He Has Borne Your Cross

"And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha" (John 19: 17)

The three Synoptic Gospels, Jesus told the Israelites of his day the following regarding "take up your cross":

"Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me." (Mark 10: 21)

That "one thing" turned into "give me everything", yet Jesus did not expect the man to give up all his worldly possessions, but rather recognize that the rich man for all his wealth was dead in his trespasses, and therefore had nothing to give, but had to receive from Jesus.

"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?

"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." (Matthew 16: 24-27)

Losing and gaining our life has to do with our soul, and our souls will prosper to the degree that we walk in the Truth (3 John 2-4). As Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, once again we find Jesus pressing his Jewish hearers with the full demands of the Law, if they insist on trying to being Jesus' disciple.

But He has called us to more than that :

"[God has] predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will." (Ephesians 1:5)

"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

"And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14: 26-27)

Once again, we must rightly divide the Word of God, and acknowledge that Jesus was pressing on his hearers that if they wanted to be his disciple, they would have to give up everything, including their own life -- such a demand is impossible for man to fulfill.

And that's the point. The law brings us to the end of ourselves (Romans 3: 19-20) that we may by grace through faith believe on Christ Jesus and Him Crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2)

Do not think that you must  "take up a cross" for Jesus -- for He has done it for you!