The Way of the Cross by Bryan Craig

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8 ESV

I sat in the hospital chapel, a beautiful small space with big glass windows overlooking a wooded area, and being a Catholic hospital, a large Crucifix hung above the room.  I gazed at Lord Jesus on His Cross, as I pondered the last 48 hours.  The line between life and death was so thin.  I saw one life saved and another lost.  Tears of joy and tears of sadness.

In a strange, providential way, God saved my 82 year old mother-in-law’s life and at the same time, He took the life of a pastor in his 70’s who was in great shape and had just run 10 miles the week before.  I was out of town, and my 17 year old daughter, Meredith, who has had some health issues, namely high blood pressure, thought she was having a stroke. Missy took her to the ER, and my mother-in-law joined her for moral support.  Meredith turned out to be fine, but while at the hospital, my mother-in-law had a stroke and a heart attack.  Because she was at the hospital, she got immediate attention and the cardiac team found blockage in two arteries and gave her stents to fix her problem.  She was like a new woman after the surgery.  Praise God!

Meanwhile, as I got back in town, I visited my mother-in-law, and while there, I ran into a good friend, only to find out his Dad was on life support, suffering from pneumonia and kidney failure.  God gave me the privilege of praying with him and over his Dad, but a day later, his Dad went to be with the Lord.

Ah, Death… that mysterious, inevitable visitor that we try to avoid thinking about.  We all have a death sentence, all of us terminally ill.  Think of all the people Jesus and His disciples healed… they all eventually died.  I believe God still heals miraculously, for I’ve been an eyewitness to this many times, but I understand that healing is but an extension to life, much like King Hezekiah who was delivered a death sentence, but by the mercy of God, was given 15 more years. (Read 2 Kings 20:1-11)

As I gazed at the Crucifix, I was reminded of how Jesus lived his life knowing the Cross was eminent.  He lived His amazing life in light of Death.  

I believe Paul understood this well, and he often persuaded Christians to look to Jesus for how to live.  In Philippians 2, he talks about this crucified life of a disciple:

In 2 Corinthians 6, he talks about what a crucified servant of God might encounter, for these are what Paul and the disciples experienced:

Afflictions, hardships, beatings, calamities, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger, dishonor, slander, treated as imposters, sorrowful, dying, poor, having nothing.

This language would not work too well on a Christian Disciple Recruitment Brochure, would it?

But as Paul describes all of these harsh realities, he also says that the disciples:

Yes, this is the life of a crucified disciple of Christ, the life our Lord exemplified to the end.  As we look to Jesus, the author of our salvation and the model of discipleship, we can live the victorious, abundant life in light of impending death.  The more we die to ourselves, the more the Spirit’s power comes alive in our lives.

I am reading a great book about the life of Joshua, “Called to Be God’s Leader” by Henry and Richard Blackaby.  Joshua, who lived before Jesus, lived the crucified life.  It says:

Joshua approached the challenging moments of his life with great faith and humble dependence on God.  While hardships tempted many of his colleagues to forfeit their faith, Joshua grew to trust God more.  The result was a sterling moral fiber that could stand firm in the face of temptation, fear, and doubt.

Just when I think I understand these things and might even be living like this, I’m tested and challenged and humbled.  

I’m thankful that the gracious Holy Spirit gently reminds me through his gentle whispers of conviction and for not so subtle reminders in the midst of life and death at a hospital and for that beautiful Cross which calls to me every day.