The cross. What monumental significance this word has for Christians! But are we convinced of the relevance of the cross to our daily lives?
Certainly Christ Jesus' crucifixion and glorious triumph over death and the grave were unique to his mission. Taking up the cross, however, should not be construed as a single act of Jesus—or as something required of him alone. The First Epistle of Peter, in recounting Jesus' sacrifices for others, explains that the Master was "leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps." I Pet. 2:21. In fact, Jesus makes taking up the cross a prerequisite of Christian discipleship. He says, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23. If Christians are to make practical what the Apostle Paul called "the preaching of the cross," I Cor. 1:18. they must come to a precise understanding of what Jesus' command to take up the cross really means.
Since Jesus would not have demanded of his followers anything that he himself did not practice, we can look to the record of our Master's everyday life for the meaning of his command to take up the cross daily. An enlightened view of the Scriptural record shows that his was not a life of daily suffering. His was a life of love, a love that included but went beyond human affection. He lived and taught the spiritual love that brings to light the inherent oneness of all mankind, based on the oneness, or allness, of God, divine Love, and on man's unity with Him as His image and likeness.
