“Cross: Self Emptying Love”

Today, we will look at a profound lesson Jesus shared with his disciples on their journey to Jerusalem. In the previous paragraph, Jesus had just thrown a crucial question at them: “Who do you say I am?” To this, Peter confessed, “You’re the Messiah, the Son of God,” and Jesus praised him for that.

But then the plot gets heavier. That’s where our text begins. Jesus drops a bombshell about how he is destined for suffering, rejection, and even death, and that he will rise again on the third day. Peter, however, rebuked Jesus; we don’t know how he scolded him; perhaps he protested, “Lord, that can’t happen to you! It’s just not right.” At that moment, Peter thought Jesus was wrong, and he was right. He couldn’t handle the idea of a suffering Messiah because he was supposed to be a triumphant Messiah. Jesus’ words shook him up.

In response to Peter’s anger, Jesus responds with a firm, “Get behind me, Satan!, I am not that sort of Messiah!!” Your minds are not on divine things but on human things.” In challenging his teacher, Peter unintentionally joins himself with the wrong team. He becomes like a player on the opposite side of the field, hindering the real game plan. Jesus reveals that, like Abraham, he trusted God’s power and was willing to endure suffering and die on the cross. The cross symbolises the way of Jesus, which is costly life-giving. It shows us the truth about God and life, and it transforms death into new life.

Taking up our cross and following Jesus is a demanding request. The very word ‘cross’ can feel burdensome or unappealing to us as we follow Christ. Perhaps we, like Peter, are more drawn to the idea of a triumphant Messiah than a suffering one. Was Peter so wrong?

When our human desires drive us to focus more on our group, our position, our needs, or our voice, the gospel calls us to lay what is ours aside for the sake of others. This is the selflessness and inclusivity of the gospel, reflecting the values of the kingdom of God. The gospel of Jesus teaches us that our most intimate relationships flourish when we seek to love and serve more than we seek to be loved and served.

True life can be found in giving ourselves, sacrificing our own longings and aspirations, and losing ourselves in service of others. This is the message that Jesus lived and preached and called his disciples to embrace.

Jesus’ call to ‘Take up your cross and follow me’ is tough. At any given time, the choices will be challenging, requiring both selfless sacrifice and inclusivity. However, as we give ourselves over to the values of God’s kingdom, we will not only bring justice, grace, and peace to others but also find it for ourselves—the gospel of the cross.

On this second Sunday of Lent, if we were to depict the season of Lent with one image, it would be ‘Christ’ facing the ‘cross.’

Lent reminds us of what it means to take up our own cross. First, we look to the cross of Jesus and how he suffered. We are reminded not to look for success and status but to see the image of God in humility. We are reminded that we are to love until we become vessels for God’s love for us and, through us, God’s love for others. We are reminded not to fear failure and death as our final destination but to trust that the love we are given will take us home.