6. The Cost of Following Jesus

In August of 2003, the Church of the Holy Cross in New York City was broken into twice. In the first break-in, thieves made away with a metal moneybox that had been resting next to a votive candle rack. Three weeks later, vandals escaped with something much more valuable: they unbolted a 4-foot long, 200-pound plaster Jesus from a meditation area, taking the statue of Christ, but leaving behind his wooden cross on the wall. The church caretaker, David St. James, confessed his bewilderment at this: "They just decided, 'We're going to leave the cross and take Jesus.' We don't know why they took just him. We figure if you want the crucifix, you take the whole crucifix." In other words, David St. James was saying, "If you want Jesus, you take his cross, too." It only makes sense if you want Jesus, the cross is a part of the deal; that's one of the many reasons why Jesus is so amazing! For the Christian, the cross of Christ represents love, grace and forgiveness. You take Jesus and his cross. But what about your cross? If you follow Jesus, you have a cross as well...at least that's what Jesus says. "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." ~ Mark 8:34 There are a lot of people who are fans of Jesus; they agree with some of the things he says, they appreciate the love and forgiveness...they even wear a "Jesus Is My Homeboy" t-shirt! However being a disciple of Jesus isn't about agreement or fandom...it's about self denial, allegiance and loyalty. Here's why this matters according to Jesus: "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it." ~ Mark 8:35 Intuitively we think that by preserving our lives we save them, yet according to Jesus by surrendering our lives, our passions and even our desires over to the cross (our own cross) we will find life. So the question we all have to wrestle with is this: Will I take Jesus, his cross and my cross too? To better understand what this looks like in your life, make sure and listen to part six of Come, Follow, Me.