“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23
We’ve heard it before.
This is your cross to bear.
Offer it up.
Life is about sacrifice.
No pain, no gain.
Toughen up, Buttercup!
It goes against our natural inclinations to suffer. We want to escape it as quickly as possible. Think about how fast we pop an ibuprofen for a headache or grab the antacids when our stomach starts to hurt after that big meal. Our culture provides us many ways to seek relief from our discomforts and maybe, in a way, that has made us soft. Because we can numb or erase the pain, we forget the value that can come from having to suffer.
Jesus teaches us today that we must follow His example. I don’t know about you, but being adored by people who follow you around listening to your every word sounds great! But that is not the part of His life He’s talking about when He says “follow me.” Listen to the whole passage.
Jesus said to his disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?” Luke 9:22-25
Ouch. He starts off the lesson with a prediction of what He will have to face. Things like suffering not just a little, but greatly. Rejection and even death are included in this list. When those words hit the ears of the disciples, I wonder what they thought. Did they pause and think, “What did we sign up for?” Did the phrase, “on the third day be raised.” even make sense at the time? They saw crucifixions daily as the Romans made sure that this punishment was clearly visible as a deterrent against those who would defy Rome. I imagine that they had to take some time to embrace this idea, because I know I do. What about you?
When Jesus says take up my cross, it’s not just a phrase that means learn to deal with the difficulties of life. He asks us to work against our natural inclinations to flee from the struggles and see them in a new way. What if we didn’t rush to stop the pain, but viewed it as a cross and a way to unite ourselves with Jesus who used His suffering as a way to save the world? Could my headache be united to Christ and help save my loved one who is far from God?
Maybe that sounds like a bit much to you. Maybe it is, on its own. But united with Christ, anything is possible. And the Church, in her wisdom, gives us this season of Lent to make the idea of uniting our sufferings with Jesus more accessible. It is why we are asked to give something up, working out our spiritual muscles by denying comforts, and feeling the pain of breaking habits and forgoing our desires. There is wisdom in starting small and getting used to little sacrifices like giving up cream in our coffee or scrolling on our phones. Every time the temptation hits to pick up the phone or taste something sweet, we have the chance to pray and turn to Jesus for help. And maybe over forty days, the cross won’t feel so heavy and losing our life for others will become a little easier.
Maybe we can become tough Buttercups after all, because our spiritual strength has grown this Lent.
Reflection Questions: Where do you feel the Lord working in your heart when it comes to suffering? Are there changes you need to make in how you deal with these things, whether physical, emotional, or situational? Illnesses, stress, or tough relationships can all lead to opportunities to draw closer to Jesus as you suffer together. How can practicing fasting and abstinence during Lent make you better able to carry your cross each day?
Prayer: Jesus, you don’t ask for easy things, do you? You just go there and challenge me to pick up my cross daily. It’s heavy, Lord. I can’t do it alone. Everything within me wants to run from sacrificing my comforts, but I know you want me to trust You. So, here I am. Please help me follow you, remembering that my cross is light compared to the one You carried for me and that You are walking with me. I’m not alone.