To Accept Jesus, Is To Accept His Cross

(Luke 14:25-33)

Today’s teachings tie in so well with the sermon that we had a couple of weeks ago, in which
we saw how the Cross of Jesus Christ becomes a very real stumbling block to all those who
will not surrender themselves to the demands and the costs that following, obeying and
trusting Him in Truth places upon their lives (Lk 12:51). And there is a cost, of that make no
mistake:

‘One day, when large crowds were walking along with Jesus, he turned and said to
them, “If you come to me, unwilling to sacrifice your love for your father and mother,
your spouse and children, your brothers and sisters, and indeed yourself, you cannot be
my disciple. Whoever does not follow me, carrying his own cross, cannot be my
disciple.’ (Lk 14:25-27).

We live in a licentious lustful world and the call is to freedom, tolerance and self. In this fallen
state, debauchery and social evils are common place, autonomy from God and His holy laws
zealously pursued, as all the while, original sin courses its heinous way through a sea of
humanity and is left largely unimpeded so to do by a materialistically intoxicated society
greater. In this culture of death - for death is the consequence of all sin - pluralism is lauded,
absolutes ignored, and God and His Church are deemed to be too judgmental,
unreasonable, and the bigoted minority. Living without Divine rules in an established ordered
creation, brings about a freedom that is no freedom at all, but leads rather to living a lie in
blind bondage to sin, as the very soul, body and spirit of man is corrupted. Call it: deadly
decay.

The chief advocate of living this way Satan – and yes, he is real - has convinced the world
that God and His Laws are nothing but an impediment to enjoying the abundant pleasures
that are ours rightly for the taking and which seem to be so freely given. Appeals, just as
they were in the very beginning, are thus incessantly aimed at our carnal natures and fleshy
yearnings. Any warnings to the contrary are habitually down-played. There is seemingly
nothing wrong with a little sinful habit here or there. Sin is after all to be found in the mind
and actions of the mass murderer, the rapist, the child molester, the drug pusher, there
where ‘sinners’ reside, out of the way, securely behind the high walls of our prisons, or so we
are told. It therefore becomes okay to look but not to touch, to take that extra drink, to tell the
small white lie, to compromise just a little here or there.

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It is into this depraved world and its distorted mindset, that you and I, as Christian believers,
are called to exist. But not only to exist in, but to be different in - counter that which is in
limited human wisdom deemed to be wholly acceptable and right. Our allegiance is not to
the world or to any human standard, but to Jesus Christ and following in His holy way. But to
do so requires that we not only accept His person (which is easy to profess to do) but to
accept His cross too (which is not always so easy to do).

And that is what today’s Gospel is all about. You and I choosing to pick up our crosses, and
to fare into a putrid world of lost, confused and dying souls. The multitudes who have bought
into the lie: That sin is not really sin and its consequences are certainly not as grave as the
followers of Jesus Christ make them out to be. Of course, sin remains sin, even when we
call it something else, permit it, laud it, make excuses for it, or even celebrate it. What is sin?
Sin is simply put, an offence against God, who is holy and pure.

We, as Christians need to place our duty to God and His cause, through the atoning death of
Christ, as enabled so to do by the power of the Holy Spirit, first and foremost in our daily
lives. To dedicate ourselves to the work of the Gospel; to point others to Him and His saving
provision accomplished in the Cross. And I hope that I will not be crushing any aspirations to
the contrary when I say that doing so, following Jesus, requires that we break completely in
our attitude towards the world and its ways. We either choose Jesus and His way, or the
world and its way. We either carry our crosses, or they are too heavy to bear and we don’t.
One cannot have the best of both, which is too, another aspect of what Jesus is teaching
here.

And I think He has in mind those who after becoming enthusiastic about Him and His way,
desiring to follow Him, do His will, be obedient, dedicate themselves to the labour of the
Gospel, then turn back to the world and to what others consider to be more normal and more
socially acceptable. Hence we have the portion of calculating the costs (v. 28 ff). I want to
teach the Confirmation Candidates that, I’ve tried to get them to sit and calculate the costs of
the pledge and undertaking that they will make on that sacred occasion, when they are
sacramentally adopted into the body of Christ and all that that entails. It is no trivial thing.
And unless the calculations are made and made well, and they know what it is that they are
getting into, the cross will simply become an object too heavy for them to bear, and they will
fall away.

How heavy is the cross you wonder. I’ll let Jesus answer: ‘In the same way, none of you may
become my disciple, if he doesn’t give up everything he has’ (v. 33).

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Jesus requires that we do inventories of our lives and our walks of faith, assess the costs.
‘Whoever does not follow me, carrying his own cross, cannot be my disciple’ (v. 27). It
means investing all. Unconditional surrender. Commitment to Him without reservation. This
world, it’s things, your money, your work, your pleasures, your treasures, your parents, your
children, your girl friend, your boy friend, your secret sins, nothing, can be permitted to get
between you and Jesus. To accept Him is to accept His demands. It was the cross that cost
Him everything, and it will you and I, no less.

‘How could I bear a crown of gold when the Lord bears a crown of thorns? And bears it for
me!’ – St Elizabeth of Hungry.

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