Take Up Your Cross

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

Matthew 16:24-27 (ESV)

I have come to find myself in utter disgust over those who preach a life of physical and material prosperity under Christ. While there are undoubtedly benefits of following Christ in this life (a sense of purpose, a spiritual community, sanctification, etc.), it is outright offensive to hear false teachers leading their flock to believe that, somehow in connection with our faith, God wants to bless us with money, luxury, and warm, happy feelings for the rest of our lives. I have heard plenty of religious-sounding talk and scriptures used entirely out of context in support of such a lie, and it is absolutely sickening.

When Jesus told his disciples that each of his followers must “take up his cross,” he was not talking about singing pretty worship songs or disciplining ourselves to read our Bibles daily (I’m not saying those are bad things, but bear with me, here). In Jesus’ world, taking up one’s cross was indicative of a death sentence; just as Jesus carried his own cross to Calvary, he calls his disciples to do the same. What Jesus is saying in this passage is even more gruesome than telling us to carry an electric chair on our backs in order that we be executed. Crucifixion was a slow, horrific death of torture and intense suffering. This is how serious our faith in Christ should be, that we would be willing to undergo suffering and slaughter for his sake. We must be willing to live our lives as dead men, as “whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for [Christ's] sake will find it.”

When we seek the worldly prosperity promised by so many false teachers, we are living in outright rebellion against Christ. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” Our luxuries, our possessions, our sense of security, and even our happiness are all worthless while we’re carrying our crosses, living in obedience to Christ. Christ warns us that he will return to punish those who have thirsted after such worldly belongings instead of surrendering themselves wholly to Christ’s death. I can’t imagine this would be pretty.

The fact of the matter is that living a life in Christ isn’t about listening to uplifting worship songs, putting Christian bumper stickers on our cars, or wearing cross necklaces around our necks and smiling as frequently as possible; it is about learning to die a brutal death, every day, out of obedience to Christ.

If any of us think we are above this false gospel (myself included), we are deceived. It’s not just Joel Osteen’s church or some other health-and-wealth congregation that struggles with this lie. If false teachers make me want to vomit, my own heart should sicken me even more, as it is so often full of this idolatry. Jesus teaches us that “whoever does not take his cross and follow [him] is not worthy of [him]” (Matthew 10:38 ESV). Yet whoever we are, our wicked hearts long for shallow, worldly satisfaction. Instead of seeking to follow Christ, we sinfully whore after comfort. But there is nothing comfortable about bearing a heavy, wooden cross on our backs, following Christ to an agonizing death.

Jesus IS Messiah, IS God, IS Sabbath

When Jesus makes the following statement in Matthew 5:17, he is making an extremely bold assertion that can greatly help us in understanding many of his teachings throughout the gospels:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (ESV).

At this point, Jesus has just offered the powerful teaching known as the Beatitudes during his famous Sermon on the Mount. Yet coming to this verse, we often read it as if Jesus is merely being apologetic in front of his audience, saying, “don’t worry guys, I’m not trying to get rid of the Law or the Prophets.” Yet while Jesus does say that he has not come to abolish the Law, we often fail to realize that he is also making a claim to be Christ.

By saying he has come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, Jesus is claiming he is the Lord’s Anointed One promised throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. So, what Jesus is essentially saying is that he has not come to rewrite or add to the Hebrew Scriptures; he is not trying to modify what is taught in the Law and the Prophets. Instead, he comes as a fulfillment of those very teachings, the promised “Son of David” which will usher in the reign of God and rescue His people from their captivity. When Jesus teaches, he most often isn’t really teaching about the topic that seems to be at hand, but rather, Himself. Even in the most unlikely places, it seems, Jesus is making a claim to be the Messiah. This understanding is pivotal in really seeing what the gospels are trying to tell us about Jesus.

The Example: “Lord of the Sabbath”

In Matthew 12, Jesus is confronted by some Pharisees about his disciples eating grain from someone’s field on the Sabbath. Now, it was completely acceptable in Jewish culture for someone to eat from the crops of another Jew’s field if they were passing by on the road. The issue here is that Jesus’ disciples were doing something forbidden by the Pharisees’ teachings on the Sabbath; they were performing work (technically, they were harvesting, threshing, and winnowing—all in violation of the Pharisees’ ideals).

Now, we must pay careful attention to verses 3-8. Jesus seems to be merely defending his disciples by giving the Pharisees a valid reason for their “work.” Yet Jesus’ teaching here is not really about justifying his disciples, nor really teaching anything about the Sabbath. That’s right, Jesus is making a claim to be the Messiah and making a claim to be Divine. But how?

Jesus first reminds the Pharisees of a particular instance where the king-to-be David and some of his companions entered the temple and ate the consecrated bread (the bread in the Holy Place of the Temple which was only to be eaten by the priests) for food while David was fleeing from King Saul. The priests allowed David to eat the bread because they recognized him as the true king—the Lord’s Anointed. Thus, when Jesus uses this story, he is clearly making a claim to be the true King of Israel—the Great Son of David whom the Jews were anxiously waiting for. Jesus portrays himself as the Anointed One of God, one “greater than the Temple,” and thus claims the authority to allow his disciples to harvest on the Sabbath. So, this teaching is not actually about the Sabbath, but about Jesus’ identity as Israel’s promised King!

Even more, in verse 8, Jesus says that “the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” First, we must understand that the Sabbath was intended to be a day of rest. The basis for the Sabbath is the creation of the world, where God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 1). Since this comes from creation, to be “Lord of the Sabbath” would mean that Jesus existed from the very beginning, which alludes to his deity. But most interestingly, as we realize that this passage is found at the beginning of Matthew 12, we also should take a look at the way Matthew 11 ends, just prior to this episode:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (v.28-30 ESV).

When viewed in context, we see that the author of Matthew has apparently intentionally arranged these stories to be together. Now, recalling Jesus’ teaching that he has come not to abolish the Scriptures but instead to fulfill them, we begin to understand exactly what is going on. Jesus’ teaching on the Sabbath is not an attempt to modify what the Scriptures taught about the Sabbath or to “abolish” them, but rather, to show that he is the fulfillment of the Sabbath! Chapter 11 ends with Jesus proclaiming that in him people may find rest. Jesus fulfills the Scriptures as he, to his people, is Sabbath! Suddenly, Sabbath has been extended to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, as Jesus himself is the source of our rest!

Understanding this is absolutely beautiful, as we see that many of Jesus’ teachings were often about something other than what they seemed to be about; most of Jesus’ teachings were actually about himself! We see that the gospels are all about proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. He has come to put an end to the exile of His people, ending the captivity, and ushering in the Kingdom of God. If we ever once began to think that perhaps some of Jesus’ teachings seemed culturally irrelevant or boring, we only need repent and fall face-down in worship of our King!

Creating God in Our Own Image: Part 4

 

 

Part 4 – Politics

“The idea that religion and politics don’t mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country.”

-The late Rev. Jerry Falwell, fundamentalist Baptist
preacher and founder of the Moral Majority

I am not one to say that Christians should not engage in politics. It is a blessing to live in a country where we have a right to vote and participate in the political process. I do think that there is a healthy and godly way in which Christians may be such active citizens. But there’s certainly something unsettling about Falwell’s quote above.

Falwell rejects “the idea that religion don’t mix,” but gives no valid Scriptural support of his reasoning. Furthermore, he’s giving us the common fundamentalist cop-out that such an idea was “invented by the Devil.” Thirdly, he says the Devil came up with this idea in order to prevent those who are Christians “from running their own country.”

One of the problems with this quote is the word “mix.” Should religion and politics mix? As I said before, I do think it is possible for Christians to participate in politics. Politics and religion are not mutually exclusive. Being a Christian does not mean you have to abandon the political world.

However, I do not think this means religion and politics should “mix.” One’s faith in Christ should affect how he or she engages in politics, but it should not be “mixed” with politics. For example, a man may have certain moral convictions that come from the gospel and choose to vote according to his convictions. This is healthy. But this does not mean politics should be “mix” with his faith, becoming something of equal importance. Faith should affect his choices in politics, just as it affects his choices in regard to finances, family, and work. The gospel can (and should) apply to politics, but the two should not be intertwined as some neo-Pharisaical way of life.

While I hope to be in fellowship with Falwell in heaven, I do believe he had a bad tendency to view God as a political figure. Likewise, many of us fall into the same folly that was evident in many of Jesus’ disciples, expecting a political Messiah. The Jews were anticipating a King to free them from Roman rule and secure their independence as a nation. Of course, Jesus did far more than that. Therefore, by putting all of our hope in a mere political Kingdom, we are failing to fully realize the spiritual nature of the Kingdom of God and looking upon Calvary with blind eyes.

• America Is Not The Kingdom Of God, Nor a Truly “Christian” Nation

While I am blessed in many ways to be an American, I must first recognize that my true citizenship lies in the Kingdom of God. I am, in a way, a resident alien. Now, this does not mean I should remain idle and do nothing during my time on this earth; Paul warns against such behavior in 2 Thessalonians. I certainly should hope to make an impact in America. However, while Falwell speaks of Christians “running their own country,” I cannot subscribe to the idea that America is, in any way, the Kingdom of God.

So many people cite our nation’s founding fathers as God-fearing men who built our country on Christian values. This is simply untrue. While some of our political values may be compatible with Christianity, others are not. And our most prominent founding fathers were not Christians, but rather, deists. Therefore, we cannot assume that American moral values, even those lasting from the beginning of our nation, are Christian values. Our country, quite frankly, never was (and probably never will be) a so-called “Christian” nation.

Regardless of how relatively “good” a nation may be, they are still subject to “the prince of this world” (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11). No earthly kingdom, despite it’s relative “goodness,” is anything like God’s Kingdom. Jesus’ Kingdom is “not of this world” (John 18:36). Therefore, as servants of God, we must seek to advance God’s Kingdom above one of this world. And while some of this work may potentially be done via politics, we must be careful to realize where our allegiance truly lies.

• A Misconception About Power

One of the most obvious examples of men trying to create God in their own image involves our understanding of power. Many of us who get so wrapped up in politics are engaged in a never-ending battle of trying to beat “the other guy” by means of forcefully overpowering him in any way possible. Yet this reflects a worldly understanding of power, an understanding confronted by Jesus in Matthew’s gospel:

But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.

“It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

-Matthew 20:25-28 NASB

When Jesus mentions the “rulers of the Gentiles,” his audience would naturally tend to think of the Romans; after all, the Jews felt they were in captivity, oppressed by their pagan occupiers. These Roman rulers did indeed “lord it over them” in an overpowering manner.

Yet Jesus tells his disciples that it should not be so with them; those who seek to become great must become a slave to their followers. The reason for this is, as Jesus explains, that “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” After all, the Jews were expecting a military Messiah, a kingly leader who would overthrow the Romans and restore Israel. They were looking for someone to overpower those who had overpowered them. Yet Jesus presents his listeners with a different idea of power, as even he himself—the all-powerful, sovereign God—came as a servant.

 

• The Bottom Line

We should bring the gospel to bear on our daily lives, even in regard to politics. If this means we vote for a certain candidate or maybe don’t vote at all, so be it. But we mustn’t fall into the trap of the “us versus them” mentality that drives us to try to simply overpower our opponents by means of raw muscle. Instead, we should look to Christ’s example in the Cross, as he conquered death by submission, not overpowering force. We must realize that as citizens of the Kingdom of God, we live in a time when our Kingdom is “already but not yet.” In other words, the reign of God has already broken into our world through Christ, but the reign of evil, sin, and darkness continues until Christ returns. Only then will the Kingdom of God reign fully throughout the earth, and only then will things truly be set right. While there is a place for politics in a believer’s life, let it not become an idol that promises (yet always fails to deliver) the ultimate peace and rightness only Christ’s second coming can offer.