I. Introduction
Is being a Christian supposed to be a joy or a burden? Is being a Christian supposed to be something that brightens our life or weigh us down? Some people think that being a Christian means it creates a heavy burden and weighs them down. I want to show you today that that is not true.
But I can understand why people might think that. Some Christians are weighed down by the duties they think they need to carry out as Christians, that they do seem kind of unhappy about being a Christian.
Another reason people might think it’s a burden to be a Christian are some words that Jesus said.
These are part of what has been called the “hard sayings” of Jesus, … or paradoxical sayings of Jesus - and they are usually related to the idea of being a disciple of Jesus Christ’s. And today we want to look at one of the hardest sayings on discipleship.
Let’s turn to Luke 9:23-26. [Read.]
“Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.’”
When most people first read these verses, they are taken aback and make them shrink from wanting to follow Jesus. Yet, I want to explain this passage and show it is not as negative as people might usually think.
What Jesus is saying here can be described in the form of four general principles for life and they all involve what we would call “tradeoffs” – giving up something in order to gain something else.
The first one is that …
II. The Principle of Tradeoffs in Life
A. Some things need to be denied in order for other things to be gained
In this passage Jesus says that we must deny ourselves in order to gain some other things.
What does he mean?
Well, one example is that we have to deny our time to some things in order to gain other things. If you want to pursue a certain career, you have to deny yourself time to be spend on other things in order to devote yourself to the pursuit of that career. You are denying yourself certain other uses of that time, such as traveling the world, or starting a family, or even dating in some cases, in order for you to gain something else.
When Jesus told his disciples that they must deny themselves, he was saying they must deny some thing that are important to them, such as time, such as energy, such as other pursuits, even money, in order to follow him.
That as a disciple of Christ’s, they will need to give up certain things in order to follow him, learn from him, understand him, ask him questions, and other things.
There are some things that we must not do in order to be with him.
Isn’t that true for couples when they date?
When they date, they need to block off that time for other things, in order to spend time with someone else.
Isn’t the same also true for raising kids or for a marriage?
But don’t think only of what is denied – that will only make you feel you are cheated out of something – instead, think of what you are choosing to gain.
You are choosing to gain a wonderful time to get to know your date. You are choosing to spend time with your kids, you are choosing to spend time with your spouse.
You are giving up something, yes, but it is because you think you will obtain something else better to make it worthwhile.
And the same with Jesus Christ. When we give our time to him, when we do certain things with him, that can be seen as not doing something else, and perhaps others will wonder why we are giving that up. But in our mind, we don’t see it as a loss, we see it as a gain. We are gaining a sense of peace, a sense of purpose, a sense of closeness, a sense of wisdom when we spend time with Christ.
There are times when you just can’t have both – doing two things at the same time – like working and going on a date – if you try that, perhaps because you have a lot of work or perhaps you want to spend time with someone, you will wind up not getting much work done and you will not be enjoying your time with that special person. You lose out on both. Whereas if you gave up one - for that time - you will gain something. And then you can come back and take care of the other thing. But one thing at a time, that’s another way for us to put this principle.
And Jesus says you must deny yourself because in truth we usually have to give up something that is quite important and valuable to us if we are to gain something of even more worth.
Definitely something of worth was winning the Super Bowl last week. Congratulations to you Steelers’ fans. Your team played a great game and so did the Cardinals, and it came down to one final brilliant play which made the Steelers the winners.
But for the players on the Super Bowl, they had to sacrifice much last week. The players had to give up being with their family for that week as they prepared for the big game. Some teams actually put all the players in a hotel separate from their families, so there are no distractions and the focus is just on preparing for the game.
But the players were willing to deny themselves and the times they could have with their children, their girl friend, their wives, their friends, in order to attempt to gain something else. And then when the game is over, the players can return and be reunited with their loved ones.
This is why when some people asked if they could follow Jesus, Jesus gave them rather harsh answers by our standards. To one person who wanted to bury his father before following Jesus, Jesus said, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God” (Lk. 9:60).
Doesn’t that sound harsh? Someone’s father just died, and the man can’t even go back to bury his father? Doesn’t sound very compassionate.
But you know what? When there is a Super Bowl game coming up that week, if a player or coach’s parents died, they will probably not go home either to bury their parents, until after the game is over.
In fact, we read about that all the time. The players would say, “My father or my mother would want me to play the game, and then go back home.” So, they stay until the game is over.
Even President Obama, when his grandmother died just 2 days before the election, he did not return home to HI immediately, but waited until after the election was over.
Why? There are some things - just a few things - that are so important and timely, that we really have to put everything else on hold until we take care of that one thing. There are times when that one thing even takes priority over our beloved family members.
That’s what Jesus is saying here. He is not saying you should not love your parents. He is not saying ignore them or forget about them. So, don’t use this as an excuse to not love your parents. But Jesus is saying there are times when what I am calling you to do is so important, that you have to put that above other things that normally would receive much attention.
There is a tradeoff of time and priorities here. Some things may never come this way again, if you don’t take advantage of the opportunity now. And for some, that includes following Jesus. (It doesn’t mean we can’t follow Jesus at some later point, but it does show that something else to you is more important than Jesus.)
Another principle of life from this passage is that …
B. Some things need to be lost in order for other things to be found
Jesus said you must lose your life for him – you must lose what is very precious to you - in order to find your life.
What could he mean here?
One example of this is the familiar immigrant story which many of us here have experienced.
Many of you here, or your parents, left your homeland, the country of your birth, in order to come to the US.
In many of your cases: you, and more so your parents - struggled mightily on two fronts.
They had to struggle mightily with the emotions of leaving their homeland – a deep sadness in saying goodbye.
And they had to struggle mightily to adjust to life in the US – learning about a new culture, a new language, and a new way of life.
They lost a lot – their homes, their families left behind, their friends, and their work – in order to attempt to find a better life here.
What were they doing? They were acting like disciples, willing to leave one set of teaching and trying to follow a new set of teaching.
Did they know what they were getting into? No, probably not really. They had many hopes. They had faith. But they didn’t know for sure what was going to happen. They were like the disciples who followed Jesus.
But they all followed - believing something good and better would come from their journey than not making the journey in the first place.
They were willing to lose certain things in order to find other things.
A novel titled A Free Life, was written in 2007 by a Chinese author about a fictional man named Nan Wu from China. This man Nan Wu left China and gave up a job, a salary, housing and medical care there, in order to come to the US where he had to work very hard in a restaurant and being a night watchman. Why does he do this? Because of his hope in something better.
At the end of the book, A Free Life concludes with this poem:
“You must go there, quietly.
Leave behind what you still cherish.
Once you enter than domain,
A path of flowers will open before your feet.”
Nan Wu was willing to leave behind what he still cherished in order to find something better.
And that is what we do as disciples of Jesus Christ.
The third principle of life is …
C. Some things need to be carried in order for other things to be received
Jesus calls his disciples to carry their own cross.
Notice that Jesus doesn’t say they must carry his cross – no one can carry the cross of Jesus to die to save someone from their sins for eternity. At best, we can save someone from dying for a period of time, but eventually that person will still die.
But Jesus is calling his disciples to carry their own cross daily and follow him. What does that mean?
Well, this verse tells us three things about the cross.
1. First, it is personal – it is your own cross; it is not a physical cross like Jesus’ cross. And by being personal it also means it is different from what other disciples’ have to carry, so don’t compare what you have to carry with what other Christian’s have to carry
2. Second, it has a degree of difficulty – there is a tough aspect to it. Not all of it is tough, some of it will give you joy, but there is one part of it that is tough. That’s why it’s called a “cross.”
3. Third, it is daily – it must be carried daily
4. Fourth, it is for Jesus – we carry it to follow Jesus
So, my definition of “cross” is: “Whatever is required of you personally, with some difficulty, daily, to follow Jesus.”
Let me give you an example of this.
In the NT, Peter was called as a fisherman to become a disciple. But he had a different mission or cross to carry, if you will, then the other disciples. Jesus said Peter was to be the leader of the church, the Rock upon which he will build his church.
Peter liked the sound of being a leader and the authority that comes with it, but not so much the responsibility.
So, when it came time for Peter to stand and defend Jesus as Jesus was tried before the Pharisees and the high priests, Peter backed out. He didn’t want to carry that cross – and certainly didn’t want to carry it that day when Jesus was put on trial.
But Jesus would not let Peter go.
So, after Jesus was raised to life, Jesus appeared to Peter and told him to feed his sheep, meaning to lead and care for the church.
Then Jesus added more words about Peter’s future.
Jesus said to Peter in Jn. 21:8, “I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, ‘Follow me!’”
But Peter still had more questions. It still sounded as if Peter had a larger cross to carry than other disciples.
So, we read next: “20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved [John] was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is going to betray you?’) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’ 22 Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.’”
You see, Peter was wondering why he had to carry a larger, heavier cross than John the apostle.
And all Jesus said was “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”
In other words, if John were to carry a cross, a responsibility, a mission, that didn’t result in the same kind of death or as long as a life or as much responsibility as Peter did – what is to us?
Why should we compare our crosses – we should simply carry what belongs to us to follow Jesus.
And anyone who looked at Peter now would know he is indeed a follower of Jesus because he is carrying on the work of being a human leader of the church in Jerusalem.
So, you see, for Peter, being the leader of the church was his own cross, which he needed to carry daily, and not stop carrying it because he didn’t like the responsibilities of a particular day, but to continue, because that is his specific responsibility given to him as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
That was his cross. (Paul’s mission to the Gentiles is his cross, note what Jesus said about him in Acts 9:15, “This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.” (16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.)”
And other disciples’ had their own cross to carry.
Some would serve as deacons, some would serve as elders, some would serve as witnesses in Jerusalem, others in Samaria, and others to other nations. Some would serve to those who were prisoners, some would serve the poor, some would serve the men, or women or children.
Whatever it was, it was personal and it had to be daily and by carrying it, it showed that we are disciples of Christ.
That is your cross too.
God has given you something specific to you to carry to show the world that you are his disciple. And you don’t have to be only a minister or missionary in order to have it.
Perhaps for you it is to have a certain kind of business that shows you are a Christian. Or perhaps it is to work with a particular group of people. Or perhaps it is to carry a certain kind of handicap and limitation but witness to people that you are a disciple of Christ. Whatever it is, you know it is an assignment given to you by Christ.
Christiana Tsai was a Christian woman who developed an eye disease that made it impossible for her to see light directly and was virtually blind. She had to wear very dark glasses.
Yet, she did not withdraw into her own room and say how tough she has it. No, she used her limitation to share with all who came to visit her that she is a disciple of Jesus Christ. She wrote about her life. She wrote about Christ helping her in her weakness and limitation and she became a witness for Christ.
That was her cross. It was not just being blind – people can become blind but not do something for Christ with it. Christiana Tsai used her blindness as her way to show she is a disciple of Christ. That was her cross which she bore every day to follow Jesus Christ.
So, to carry a cross daily doesn’t mean just having a handicap or a tough life or no money or burden or a difficult marriage or an illness or other losses in our lives, but it is to carry it in such a way to show that we are followers of Jesus Christ. That is carrying our cross daily to follow him.
That is the difference between something that is simply a burden versus something that is a cross. Does this help you understand?
In the earlier years of my following Christ, I think my cross was to become a minister among the English-speaking Chinese people. And that remains so today. It is what I believe Christ personally called me to do on a daily basis.
I think in these last few years, in addition to that cross, a new cross I’ve carried is my cancer and bearing witness to others about how Christ helped me in my cancer and I still stand strong with his grace. I am not just a cancer survivor, there are many that are that, but I am a cancer survivor who speaks about how Christ helped me in my cancer.
As I’ve told people, the cancer is an evil thing – like the cross – a symbol of death - but for me, through the grace of God, everything that has happened around the cancer has been a good thing, an occasion to see and experience the wonderful grace of God.
So, all of us who are disciples of Christ should ask what is my cross that I am called to carry to show that I am a follower of Christ. (A certain determination and resolution)
And the interesting thing is that this cross that Christ calls to will actually help us to receive certain graces from him. That is what I mean by there are some things we need to carry in order to receive other things. Without the cancer, I would not have experienced nor received so much of the support, amazing healing and recovery, evidence of God’s grace, closeness with God and people and family that I have now received.
The cross we are called to carry is in fact also the source of much good things that we can receive.
The fourth principle of life that we see from this passage is …
D. Some things need to “die” in order for other things to live
We see this when Jesus said, “whoever loses his life for me will save it.”
Certain things must “die” (quote, unquote) in order for other things to live. This death though doesn’t necessarily have to a physical death, like us dying with our final breath of our life, but it could be something like giving up what is precious and self-important to me.
One example of this was from last week when we had Communion. I explained that in order for us to drink the juice and eat the bread, the grapes must be crushed to give up its juice and the grain must be grounded into flour in order go give us the bread.
There must be death to grapes and grain in order for us to obtain life from them. If they are not killed or die, we cannot get life from them.
The same with the meat we eat or the eggs we eat. Some life is lost in order to provide life for others.
It is true for cells in our bodies too.
Cells should not live forever – they need to die at a certain programmed time.
When cells live forever or tries to live forever and not die – that is when we call them cancer cells.
These cells are trying to save themselves – they are thinking of themselves you can say, instead of thinking of the whole body - but the result is that they bring death to other cells and the body. And then they themselves must be destroyed through surgery, or chemo or radiation. “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it.”
But when they die, give up their life, then they actually allow other new cells to live and take their place and the organism can continue to live. “Whoever loses his life will save it.”
And this death and life principle is true spiritually too.
When we give part of our life to Jesus, then that part lives for Jesus.
When we give him our time to sing for Jesus, then that time is filled with the life of Jesus.
When we give him our home to entertain strangers and friends, then that part is giving life to others.
When we give our abilities to serve Jesus, then that ability lives for Jesus. It doesn’t just live for me, it lives for Jesus.
When we tell our children how God loves us and them, then that part of them lives for Jesus.
When the woman poured out her precious ointment and anointed Jesus’ feet as an act of loving devotion, others scolded her for wasting money and this costly cream. But to her, she was willing to let the ointment flow out onto Jesus since it honored him and expressed just how deeply she was touched by his loving-kindness and his upcoming sacrifice.
She let some things “die” or considered to be “wasted” by others who didn’t understand in order to express her love and let the ointment go to the one who really deserved it.
When you give your money too to Jesus and his kingdom work, some may see it as a waste by those who don’t understand, but to you it is not a waste, it is not a death, it is your way to let others benefit from it and increase life in some other ways.
III. Conclusion
In conclusion, I want to say that people make tradeoffs all the time, even Christians, and in fact, this passage from Lk. 9 is Jesus speaking to Christians. Christians make tradeoffs of one thing in order to gain something else.
Jesus said that some Christians might not realize that by their actions and thinking they are gaining the world instead of gaining Christ in their life.
By the use of their time and resources, they are trying to gain more of the world than more of Christ. They are more disciples of the world than disciples of Christ. They are more concerned about gaining outward things instead of inward things – deep things about God and themselves.
And Christ warns them, “Don’t do it.” It is dangerous to your soul and your spirit to go down that path. It leads not to a path of flowers, but a field of thorns.
If you keep going down that path, it will worry you to death, it will trap you into thinking riches and pleasures are more to be desired than God, and it will choke your spiritual life. In the end, there will be no spiritual fruit that you can produce because you are attaching yourself to something that cannot produce spiritual character traits and benefits.
In the end, your spiritual life will wither and dry up.
However, in contrast to that, if you grab onto the life of following Christ, and following him through the carrying of your personally given cross, as paradoxical as it may sound, you will actually find yourself. You will be spiritually alive and when you are spiritually alive, all the great spiritual fruit will come to your life.
Some things do have to die in order for other things to live. Amen.
