What is Your Cross to Bear?
After Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, we find Jesus beginning to tell the disciples what the plan is. That he must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things, be killed, and on the third day rise. This is not the plan of the disciples for sure. They were looking forward to being in the court of the king of Jesus; the new earthly kingdom of Israel. Jesus’ death was not in the plans at all and if Jesus was going to die (as did most people in a rebellion against the Roman empire) so would they. Which brings us, again, to Peter. Just last week we heard Jesus call him a rock. This week Jesus calls him a stumbling block. How can that be? Luther had a phrase for that: simul justus et peccator – simultaneous saint and sinner. Peter is just like us, wavering between being a faithful servant of God and a servant of the world (as opposed to servants to the world). We all know this. It is for this reason that Jesus went to Jerusalem. We are unable to serve God on our own. Left to our own devices we will not follow God’s plan for the world and our own lives.
Jeremiah is like that. He had a complaint against God. He did answer God’s call, was doing God’s work but the people mistreated him. He argued with God pointing out all those things that he gave up and the pain and incurable wounds that God had given him. He was tired of being mistreated, of feeling God’s anger at the people and wanted relief. What was God’s answer? If you turn back, repent of your desire for a better life for yourself and return to the struggle God would take him back. What? That is not what we want to hear. We, with Jeremiah, want an easy joy-filled life without pain and struggle. Isn’t that what Jesus came for? To make our life easy? Some would preach that gospel – a gospel of prosperity, but it is not what Jesus preached. He preached the gospel of the cross calling us to “Deny [ourselves] and take up [our] cross and follow [him].”
The question is, “What is your cross?” Oftentimes we think about the life burdens we have as our cross, the illness we are suffering or the financial struggle we have, or some other personal issue. That is not what Jesus is talking about. He is talking about how are you going to follow Jesus and serve God? It might be how you suffer or work through your finances so that others see your peace and tranquility in the midst of great suffering – a peace only given by Jesus. Your cross is how you answer God’s call to serve the world. Just as Jeremiah served the world by proclaiming God’s judgment of his people and suffering for it. Just as the disciples served the world by proclaiming Jesus to the world, suffering and dying for it, you are called into God’s service. Pray that you are able to see what task Jesus is leading you into and that you have the will and strength to pick up your cross and bear it so that the world will meet Jesus through you.