Bearing Our Cross December 3
Mark 15:21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.
Matthew (16:24-26) and Luke (14:27) write of Jesus telling His followers that each must take up their cross and follow Him.
Bearing the cross of Jesus is not enduring the trials and tribulations inevitable in a secular world. The persecution for following Christ takes many forms, and this is the cross the Christian bears.
Matthew 10 provides an outline of some of the ways one might experience carrying the cross of Jesus. The chapter tells of Jesus sending out the twelve to carry the Gospel message. He goes into some detail as to the nature of the burden of the cross.
Jesus tells the disciples of what they are to do and how little they should carry with them (vss. 7-10), and how to respond when they are or are not received well (vss. 11-15). He warns them of persecutions (16-20) and family division (21-23). And He says the disciple should expect the same treatment as the Teacher (24-26). He continues with more good advice and warnings, including the enmity even of those in the same household (34-39).
The point is that Jesus’ followers are to carry His message, to spread the Gospel. Even though it is Good News, not all people will welcome them. There are people with vested interests in the way things now exist in the secular world.
Jesus is offering His followers a realistic view of their journey. Not every minute will feel like joy and freedom, but joy and freedom are the underlying states of being in every step forward.
Choosing or Chosen? December 4
Mark 15:21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.
Jesus chose His twelve disciples. Each accepted the call.
Roman authority chose Simon the Cyrene to bear Jesus’ cross. He had no choice.
Jesus is supposed to literally bear the cross to the place where He is to be executed. He is physically able to carry the burden only so far, and then another is forced to carry it forward.
This is a painful but short literal journey. Figuratively, Jesus had begun lifting the cross and shifting its weight to rest upon His shoulders from the beginning of His ministry. The cross has been an unrelenting burden, but one that He has chosen.
Jesus’ earthly ministry is shortened by physical death, the reality of all mortal beings. His work can be continued only by those who pick up His cross, His message, and spread the Word outward.
Christians bear the cross from the time they are born from above, undergoing the trials of being faithful to their new calling, as in Matthew 10. The cross we are to bear is loss - if it can be counted as loss rather than the gain of which Paul speaks in Philippians 3:7. We change perspective and priorities, and then bear the change in attitude of those who depended on us being secular and part of their culture.
Every person is chosen to be saved, but not all will choose to be saved (e.g., Satan). The spiritual cross cannot be chosen for us, but each person must choose it for themselves.
Golgotha December 5
Mark 15:22 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.
Golgotha is a knoll shaped like a skull. The name is from the Hebrew word for skull or head, Strong’s H1538, gulgoleth. Luke 23:33 uses the Latin word for skull, Calvary (calvaria). The name seems appropriate for a place of execution.
Perhaps there is a bit of imagery here from Genesis 3:15: “…He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” The seed of the woman will bruise (the serpent’s) head – the vertical piece of the cross delivering a fatal blow into the skull – and the serpent will bruise (the seed’s) heel – deliver a non-fatal blow of physical but not spiritual death.
Mark does not mention John’s cry from Jesus, “I thirst,” but wine mingled with myrrh is given Him to drink. Perhaps this was a merciful custom based on Proverbs 31:6,
“Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to those who are bitter of heart.
7 Let him drink and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.”
Jesus refuses the drink. He has no bitterness of heart, and He does not choose to forget His poverty or pain.
We are squeezed into life in a cry of pain, and life at the end is squeezed from us. We seek to avoid death, and particularly the pain often associated with death.
Pain and death are part of the definition of life, and Jesus does not hide from them. He bears both of these to the fullest that He will be able to have compassion to the fullest.
Crucified December 6
Mark 15:24 And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take. 25 Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.
Like every human, Jesus entered the world with no possessions other than His identity, and He leaves with no possessions other than His identity. This is a truth for each of us concerning our own condition.
Mark includes the scene of His executioners casting lots for His clothing, His only possession, a reference to Psalm 22:16-18. The winner’s reward is small.
Jesus had been in front of Pilate ay the sixth hour of the day according to John 19:14. John is using Roman time with the day starting at midnight, so the sixth hour is 6 A.M.
Mark 15:25 states that Jesus was crucified at the third hour of the day. The Jewish day began at 6 A.M. making the Crucifixion at 9 A.M.
The simplicity of the statement, “and they crucified Him,” is given no further elaboration until Jesus’ final moments six hours later. It is as though Mark, or Peter, or whatever witness is telling the story, cannot bear to look at the scene.
Executions require witnesses. Mark’s source does not choose to suffer through Jesus’ ordeal any more than the disciples who ran away hours ago.
Jesus suffers before the crowd. He is alone except for the attendant women and John. In His final moment, as with us all, Jesus’ only companion when he crosses over is God.
King of the Jews December 7
Mark 15:26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
The whole of the Crucifixion is told very succinctly by Mark. All but two of the first 40 verses of Chapter 15 begin with Greek words that can be translated as “And.” (Verses 30 and 32 are spoken by those passing near and by the priests.) Events move relentlessly and painfully toward death.
We feel the barbs of others’ comments amidst the brutal pain of the execution’s torture. Those whom He would save show no mercy toward Him.
Posted with Him on the cross is the title conferred upon Him a title to mock the beaten and dying Man: “The King of the Jews.” The inscription implies a Roman triumph and a Jewish defeat.
There is more to the title. The religious leaders condemned Jesus for saying He was the Son of God. The Roman authorities condemned Him for saying He was the King of the Jews.
Nathanael had testified to these two titles much earlier (John 1:49). But the titles were misunderstood by all, viewed from a physical secular perspective limited in time and space.
God had promised something greater. He had said of the Messiah, “…I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son…” (2 Sam. 7:13-14). The word “forever” allows us to see beyond the limited reign of the literal son of David, Solomon.
Psalm 2:2-7 affirms this understanding. In Psalm 110:1, David refers to “his son” as Lord. How can this be? Mark 12:35-37 and Matt 22:41-45 make the reference clear.
Our preconceived ideas of what constitutes reality limit us more than any stone walls.
Labels December 8
Mark 15:26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
The particular title conferred upon Jesus by mankind, as a convict and a blasphemer, or as a king and the Messiah, is less relevant than the character and identity of the human being.
We label people we understand only in part. The label is a short-cut to identity, but much of the scenery is cut from view by this quick route to journey’s end.
We each reveal our identity only in part. Each person hides behind an acceptable façade, charges forth with bluster that allows no criticism, or takes another tack to hide areas of vulnerability.
How many agape Christian loves, or phileo brotherly loves, or other close bonds, do we miss because of hasty classification of a person as “other than us?”
Jesus confronts people with a loving desire to lead them into God’s kingdom. He wants even those He chastises to find the door and enter.
When defenses go up against another person because of their classification as “other,” we lose the opportunity to learn from them. We also close the door on their opportunity to learn from us.
Jesus’ enemies label Him and sentence Him from the narrow perspective of “not us.” Indeed, “not like us” is accurate, and we benefit by learning the ways in which He is not like us.
His identity as part of the Trinity and the Creator of the universe confers upon Him many titles. Like facets on a diamond, each reveals important characteristics that are part of His whole identity.
A Transgressor December 9
Mark 15:27 With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. 28 So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.”
Jesus on the cross on the eve of the Passover is the sacrificial lamb. As the symbolic lamb offered before achieving freedom so many generations ago, a new sacrifice is being made to open the pathway to freedom.
Isaiah 53, referenced in verse 28, is the description of the Messiah that no one desired, a portrait of the unlikely Savior. This is the Savior promised, but not the One desired.
God says of His people in Isaiah 54:7, “For a mere moment I have forsaken you (let you loose), But with great mercies I will gather you.”
The guilty have convicted Him for what they call blasphemy. He will die for shining light on the darkness of their teaching.
The oppressors have convicted Him of what they call rebellion. He will die for peacefully speaking truth to power.
Jesus has been criticized for associating with the “whosoevers,” the “not us” people on the fringes of the acceptable world.
Indeed, Jesus has transgressed the laws made by a power structure whose foundation is rooted in the shifting sands of a cultural identity rather than a divine identity. The foundation of the cross is a rock holding firm forever.
Next day
Mark 15:21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.
Matthew (16:24-26) and Luke (14:27) write of Jesus telling His followers that each must take up their cross and follow Him.
Bearing the cross of Jesus is not enduring the trials and tribulations inevitable in a secular world. The persecution for following Christ takes many forms, and this is the cross the Christian bears.
Matthew 10 provides an outline of some of the ways one might experience carrying the cross of Jesus. The chapter tells of Jesus sending out the twelve to carry the Gospel message. He goes into some detail as to the nature of the burden of the cross.
Jesus tells the disciples of what they are to do and how little they should carry with them (vss. 7-10), and how to respond when they are or are not received well (vss. 11-15). He warns them of persecutions (16-20) and family division (21-23). And He says the disciple should expect the same treatment as the Teacher (24-26). He continues with more good advice and warnings, including the enmity even of those in the same household (34-39).
The point is that Jesus’ followers are to carry His message, to spread the Gospel. Even though it is Good News, not all people will welcome them. There are people with vested interests in the way things now exist in the secular world.
Jesus is offering His followers a realistic view of their journey. Not every minute will feel like joy and freedom, but joy and freedom are the underlying states of being in every step forward.
Choosing or Chosen? December 4
Mark 15:21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.
Jesus chose His twelve disciples. Each accepted the call.
Roman authority chose Simon the Cyrene to bear Jesus’ cross. He had no choice.
Jesus is supposed to literally bear the cross to the place where He is to be executed. He is physically able to carry the burden only so far, and then another is forced to carry it forward.
This is a painful but short literal journey. Figuratively, Jesus had begun lifting the cross and shifting its weight to rest upon His shoulders from the beginning of His ministry. The cross has been an unrelenting burden, but one that He has chosen.
Jesus’ earthly ministry is shortened by physical death, the reality of all mortal beings. His work can be continued only by those who pick up His cross, His message, and spread the Word outward.
Christians bear the cross from the time they are born from above, undergoing the trials of being faithful to their new calling, as in Matthew 10. The cross we are to bear is loss - if it can be counted as loss rather than the gain of which Paul speaks in Philippians 3:7. We change perspective and priorities, and then bear the change in attitude of those who depended on us being secular and part of their culture.
Every person is chosen to be saved, but not all will choose to be saved (e.g., Satan). The spiritual cross cannot be chosen for us, but each person must choose it for themselves.
Golgotha December 5
Mark 15:22 And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull. 23 Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.
Golgotha is a knoll shaped like a skull. The name is from the Hebrew word for skull or head, Strong’s H1538, gulgoleth. Luke 23:33 uses the Latin word for skull, Calvary (calvaria). The name seems appropriate for a place of execution.
Perhaps there is a bit of imagery here from Genesis 3:15: “…He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” The seed of the woman will bruise (the serpent’s) head – the vertical piece of the cross delivering a fatal blow into the skull – and the serpent will bruise (the seed’s) heel – deliver a non-fatal blow of physical but not spiritual death.
Mark does not mention John’s cry from Jesus, “I thirst,” but wine mingled with myrrh is given Him to drink. Perhaps this was a merciful custom based on Proverbs 31:6,
“Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
And wine to those who are bitter of heart.
7 Let him drink and forget his poverty,
And remember his misery no more.”
Jesus refuses the drink. He has no bitterness of heart, and He does not choose to forget His poverty or pain.
We are squeezed into life in a cry of pain, and life at the end is squeezed from us. We seek to avoid death, and particularly the pain often associated with death.
Pain and death are part of the definition of life, and Jesus does not hide from them. He bears both of these to the fullest that He will be able to have compassion to the fullest.
Crucified December 6
Mark 15:24 And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take. 25 Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.
Like every human, Jesus entered the world with no possessions other than His identity, and He leaves with no possessions other than His identity. This is a truth for each of us concerning our own condition.
Mark includes the scene of His executioners casting lots for His clothing, His only possession, a reference to Psalm 22:16-18. The winner’s reward is small.
Jesus had been in front of Pilate ay the sixth hour of the day according to John 19:14. John is using Roman time with the day starting at midnight, so the sixth hour is 6 A.M.
Mark 15:25 states that Jesus was crucified at the third hour of the day. The Jewish day began at 6 A.M. making the Crucifixion at 9 A.M.
The simplicity of the statement, “and they crucified Him,” is given no further elaboration until Jesus’ final moments six hours later. It is as though Mark, or Peter, or whatever witness is telling the story, cannot bear to look at the scene.
Executions require witnesses. Mark’s source does not choose to suffer through Jesus’ ordeal any more than the disciples who ran away hours ago.
Jesus suffers before the crowd. He is alone except for the attendant women and John. In His final moment, as with us all, Jesus’ only companion when he crosses over is God.
King of the Jews December 7
Mark 15:26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
The whole of the Crucifixion is told very succinctly by Mark. All but two of the first 40 verses of Chapter 15 begin with Greek words that can be translated as “And.” (Verses 30 and 32 are spoken by those passing near and by the priests.) Events move relentlessly and painfully toward death.
We feel the barbs of others’ comments amidst the brutal pain of the execution’s torture. Those whom He would save show no mercy toward Him.
Posted with Him on the cross is the title conferred upon Him a title to mock the beaten and dying Man: “The King of the Jews.” The inscription implies a Roman triumph and a Jewish defeat.
There is more to the title. The religious leaders condemned Jesus for saying He was the Son of God. The Roman authorities condemned Him for saying He was the King of the Jews.
Nathanael had testified to these two titles much earlier (John 1:49). But the titles were misunderstood by all, viewed from a physical secular perspective limited in time and space.
God had promised something greater. He had said of the Messiah, “…I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son…” (2 Sam. 7:13-14). The word “forever” allows us to see beyond the limited reign of the literal son of David, Solomon.
Psalm 2:2-7 affirms this understanding. In Psalm 110:1, David refers to “his son” as Lord. How can this be? Mark 12:35-37 and Matt 22:41-45 make the reference clear.
Our preconceived ideas of what constitutes reality limit us more than any stone walls.
Labels December 8
Mark 15:26 And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
The particular title conferred upon Jesus by mankind, as a convict and a blasphemer, or as a king and the Messiah, is less relevant than the character and identity of the human being.
We label people we understand only in part. The label is a short-cut to identity, but much of the scenery is cut from view by this quick route to journey’s end.
We each reveal our identity only in part. Each person hides behind an acceptable façade, charges forth with bluster that allows no criticism, or takes another tack to hide areas of vulnerability.
How many agape Christian loves, or phileo brotherly loves, or other close bonds, do we miss because of hasty classification of a person as “other than us?”
Jesus confronts people with a loving desire to lead them into God’s kingdom. He wants even those He chastises to find the door and enter.
When defenses go up against another person because of their classification as “other,” we lose the opportunity to learn from them. We also close the door on their opportunity to learn from us.
Jesus’ enemies label Him and sentence Him from the narrow perspective of “not us.” Indeed, “not like us” is accurate, and we benefit by learning the ways in which He is not like us.
His identity as part of the Trinity and the Creator of the universe confers upon Him many titles. Like facets on a diamond, each reveals important characteristics that are part of His whole identity.
A Transgressor December 9
Mark 15:27 With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left. 28 So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And He was numbered with the transgressors.”
Jesus on the cross on the eve of the Passover is the sacrificial lamb. As the symbolic lamb offered before achieving freedom so many generations ago, a new sacrifice is being made to open the pathway to freedom.
Isaiah 53, referenced in verse 28, is the description of the Messiah that no one desired, a portrait of the unlikely Savior. This is the Savior promised, but not the One desired.
God says of His people in Isaiah 54:7, “For a mere moment I have forsaken you (let you loose), But with great mercies I will gather you.”
The guilty have convicted Him for what they call blasphemy. He will die for shining light on the darkness of their teaching.
The oppressors have convicted Him of what they call rebellion. He will die for peacefully speaking truth to power.
Jesus has been criticized for associating with the “whosoevers,” the “not us” people on the fringes of the acceptable world.
Indeed, Jesus has transgressed the laws made by a power structure whose foundation is rooted in the shifting sands of a cultural identity rather than a divine identity. The foundation of the cross is a rock holding firm forever.
Next day