Take Up Your Cross (Matthew10:34-39)

Take Up Your Cross (Matthew10:34-39)

 

34 내가 세상에 화평을 주러 온 줄로 생각지 말라 화평이 아니요 검을 주러 왔노라

34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.

 

35 내가 온 것은 사람이 그 아비와, 딸이 어미와, 며느리가 시어미와 불화하게 하려 함이니

35 For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—

 

36 사람의 원수가 자기 집안 식구리라

36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

 

37 아비나 어미를 나보다 더 사랑하는 자는 내게 합당치 아니하고 아들이나 딸을 나보다 더 사랑하는 자도 내게 합당치 아니하고

37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

 

38 또 자기 십자가를 지고 나를 좇지 않는 자도 내게 합당치 아니하니라. 38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

 

39 자기 목숨을 얻는 자는 잃을 것이요 나를 위하여 자기 목숨을 잃는 자는 얻으리라

39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

 

 

1. The first verse in the hymn “Jesus I My Cross Have Taken” goes like this:

Jesus, I my cross have taken, All to leave and follow Thee. Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence my all shall be. Perish every fond ambition, All I’ve sought or hoped or known. Yet how rich is my condition! God and heaven are still my own.

 

This hymn perfectly summarizes how we should be living out our lives of faith. But what exactly is the “cross” that is mentioned? Why do we need to “take up our cross” and follow Jesus? What kind of cross do we need to carry?

 

What is the cross Jesus wants us to carry? From our scripture today, we can learn three valuable lessons about taking up our cross and following Jesus.

 

A) Our “cross” is the persecution we will have to endure while on this earth.

 

1. First, the “cross” symbolizes the pain and suffering we will encounter while we serve Jesus. Verses 34-36 of today’s scripture read, “34 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’”  

 

Jesus clearly tells us that he came, not to bring us peace, but to bring us a sword. But is this true? Did Jesus come down to the earth just to bring discord among our families?

 

The truth is, Jesus came to bring us peace. In John 14, he tells us that he will leave us with true peace. Then why did he say he brought us a sword?

 

The answer is really just logic. To achieve peace, one must first go through the trials of dispute and conflict. In war, peace is reached one one side wins and the other surrenders. only after such battles can true peace be found.

 

Peace is not something that is easily achieved. It is preceded by much pain and suffering. Peace is never just handed to someone. Just look at the US and our own South Korea. There were countless lives sacrificed, blood shed, and struggles endured.

 

While receiving salvation requires no payment, keeping that faith and salvation involves great pain, anguish, and strife. But these obstacles should not, and cannot, be avoided. We must face them head-on. This is why Jesus said he came to give us a sword.

 

For some of us, we faced great pains from our own families when we first started believing in Jesus. In some places, the persecution is on a national scale. Since the Roman Era, there has been a recurring history of persecution of Christians. Christians are hunted, imprisoned, and killed; churches are torn down; crosses are burned and destroyed.

 

On a physically smaller scale, many others are persecuted by their own families: non-believing in-laws, parents, siblings, or spouses. Some are cast out by their friends or driven out of their work place.

 

But facing and overcoming all these trials is what it means to take up your cross. Do not worry, for when these people find and turn to God, they will thank you. When you enter the Gates of Heaven, you will be rewarded for all of your suffering. 

 

A pastor named Il-Hwan Choi was the first in his family to accept Jesus and live a life of faith. He was young, yet he was constantly rebuked by his non-believing father for his faith. His father would chastise him commenting that he would grow to be a disrespectful son who won’t even perform the traditional ancestral rites after he died. (Christians in Korea do not perform these rites because they are about paying respects and bowing to ghosts.)

 

He would say harsh things like that he would receive the ceremonial table from his younger brother instead (these rites are traditionally carried out by the oldest). He would leave Il-Hwan out of family outings. When he told his father that would be going to seminary, his father verbally abused him again, swearing and saying cruel things.

 

But a long time later, Pastor Choi’s father became a believer and regretfully said to this son, “You brought blessings to our family. If I had accepted Jesus earlier, we could have done greater things.”

 

Is there anyone here who is uncomfortable giving an offering, attending the evening service, or being more active in your journey of faith because of a non-believing spouse? Are you cautious because they disagree with your faith?

 

Do not worry. Though it seems far and difficult now, there will be a day when they will accept you. Believe this to be true and act with faith according to God’s will for you. They may persecute you now, but it is simply because they do not know; when they experience the grace of God, their persecution will turn into praise.

 

B) Our “cross” is to love God above all else on this earth.

 

Verse 37 says, “37 “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” To receive something great, we must first make sacrifices. Anything that just falls into our laps is not something of value.

 

If gold were a metal that could easily be found in any mountain, it would not be the precious metal it is considered to be today; it would just be another rock. Gold is only found after research, digging, investing, and mining. Even after it is found, it must go through vigorous steps to ensure it is of the best quality. An item is only as valuable as the price, not just monetary, that was paid for it.

 

What is the most precious and valuable thing to you? Most would reply their families. What is more important than your parents, husband, wife, and/or children? But today’s scripture tells us something that seems to contradict this.

 

Verse 37 tells us that we must not love these family members more than our God. This statement can very easily become twisted and misunderstood. God is not telling us to stop loving our families. Loving our families is a gift and duty that God gave us; however, we must never place our family above God.

 

But why? It is because God is our creator; He is the master of our lives; He is our provider, protector, and leader. He is the one who gave us our families. It is only right that we love and return the glory to Him. This is the cross we must carry.

 

There is a test God often uses. It is the “Do You Love God the Most?” test and He gives this test before giving us a great blessing. God gave this trial to Abraham and tested if Abraham loved his only son Isaac more than God. Hence, God told Abraham to sacrifice his own son.

 

This request, or rather command, seems incredulous and illogical to be coming from God. But Abraham obeyed and just as he was about sacrifice his son, the Lord intervened and said,

 

““Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”” Abraham passed God’s test (and with flying colors) and God gave him the greatest blessing.

 

What did the Resurrected Jesus ask Peter? He asked, “Do you love me more than you love these people?” He asked this 3 times. If Jesus came to you right now and asked you the same question, what would you respond? If we want to take up our cross properly, we must believe that we have to love our Lord above all else.

 

C) Our “cross” is the calling/plan/will God has for us.

 

Why is God’s calling for us a cross to carry? It is because sometimes the calling God gives us requires us to lay down our lives. The cross was originally a symbol and tool of death; it was where people were crucified and killed in the most painful and excruciating way.

 

Take a look back at how much the Apostle Paul suffered after taking up God’s calling and will for him. He had starved, was left in the freezing cold, was physically beaten, stoned, and was almost drowned. He was thrown out of a castle while barely clinging to life, and the mental and emotional suffering he endured because of misunderstandings with his brothers was immeasurable.

 

What about you? How is it for you? Is your life easy as a Christian? The answer may be yes if you’re living a lukewarm life of faith. It is unfortunate that there are some of us, here today even, who live a tepid life of faith and have no idea what God’s calling is for them.

 

They don’t know their calling so they waste their time and life on other frivolous things. They don’t know God’s will and path for them, so they wander and stray. Some church officers don’t recognize their calling and treat that valuable calling like a burden.

 

You cannot stray if you know your calling from God. Even our children, no matter how young, cannot be led astray if God’s will for them is firmly rooted in their hearts.

 

We, as adults, are no different. If we have the proper understanding of God’s plan for us, that calling makes our lives valuable and beautiful for all. If we pray to live and dream following God’s calling for us, God will hold firm our thoughts, actions, and of those around us.

 

Let’s say someone here today is going to become the president of our nation. If you knew who this was, would you let their education go awry? Would you let them do whatever they pleased? Would you let them fall victim to alcohol, drugs, and lust? You would never allow that to happen because you know how great they are to become.

 

High school seniors is Korea study from 6am to 2am every day. Why? It is so that they can get into a good college and set their life on the right path. But if getting into a good college is the end of their dream, there is little to live for. Happiness and drive comes from deeper, more meaningful goals.

 

Our life of faith is the same. We must not set superficial goals according to the world’s standards. We must make God’s calling our mission in life; we must live to become the light and salt to the world. Let us, and our students, study and make each decision to better take on this calling.

 

Soldiers go through rigorous training before becoming an official soldier. Many give up part-way through. But why is such severe training necessary? It is because the military must prepare soldiers to take on and handle the heavy, but highly honorable, calling of protecting this country.

 

We become worthy of God’s calling when we live our lives never losing sight of it. Today’s scripture tells us, “38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” We receive no crown if we do not take up and bear our cross. It’s really quite simple: No pain, no gain. True joy and grace can only be experienced when we take up our cross while on this earth. Hallelujah!

 

When we take up the cross God gave us, refuse to turn away from it, and bear it proudly and properly, we are rewarded with:

1. Blessings and rewards in heaven

2. A crown we have earned the right to wear

3. Everlasting joy, and the grace of eternal life.

 

Where is the cross God gave you? What is it? How heavy is it for you? Whatever it is, do not run away from it. Take it with you, and bear with it always. When we pray to Him, praise Him, and walk with Him, no cross will be too heavy to carry. 

 

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