The Price of a Cross

I often think about what a sacrifice it was for Christ to go to the cross. Obviously, the physical pain would have been daunting, to say the least. Beyond that, we often dwell on the spiritual/emotional pain that Jesus felt when he took on the sin of the world. Much has been written and spoken about how hard it would have been for Christ to make that ultimate sacrifice with the knowledge that many people would turn their back on him and live a life of selfishness. I’d like for us to consider another side of this that I haven’t often heard discussed.

Our Savior was not only laying his life down for people that were likely to never even attempt to live a godly life, he also sacrificed knowing that many would commit terrible atrocities in his name! Consider the history of our world after the cruxifiction.

• Within one hundred years men failed to maintain the unity that Christ had called them to. From that time until today men have continued to fracture the body of Christ.
• From the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition to David Koresh, men have repeatedly killed under the sign of the cross. How many millions have died because flawed men have distorted the gospel of peace!?
• Just as the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, many men have misused the Bible to bind heavy burdens on others as a way of controlling those around them.
• Even into our time, so called ‘Christians’, verbally attack and abuse others in the name of ‘doctrinal purity’!

Obviously, the above list is just a short rundown, there are many more things that could be said in this regard.

I try to imagine my brother and Savior in the garden on the eve of his arrest, torture, and execution. He spends these final moments communing with his Father. He prays about the unity of his followers, knowing that some people will use his name to divide and hurt good people. He prays that his people will love each other with full understanding that some would distort his teachings into a message of hate and bigotry. He turned an instrument of torture and cruelty into the very symbol of peace and love, only to have future ‘disciples’ use the cross to justify all kinds of injustice.

The book of Hebrews tells us that Christ was willing to endure all of this because he looked forward to something with great joy!  I believe that even as Christ saw the terrible things that ‘Christians’ of the future would do, he also saw something else.  He saw that there would also be people that would appreciate his free gift!  He saw the people that would be healed by his message of reconciliation with the Father.  He saw that many people would come to know the inner peace that comes from knowing grace and mercy that only Christ could offer!

Ultimately, Christ was willing to go to that cross, suffer a cruel death, and be separated from his Father, because it was worth it!  I try to remember this as I do my best every day to follow in his footsteps.  I don’t know about you, but my path is often difficult and frustrating.  Many times I worry about my brethren, as I’m sure they worry for me.  I can’t count the times I’ve seen and heard brethren do terrible things in the name of my Christ! But I’ve also seen broken people healed by grace.  I’ve listened to people that have been lifted out of self destruction by Jesus’ message of self denial and love.  Every time I get down and feel like I can’t go on, my brother comes to me again and again and reminds me….it’s worth it.

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