“And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” (Matthew 10:38; NKJV).
What did the word “cross” mean to this first-century audience?
The Symbol. In Matthew 10:38, Jesus is not speaking of the “cross” of a difficult situation, a chronic disease or a nagging spouse. I have heard devotional sermons spiritualizing the “cross” to mean everything from a cranky mother-in-law to a leaky roof to a 1989 Honda Civic (Hatchback). But this is not what the word “cross” communicated to Jesus’ first century audience. It did not call to their minds the idea of long-term difficulties or troublesome burdens. It did not even evoke thoughts of Calvary because the Lord had not gone to the cross yet, and they did not understand that He would.
The Instrument. Christ’s first-century audience thought of a cruel instrument of torture and death. They thought of dying in the most agonizing method known to man. They thought of the poor, condemned criminals hanging on crosses by the roadside. Doubtless they had seen men executed in that fashion. The Hasmonean ruler Alexander Jannaeus crucified 800 Pharisees (103-76 B.C.) and the Roman general Varus broke up a Jewish revolt by crucifying 2000 Jews on a single day in Jerusalem (6 A.D.). It was customary for the condemned to carry their cross to the place of execution. And it was a one-way journey.
The Call of Christ. Jesus’ listeners knew He was asking them to die for Him. They knew He was asking them to make the ultimate sacrifice, to surrender to Him as Lord in every sense.
A Life of Daily Self-Denial. Jesus is not teaching salvation by martyrdom. The Lord was not advising the disciples to try and get themselves killed for Him. He was referring to a pattern, a direction, a lifestyle. “I affirm, by the boasting in which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31; NKJV). Genuine disciples do not shrink back, even in the face of death. When confronted with a decision between serving self and serving the Lord, the true disciple is the one who chooses to serve the Lord, even at great personal expense.
Conclusion. Take up your instrument of death. Crucify yourself. Allow Christ to live in you. Live your life by faith in the Son of God, who loved you and gave Himself for you (Galatians 2:20).
