Bible
Study: Zechariah 12, 10 to 11; 13, 1. Galatians 3, 26
to 29 and Luke 9, 18 to 24.
The Christian life is not an
easy life. To deny the existence of the Cross is to have a false notion of what
Christianity is all about. To even expect or demand the luxuries of this life
as a Christian is to show grave ignorance of who Jesus is. Indeed, to avoid the
daily crosses one must carry in other to follow Jesus is to create a false
religion in the name of Christianity. Any such religion that is against the
cross is against Jesus Christ and it is sad to say that many who call themselves
Christians today by their belief in the gospel of prosperity have become anti-suffering;
antichrists.
With the way we Christians
are going about our worship today, it seems we have forgotten that Jesus Christ
said his followers MUST deny themselves, take up their cross and come along. In
an age and time where Christians compete with the world in materialism,
self-denial or self-sacrifice has become such a rare virtue.
Dear friends, if enter a
building, and you do not find the Crucifix, then just know that no matter what
they call it, it is not a church. Any gathering that lacks the image of Christ
hanging on the cross at its centre is not a church. This is because you cannot
take Christ away from the cross. It is like trying to separate light from the
sun. Impossible! If you are ashamed of placing the crucifix in what you call church
because of what it represents, because it is an image of shame, pain, sweat,
tears, anguish, sorrow and blood, are you better than the
Jews for whom it is a stumbling block or the Gentiles for whom it is folly? (1st Corinthians
1, 23.)
In other to reveal his true
identity to the Apostles, Jesus began by asking them what were other people’s
opinion of him and when they answered, he proceeded to ask them their own
opinion. Only Peter answered correctly saying, “You are THE CHRIST of God.” The
word “Christ” means “Messiah” and there is no way Jesus could be said to be a
Messiah without the Cross. In other words, what Peter was basically saying is “You
are the one who will die for us.” As we see in our first reading, when
Zachariah was prophesying about a Saviour that would come, he specifically mentions
the fact that he would be pierced and that people will mourn over him as for an
only son. That is to say, if Jesus was not pierced, if Jesus had not suffered,
he would not have deserved the title; “Messiah,” he would not have met the
criteria or become the fulfilment of the prophecies of old.
Just as suffering and being
pierced was essential to fulfilling the prophecies about Jesus, anyone who
calls himself a Christian cannot reject the aspect of being pierced also. Can you
be called a Hero if you have not achieved anything? Can you call yourself a
follower of Jesus if you lack self-denial or for instance, the self-discipline
to restrain from animalistic pursuit of pleasure? If you cannot afford to
suffer the pain, shame and ridicule of keeping your body as a temple of God
free from carnal defilements, if there is nothing in your life that sets you
apart from the worldly minded, then how dare you say you are a Christ-i-an???
Some Christians in their attempt
to reject the cross say that Jesus has already paid the price for our
redemption long ago and so, the cross is no longer relevant to us today. What
they do not realize is that Jesus Christ has not stopped being THE CHRIST. It
may be 2000 years ago that he died but at every mass, Christ continues to offer
himself to us in an unbloodied manner. Each time we “Do this in remembrance of
me”, each time we partake of Holy Communion at mass, Jesus’ sacrifice on the
Cross continues.
As the Sacrifice of Jesus
continues, so should the sacrifice of every Christian. “If any man would come
after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” There
has to be something you are denying yourself from in other to be a Christian. There
has to be something that pains you, something that you are giving away;
something you deliberately deprive yourself of for the sake of your Faith. In fact,
Jesus goes all the way to say we should not even love our very lives at all or
try to save it because we would lose eternal life by so doing. It is those that
would deprive themselves, those that would reduce the quality of their life or
give it up entirely that would eventually be saved.
Now, it becomes clear that
much of our prayer targeted at how we can enhance our lives, how we can enjoy
unending health and wealth are unnecessary. Why should I be praying for more money
to enjoy my life on earth when Jesus says we should not even try to save our
earthly life? In fact, why should even be worried about not having everything I
crave for when this life I live now is not even important? Why can’t I be
focused instead on how to get eternal life? It is like spending millions
repairing an old car that will never be yours when you should be focused
instead on the new one that is your own.
Seek ye first God’s kingdom,
deny yourself, stop taking your life too seriously, stop being anxious about
not having this or that, stop assuming your life is less than anyone else or
incomplete because you don’t have what other people have. Be willing to die
instead for God, carry your cross, and you will find true life.
Let us Pray:
O Jesus, may I never lose
sight of who you are so that I may never forget I must carry my cross daily as
your genuine follower. Amen.
Good morning.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. Happy Sunday.
