A Scandalous Symbol

In the first century, the cross was a scandalous symbol. You wouldn’t have seen a Christian wearing one because the cross was a symbol of one of the worst deaths imaginable.

The Romans didn’t invent crucifixion, but they perfected it as a form of torture. So, wearing a cross would have been the modern equivalent of wearing a miniature hangman’s noose or an electric chair as an accessory.

The cross meant dying a bloody, painful, grueling, and long death.

Yet Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it” (Mark 8:34–35 NLT).

We might refer to afflictions or challenges as our cross to bear, but that isn’t what Jesus meant. Bearing a cross means the same thing for every person. It means dying to ourselves. It means living the Christian life the way Jesus wants us to live it.

Jesus was saying, “If you will get your priorities in order, deny yourself, and take up the cross, then you will find the fulfillment you have been looking for.”

In his letter to the churches in Galatia, the apostle Paul wrote, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 NLT).

Every day we have the choice to either live for ourselves or deny ourselves. If we will seek first the kingdom of God and put our priorities in order, then the rest of life will find its proper balance.

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