I have been reading The Politics of Jesus, by John Howard Yoder. Chapter 6 is a wonderful discussion of discipleship and walking in the way of Jesus. Yoder makes the following comments on the topic of what it means to bear one's cross:
The cross of Christ was not an inexplicable or chance event, which happened to strike him, like illness or accident. To accept the cross as his destiny, to move toward it and even to provoke it, when he could well have done otherwise, was Jesus' constantly reiterated free choice. He warns his disciples lest their embarking on the same path be less conscious of its costs (Luke 14:25-33). The cross of Calvary was not a difficult family situation, not a frustration of visions of personal fulfillment, a crushing debt, or a nagging in-law; it was the political, legally-to-be-expected result of a moral clash with the powers ruling his society. Already the early Christians had to be warned against claiming merit for any and all suffering; only if their suffering be innocent, and a result of the evil will of their adversaries, may it be understood as meaningful before God (1 Peter 2:18-21; 3:14-18; 4:1, 13-16; 5:9; James 4:10). (Page 129)
Yoder is essentially saying that the cross we bear is our identification with the suffering of Jesus. It is our willingness to engage the powers and authorities in a way that results in our suffering, even to the point of death. Yoder is not arguing that this engagement of the powers and authorities ever take the form of the world, meaning violence and deception. He suggests that "servanthood replaces dominion, forgiveness absorbs hostility." (Page 131)
So, what do you think? Have you ever used the phrase "bearing one's cross" in such a way? Can it mean something more than suffering in the way of Christ for the sake of his kingdom or have we "trivialized" it over the years? What does bearing one's cross mean to you?
Until ALL Have Heard,
jeg
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