After the Roman soldiers flogged Jesus, taunted him, slapped Him and humiliated Him, they brought Him back to Pilate who condemned Him to death. It was then that Jesus “took up His cross” for the tortuous walk through Jerusalem to His death. But, in a sense, Jesus “took up His cross,” even before He became a human being. He was born in a stable, not a palace. He received a baptism of repentance for sins He never committed. He was rejected because of hate He never deserved. He was condemned because of a law He never broke. Now, He accepts His final cross. I wonder how He felt. Was He angry at those who were demanding this monstrous injustice? Was He upset with His Father because He didn’t take this suffering away? Was He sad? Bewildered? Did He wonder why all this was happening? All of those seem very human (and sadly, familiar) reactions.

The Bible writes of no words spoken by our Lord at this moment. We can’t be sure of His thoughts. But some previous words He’d spoken just a few hours before give us a clue:

“Now my soul is troubled, but what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason that I came to this hour…. When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” John 12: 26,27,32

To me, these words show that Christ accepted His cross because He had faith that good would come out of it. It would bring reunification, salvation. He walked the walk because He kept His eyes on His Father, not his pain, on the bigger picture, not the painful present. And to truly live a Christian life, it seems to me that we must do the same. For we all have our crosses to bear, don’t we? It seems to be a condition of human life. We, too (to a lesser degree certainly) suffer physical, emotional and spiritual pain. We, too, suffer injustice, rejection. We carry the crosses of pain, fear, anger, depression and humiliation. Ultimately, we must all face death. Our crosses may make us feel angry, betrayed and fearful. Ultimately, however, the question is not whether we will “take up our cross,” but HOW we will do it. And once again Jesus is our model. Even though He was suffering horribly, He was able to look beyond His immediate suffering and see God’s salvation, and the meaning of His suffering. “…it was for this very reason that I came to this hour…. When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.”

When Jesus accepted His cross, God provided forgiveness for our sins. Though people didn’t see it at the time, God was working in Jesus’ suffering. Even though we may not see it at the time, He can work in our suffering too, if we allow it. Can we do that? Will we?

Lord Jesus , help me to learn from You that I can take up MY cross (whatever it may be) and follow You, changing what I am able to change, and accepting what I cannot. Help me remember that You did not come to remove suffering from the world. You came to fill it with Your presence and give it meaning. Amen