Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - March 16/59

Contributor - Rev. H. Opperman

Title - Good Friday - Carrying the Cross

Topic - Crucifixion

(Mark 15:21)

"His blood be upon us, and on our children," yelled the Jews. So Pilate released Barabbas, "But Jesus he scourged and delivered to be crucified". The scourging many times brought death to its victim; however, not this time, for the cross still awaited its opportunity to inflict its horror. The scourging completed, to the satisfaction of the soldiers and anyone who might look on His back; Jesus Christ the Son of God was paraded through the streets of Jerusalem with the cross on the torn flesh of His back, the same as any notorious criminal worthy of death. The cross on His back was like a billboard proclaiming to all His grave crime and its sentence. The beating had been miscalculated, for Christ was to carry the instrument of death to the hill - His strength was not sufficient for the task, and down He went, the burden following as if to crush Him.

The Roman Centurion puzzled, "What is to be done?" For he could see no reason why he or his soldiers should carry the offensive burden since they were Romans. Simeon happened to pass at that particular moment; he never succeeded in getting beyond the centurion who pressed him into service bearing the cross of Christ. It must have been a degrading experience to carry a cross as if he were a criminal. By that act he was dishonored in the eyes of all who saw him. He was like Christ, bearing a cross of shame.

We bear a cross. Not the cross of Christ's penalty for the sins of the whole world, but our cross of shame for the sake of Christ. If we bear reproach because we are Christians and because we live as Christians, then we, like Simeon, bear the cross of Christ. We are dishonored by the world for His sake. According to the world we are considered gullible, ignorant, superstitious, fools. They say, "to believe in the dead corpse of the world's greatest liar (for He claimed to be God Himself) as the person to save your soul from death, is sheer madness!" Even to obey God rather than our own desires is considered as out-of-date as the enforced nine-o'clock curfew.

Shall we refuse to bear the burden of scorn? Then we would be like the world. men (who) loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." John 3 :19. We would be as the bats who seek the dark recesses of the world. It is their nature to love darkness rather than light. This fact is demonstrated when light shines among them, for they flee from light as though it would murder them. We are not as the world, but God's dear children; so we cannot deny the cross. We ought to be willing to suffer for Christ's sake as He was willing to suffer for our sakes. Let us, along with the Apostle Paul say, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. . ." Gal. 6 :14.

Carry the cross proudly, for Christ's sake.

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