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Put Wheels on Your Cross & Follow Me
The picture of carrying the cross of Christ with wheels on it shows the biblical ignorance of those who attempt this so called “evangelistic effort”. The text on which they base their “righteous act” does not even say what they think it does. In Luke 9:23 Jesus said, “If any man desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.” Question: Whose cross are you to take up daily? The “cross-bearers” misread this text to say Jesus cross, but in all actuality it is their own cross? If we were more careful students of the Bible we could understand this text teaches each one of us to bear the difficulties of life and follow Jesus whole-heartedly. The picture of carrying your cross with wheels on it establishes the fact that if you can make Christianity comfortable, then take up your cross and follow Jesus. I wonder just how many people would volunteer to drag a 100-200 pound cross without any wheels on it across the country. Not many, if any would be willing to do that today. Why not? Because of the unbearable difficulty of the task. This is the point Jesus is trying to make. Taking up your cross to follow Jesus implies that we are willing to bear the things that make life difficult and follow Jesus anyway. The picture of carrying your cross throughout the country with wheels on it smacks with arrogance and a need for attention. Carrying the cross was not something Jesus did so everyone could see Him. In fact, Jesus strongly condemned doing good works to be seen by other people (Matt. 6:1-7). Why don’t you ever hear about any of these so called “cross bearers” rolling their cross down a lonely dusty road where no one can see them? Carrying one’s cross is not about being seen by others, it is about faithfully following the Savior through the difficulties of life. Dear friend, carrying your cross through life is not a matter of wheeling plastic beams across the country; it is a very serious matter of living the Christian life in spite of the struggles we might face. May God help each of us never to ridicule our cross and His Son’s in such an irreverent way. Remember, Jesus really said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt 16:24). |
There’s
something wrong with this picture. Can you tell what it is? If this picture
were true to the Word of God Jesus would have said this in Luke 9:23: “If any
man desires to come after me, let him deny himself, put wheels on his cross and
gently roll it after me.” The above picture does not at all embody the true
teaching of Jesus in Luke 9:23. In fact, I believe it does great damage to
what Jesus was saying and what it really means to be a Christian. Allow me to
explain.