history teaches us that the Romans stopped a popular uprising. The corpses of the rebels were hung by the thousands on crosses along the roadsides of Galilee. Hardly an adult among Jesus’ listeners had not watched as blood-stained criminals with crosses lashed to their backs were whipped along to their place of execution.
It was in this cultural context that Jesus spoke the words, “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).
When Jesus spoke these words he had not yet been crucified. His followers would have not had that particular frame of reference to hear and interpret this statement. So try and imagine what must have been going through the minds of those who first heard these words. Was Jesus saying they had to become common criminals? Was he saying that they had to become enemies of the Roman Empire? How could he say that they had to suffer so greatly, when he himself had not endured any such suffering? There minds must have been filled with confusion as they tried to grasp the meaning of these emotion-laden words.
But by the time Luke had written these words, over fifty years later, the meaning of the cross was loud and clear. Those first disciples had stood by as eye-witnesses to the pain and suffering our Lord endured. They saw him arrested and tried on false charges. They saw him beaten to the point of death. They saw the mockery he endured at the hands of the soldiers and the crowds. And finally they saw him nailed to that cross, an innocent man, giving his life as an act of love for all humankind.
After his resurrection, filled with the Holy Spirit, nearly all of those first disciples gave their lives for the sake of their faith. Peter, Andrew, and several others even endured the same fate of crucifixion. But before their physical deaths, many of those first disciples experienced ridicule, mockery and rejection by their family members and friends. It was not easy being a Christian in the First Century Palestine.
Through the years, as Christianity grew, to be a follower of Christ has often been met by the ridicule and rejection of those who could not accept the message of the cross. Literally thousands of men, women, and children, have been killed in the name of Jesus Christ. And so being an authentic Christian has never been an easy road to follow. The cross of Christ is central to the life of all who choose to believe in Christ.
There was a day when it was relatively easy to be Christian in America. Most everyone practiced Christian faith. Laws upheld much of the moral teachings of our faith. Schools and public institutions placed expectations on their employees which were based on Christian work ethics. Time was even allowed at work and in schools for public expressions of faith. Our Church was even more stringent in its rules of faith (i.e. the law of abstaining from meat on Fridays).
But today the church and the government no longer legislate these things for us. Instead, we are expected to make these choices on our own, as adults. Since the government no longer allows outward expressions of faith in public facilities, since the Church is not as stringent in making us obey rules, since so many people do not practice any faith whatsoever, it is much harder for us to be witnesses to our faith. We don’t want to appear different than others. We are concerned about what others will think if we bow our heads in prayer before we eat a meal in a restaurant. Under the misguided notion of political correctness we don’t want to offend others, as if the simple act of praying is an offensive thing to do.
This is where Jesus says, “Take up your cross.” What he is saying is, no matter what the world says, no matter what other people may think or do, if you want to be his disciple, you have to put Me at the center of your life.
Following the gospel today means turning our backs on much of what the modern world loves. Many things that our permissive age tolerates, or even applauds, like casual sex, barbarous weaponry, corporate greed, and abortion are only a few of the modern ideals we must reject. Rejection of them sometimes invites rejection of ourselves by others.
Our civil authorities do not force us to worship false Gods, as did the Roman rulers at the time of Christ. But society as a whole worships false gods which are just as alluring as any pagan god of old. Just look at any newspaper or magazine and you will see the many things we worship in a materialistic society. Then there are the many gods we worship with our time; television, athletics, recreation, work. Think about it. How much time in any given week do you dedicate to these things? Then ask yourself how much time do you dedicate to your family? I don’t mean watching your children and grandchildren playing on the athletic field, or performing on a stage. While this is good entertainment for you, and you are showing your support of your child by your presence, you are not actually interacting with them. How much time do you spend just being together and enjoying each other’s company (with the television set turned off)?
Then ask yourself how much time do you dedicate to God? An hour on Sunday? That’s a good start. An extra hour or two if you teach religious education or volunteer time in some service organization? Taking up the cross of Christ means putting him at the center of everything you do in life. Following Christ means accepting and living by the rules he has set forth through the sacred scriptures and his Church here on earth. If we choose not to take up our cross, if we choose not to authentically follow Christ, then there may be Hell to pay.
But remember, when we take up the cross of Jesus Christ, the end of the story, is life in heaven for all eternity.
