An Easter meditation on the Cross of Christ

The cross of Jesus is at the heart of Christian faith, the focal point of our beliefs about God's love and forgiveness and the key to our understanding of the Resurrection. Without the cross there could be no promise of new life.

Jesus told his disciples "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Mt 16:24). But the truth is that Jesus could not carry his cross and neither can we! Jesus fell under the load of his cross, weary, exhausted and unable to carry it another step. Matthew tells us that Simon of Cyrene was forced to pick it up and carry it to the place of crucifixion. Jesus did take up his cross, but he could not carry it for long - he was too weak and frail and so it was laid on another's shoulders. There is only so much one person can take - there is a breaking point.

And yet, didn't Jesus say "And whosoever does not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple" (Lk 14:27). Why would Jesus ask us to do something he couldn't?

Paradoxically, it ought to give us hope to know that even Jesus could not take up his cross because, if we are going to identify with his crucifixion, we must also identify with the steps that led him to the cross. We must face, once and for all, the truth that no human being can carry his or her own cross. Jesus knows that we can't carry it all the way in our own strength.

It means that Jesus, who is touched by the feelings of our infirmities, must experience for himself what it is like to be weak, discouraged and unable to go on without help. God could have supernaturally lifted that cross and magically transported it all the way to Calvary; he could have taken the weight out of the cross and made it featherlike. But He did not.

God knows too that none of His children can carry the cross. We so much want to be good disciples: to deny ourselves and take the cross upon ourselves. We seem to forget that that same cross will one day bring us to the end of our human strength and endurance. Would Jesus purposely ask us to take up crosses that he knows will sap all our human energies and leave us lying helpless - even to the point of giving up? We must learn that it is not by our might or strength that we bear the cross, but by God’s power. That’s why St Paul could write that our strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:10).

Jesus looks upon this world - filled with confused children rushing about trying to establish their own righteousness and trying to please Him in their own ways - and he calls for crosses. The cross is meant to break us, to drain us of all human effort. We know we have one stronger than Simon who will come at our breaking point and take over the burden, but He cannot take over until we give up, until we cry out to Him for help.

Jesus was crucified "through weakness" (2 Cor 13:4). It is when we become totally weak and self abased that we witness the crucifixion of our own pride. Out of weakness we are made strong, by faith in the Lord. Our spirits are willing to carry our own crosses, but our flesh is weak. St Paul grew weak because of troubles and distresses, but when he was cast down by his cross, he did not despair. "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Cor 12:9).

What is your cross? Is it a sin, guilt, a problem with relationships, illness, finances, loneliness, an unfulfilling job? Whatever it may be, if it is pushing you down into the depths of despair, it may make you weak enough to scream out to God and ask Him to lift you out of your pity and self-destructiveness.

There is another side to these thoughts: perhaps it is possible that we, like Simon, are being asked by God to step in and help someone else who has stumbled under the weight of their cross. If you know anyone who is in need or despair, who is lonely or unfulfilled, who is ill or in trouble, ask God whether He wants you to do something to alleviate their pain or to help in some way, to counsel or advise, or just to walk beside them in their journey. But remember, if we can't carry our own burdens then we may not be able to carry anyone else's. We need to make sure we don't overload ourselves; therefore, make sure you know when to hand over to the greater strength of God.

Revd Tony Sophianou

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