Cross-Carrying vs. Burden-Bearing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I was reflecting on Luke 14 and intense way Jesus makes demands in this chapter, if one wants to be a disciple.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All too often, Christians confuse\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cross-Carrying vs. Burden-Bearing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I was reflecting on Luke 14 and intense way Jesus makes demands in this chapter, if one wants to be a disciple.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 All too often, Christians confuse\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/bibleandculture\/2011\/01\/17\/cross-carrying-vs-burden-bearing-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Bible and Culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-01-17T02:28:56+00:00\" 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{"id":1772,"date":"2011-01-17T02:28:56","date_gmt":"2011-01-17T02:28:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/community\/bibleandculture\/?p=36"},"modified":"2015-03-13T23:16:37","modified_gmt":"2015-03-14T03:16:37","slug":"cross-carrying-vs-burden-bearing-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/bibleandculture\/2011\/01\/17\/cross-carrying-vs-burden-bearing-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Cross-Carrying vs. Burden-Bearing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n

Among other things, this means that there is no room for Christians developing messiah complexes as if they could save the world, perhaps through dying a spectacular death.\u00a0 No, while it is true that Jesus told his followers that they might well have to give up their lives for their allegiance to him, and not just their possessions or their families,\u00a0 cross-bearing for the Christian is something rather different than what happened to Jesus somewhere around 30 CE.\u00a0\u00a0 That was a one time event,\u00a0 but as Luke stresses, the disciple is called to take up their cross daily <\/em>and follow Jesus.<\/p>\n

What this likely means is a daily commitment to present one\u2019s self to God as a living sacrifice, a daily commitment to live a Christ-like, self-sacrificial life.\u00a0\u00a0 And make no mistake about it, Jesus and Luke as well emphasis how hard this is to do.\u00a0 Indeed, they suggest that it is impossible, except by the grace of God and the help of God\u2019s Spirit.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a natural normal human thing to do.\u00a0 It requires divine help.<\/p>\n

Some preachers have thought that the way to get more people into the pews is by making it easy\u2014 Gospel lite\u2014 less filling, tastes great.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In fact Jesus suggests just the opposite.\u00a0 He takes the approach of the Marines.\u00a0\u00a0 He tells one and all, it\u2019s going to be hard to follow, hard to live up to his demands, indeed it may even lead to one\u2019s demise and then he exhorts his audience\u2014-\u2018whose up the challenge\u2019? \u00a0 Interestingly, cheap grace apparently is not the way of getting more people to be devoted disciples. \u00a0\u00a0So what\u2019s the secret?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jim Elliot, a modern martyr who lost his life trying to reach South American Auca Indians for Christ, put it this\u2014 \u201che is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep (i.e. this life), to gain what he cannot lose (everlasting life.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dietrich Bonhoeffer suggested the same when he said that when Christ calls a person, in principle he calls him to come and die and indeed Bonhoeffer paid for his convictions with his life.\u00a0 In other words,\u00a0 when you realize this life is not the be all or end all of existence, you can sit more lightly with it,\u00a0 take more risks for Christ with it,\u00a0 be less self-protective or self-indulgent.\u00a0\u00a0 Following Christ will get you somewhere alright, and its not where the self-help gurus tell you you should go.<\/p>\n

In reflecting on this very portion of Luke (as well as other Scriptures), Martin Luther wrote the great hymn of the Reformation entitled,\u00a0 \u2018Ein Feste Burg\u2019\u00a0 or as we know it \u2018A Mighty Fortress is our God\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The line which should ring a bell after reading Luke 14 carefully is \u2018let goods and kindred go\/ this mortal life also\/the body they may kill\/God\u2019s truth abideth still. His Kingdom is forever.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"