March 16, 2012

  • Station of the Cross 2: Jesus Takes up His Cross

    "Follow Me" (Click for song for reflection)

    After being accused and convicted falsely with death, Jesus takes up His cross, literally and figuratively, and carried it. I do not know about you, but if I was in His position, most likely, I would protest the false accusations and attempt to clear them up - after all, justice is the heart of God.  However, God Himself accepts the sentence of death and carries the cross that He will be hung on.  There is a deeper heart here and a deeper Justice that can only be accomplished this way through grace and love for us.

    When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2:23-25).

    Normally, I would protest the false accusations, but there was one time in my life in which I humbly submitted and did not protest any false accusations because the Father told me about them beforehand in much the same way that He told Jesus about the cross. I entrusted myself to the Father and trusted in His justice and promise to avenge injustice for me as was His to avenge.  It was a very tough place to be in, to carry the cross like that, and having the weight of false accusations against me, but it must be carried. I carried the cross for about a year and my Father answered my prayers for Justice through divine discipline. In much the same way, the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing because it is divine judgment.  It is divine judgment in the sense that those who believe in Christ and follow His example and carry their cross will triumph in the end, enduring to the end.  They will triumph when Christ advocates for them in front of the Father and takes the sentence of death for them. And, those who do not believe, who do not care, who continue to insult the cross will face death.

    One of the facets of Divine Justice is that God is Truth.  And, it is this Truth that Jesus went to the cross to die for.

    Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”  “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. (John 18:37-38)

    And, in the end, the truth will surface and silence all the lies.  If it does not surface in this lifetime, it will surface when Christ comes back.  For nothing is hidden from the Light, Christ Himself.

    And, love for Christ is love for truth because He is the Truth.  The Truth that we carry within us is one of the crosses that we bear as this world is at odds with the Truth.


    Dear Heavenly Father,

    I pray that You provide me with grace and humbleness to carry the cross that You have given to me, just as Your Son carried the cross that You have given to Him.  May I carry this cross with patience, entrusting myself to You whom judges justly. I pray that the Holy Spirit provides me with the means to not retaliate or make threats to others because they have done things that they should not have done.  May I put everything in Your trusting and safe hands.  May I continue to carry my cross despite the lies, despite the world telling me to the contrary.

    Amen.

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