Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" They answered, "John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered, "The Messiah of God." He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, saying, "The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised." Then he said to them all, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? Luke 9:18-25
Most of us will do almost anything to avoid suffering. As one who lives - daily - with arthritis, I am acquainted with pain, and I try hard to get rid of it. In the gospel reading from Luke, Jesus reminds us that knowing who he is - The Messiah of God - and having faith in him, as the disciples did, will not exclude either himself or his disciples from suffering. He even tells them that he will be rejected, killed, and on the third day be raised.
Yet, his suffering will be followed by the suffering of those who follow him. In the future, all of the disciples will suffer enormously for their commitment to Christ. All of them, save one, will be martyred for their faith.
Jesus calls them to a commitment that is detached from circumstances, comfort, and knowledge of what is in store for the days following. His call is in the form of the verbs: deny yourself, take up your cross, follow me. These verbs are commands that should be a part of every Christian's daily life.
The ashes we had rubbed on our heads yesterday are most likely gone. Yet the life of following Christ will always be present and lead us to a future that is described by Jesus' words - to save our lives, we must lose our lives, and to lose our lives for the sake of Jesus is to save it.
Pray for our will to be God's will, and to do what we do according to the way that Jesus would do it, and do what we do according to His will for the singular purpose of Glorifying God.
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