I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!’
Galatians 2:20-21 NIVUK
People react to the same event in different ways. And nowhere is that better expressed than in the bitter rivalries of the West of Scotland.
The area I live in has close links to the divided island of Ireland. And it shows. Even people with no connection at all to either sports or religion will know the names of Glasgow Rangers and Glasgow Celtic. Glasgow Rangers was founded by Protestants in 1872. Glasgow Celtic was founded by a Catholic priest in 1888. The two teams have been fierce rivals for more than a century, despite their stadia being only a few miles apart and in the same city.
Their fans rarely agree on anything. Literally anything. It takes something major, like the death of a respected figure or natural disasters or something equally as massive for the fans to come together. Otherwise, they despise each other. And in some neighbourhoods, without any shred of exaggeration, that hatred expresses itself in violence.
But not in ours. I am a Rangers fan. Our neighbours on both sides are Celtic fans. I don't hate them. But on matchdays, you can tell who's winning or losing by the noises from our respective homes.
And if you think that's crazy, in the city of Dundee their two teams' stadia are on the same street - literally metres apart.
The cross is even more divisive. Jesus knew it.
‘Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘ “a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law – a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.” ‘Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
Matthew 10:34-39 NIVUK
We view Jesus as the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), and that is absolutely true. But He brings peace to those who trust in Him and His work on the cross. He brings no peace to those who deny Him and do anything they can to diminish what He achieved on the cross.
His work on the cross brings unity to those who follow Him and trust in it, and division and opposition to those who don't.
It brings salvation for those who believe in Him and damnation for those who do not.
The cross is a hugely polarising event. It was polarising when it happened. It is no less polarising now:
Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
1 Corinthians 1:22-24 NIVUK
All of us, without exception, have to decide what we will do to the crucified and risen Christ. Do we follow Him or do we deny Him?
If we follow Him and believe Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, then we can, without fear of contradiction, call ourselves Christians.
If ww do not believe in the crucified and resurrected Christ, if we balk at the violence and struggle with the miraculous nature of the resurrection, then we cannot, in all good conscience, call ourselves Christians. How can we say we are His followers when we refuse to believe in what He said would happen to Him? It makes no sense!
But there is another cross we must react to: the cross we are called to bear as His followers:
Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Matthew 16:24-25 NIVUK
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.’
Mark 8:34-38 NIVUK
And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:27 NIVUK
That cross is when following Christ causes us to miss out on some dubious pleasure, or to be discriminated against or persecuted; when obedience to Christ causes us to miss out on seemingly good opportunities; when others look down on us because of our faith.
It's the reaction to this cross that also determines whether or not we are genuine followers of Christ:
Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Mark 4:18-19 NIVUK
Every time we find ourselves being asked to carry a cross, we find ourselves at a crossroads. We either decide for Christ or we don't.
How we react and what we decide determines who we are.
Jesus was prepared to face His cross, to follow the Father's will no matter what it meant for Him.
If we truly are followers of Jesus Christ, if we really are Christians, then we will do the same.
Over the generations and the centuries, the cross still stands as the great divider of the nations. Will we be crucified with Christ like Paul, or will we seek to cling to our life and lose it?
How will we react to the cross?
Questions
1) Have you ever thought of the cross as being something divisive? What does this mean for you?
2) Can you empathise with and understand any particular reaction to the cross?
3) When you are asked to carry your cross, how do you react?
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