They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way,
(Mark 10:32 NIV)
A few weeks ago I was on a college campus when I noticed a T-shirt one of the enrolling students was wearing. On the back of this T-shirt was the picture of a cross, and tacked to the cross was a note written in blood. The note read "Gone to Dad’s house. I’ll fix up a room for you and be back soon to pick you up." Since that time I have thought of that note several times, and it occurs to me that when Jesus says "follow me", inherent in these words is the invitation to "come, go home with me." The thing that we as disciples have a hard time remembering is that for us, as for our Lord, the road home must lead us through Jerusalem - and the cross.
While picking up your cross and following Jesus may mean that you will undergo hardships and persecutions, we have surely missed the point if we think that is all there is to cross bearing. Just as the twelve repeatedly missed the point while on the road to Jerusalem. In Roman controlled Jerusalem cross bearing meant submission to Roman power, but even Roman power did not come from Rome. As Jesus told Pilate even Roman power came from God above, and when Jesus carried his cross to be crucified, he was not submitting to the power of Rome but to the will of his Father. And by submitting to his Father’s will, Jesus the master became Jesus the servant who gave his life as a ransom for many.
Yes, Jesus has invited us to go home with him. The thing we must never lose sight of is that the road home leads through the cross, and cross bearing means the same thing today that it meant two-thousand years ago. It means submitting our will to the will of God, and it means being a servant. Submitting to the will of God… it is mind altering, life and attitude changing, and it is soul saving, for only by turning complete control over to the will of God can we hope to enter into one of those rooms that have been prepared. And make no mistake, they are servant’s quarters.
Copyright © 1996 by Gerry Sturgeon