“Bear His Cross on His Back”
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Matthew 16:24–26
Jonathan Goforth, who spent many years as a missionary in China, recounted the story of two young Chinese men who lived in a neighboring province. They purchased copies of the New Testament from a bookseller and began to read the Word of God in their own language. When they came to the instruction of Jesus to take up the cross, they were not clear on what it meant. So following the instruction literally, they made crosses out of bamboo. The Chinese translation said to “bear his cross on his back,” and so they tied the crosses to their shoulders and carried them everywhere they went. Soon they were directed to the mission outpost in Liuchow where they were presented the gospel. When they understood that Christ had already taken the punishment for their sins on His back as He died on the cross, they trusted Him as their Saviour. Then they returned to their village to tell others the good news.
The cross bearing that God commands for us is not usually a literal demand, but a symbol of sacrifice. Those who are not willing to give up what they hold most dear cannot follow Jesus, because that is what He did, even before His death on the cross. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Anything we cling to more than Jesus will prevent us from walking in His footsteps.
Matthew 16:24–26
Jonathan Goforth, who spent many years as a missionary in China, recounted the story of two young Chinese men who lived in a neighboring province. They purchased copies of the New Testament from a bookseller and began to read the Word of God in their own language. When they came to the instruction of Jesus to take up the cross, they were not clear on what it meant. So following the instruction literally, they made crosses out of bamboo. The Chinese translation said to “bear his cross on his back,” and so they tied the crosses to their shoulders and carried them everywhere they went. Soon they were directed to the mission outpost in Liuchow where they were presented the gospel. When they understood that Christ had already taken the punishment for their sins on His back as He died on the cross, they trusted Him as their Saviour. Then they returned to their village to tell others the good news.
The cross bearing that God commands for us is not usually a literal demand, but a symbol of sacrifice. Those who are not willing to give up what they hold most dear cannot follow Jesus, because that is what He did, even before His death on the cross. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Anything we cling to more than Jesus will prevent us from walking in His footsteps.
Today’s Growth Principle:
It is impossible to follow Jesus and live as He did without first taking up the cross and dying to self.
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