It would be the usual thing to begin by saying that Crosses are personal things, and that the burden we bear is an intensely personal one, and that it is different for everyone – but that is not necessarily so, for we all bear the burden of suffering and loss and sadness, and those people following Jesus today in the Gospel are, as so often, addressed en masse, not individually.
In the Gospel today, Jesus is in some way already bearing his cross as he makes his way to Jerusalem, where he will defeat evil by submitting himself to the worst evil can do, and overcoming it. All that – and its consequence for those who follow – is encapsulated in his words ‘Whoever does not bear their cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.’ He says these words to those who are following Him, literally, those who are His Disciples.
They did not know what we know that salvation was to be won through suffering and death, supposing that Jesus was going to win a war on behalf of their race, their nation, its structures of family, blood and clan. But Jesus tells them that if they follow him, they must hate their own family. He tells the crowds that, when the time comes to choose, they (and we) must put God and Christ before everything we hold dear, even the very things we expect God and Jesus to preserve, and that stands as a stark response to our prayers for each other and our families.
He also tells us to assess the cost of the decisions we are going to make – don’t build towers or go to war if you will lose them but decide how to follow Him and stick to your plan, so as not to fall away when things get tough, which He will also not do in Gethsemane and on Calvary. Or even, if you don’t follow me, don’t pretend that you do. The people in the gospel are following Jesus but not for the right reasons, they’re followers because they walk behind Him, waiting for titbits, but they are not disciples, any more than many self-described Christians are now, they just like the trappings and the free things. They do not know where Jesus is going: his crucifixion and ultimate return to the Father. They are looking for change but did not appreciate that following Jesus entailed the ultimate change of finding their way to God. They were looking for security in this life, and the assurance that they will be ok, and maybe have seats at His right and left in heaven.
They wanted a change, however. There were the hungry, who wanted to be fed; the sick, who wanted to be healed; the poor, who wanted to become rich; and the dead, carried by their relatives, who, according to those relatives at least, wanted to be revived. They followed him enthusiastically, full of hope, and looking for the good things in life, like many churches do.
And knowing this, He turned around, looked them square in the face and said ‘Quo Vadis’, where are you going? He wanted to know if they really knew where he was going so they could follow Him. Like the tower builder, did they appreciate the cost of the journey? Like the king, did they appreciate the enormity of the task? There was misunderstanding between Jesus and his followers. They were following him the old way. The people wanted a better position in the old order, to get rich, to get healthy, and to get security. The Gospel of Wealth.
They wanted an improved old life with their comforts. Jesus wanted to give them another life. The people wanted change, but they were thinking only of themselves, their families, their lives, and their possessions. Jesus was thinking about the Kingdom of God. Jesus was thinking of humanity as God’s family on its way to a final outcome and like Him, to give up so much on the way to make things better for others, who we do not know, in a culture of challenge and suspicion, which we need to rise above for the sake of the Gospel.
We cannot withdraw from the challenges our culture presents us with today. We cannot withdraw from thinking about faith. Others have shifted our culture against faith; it is not impossible that we too can shift the culture once again, if we are prepared to be both zealous and thoughtful Disciples. It means that we must put Christ first, be ready to suffer and to risk occasional defeats, even if we know that the truth is ultimately victorious.
And Christ will win. He has counted the cost. He has faced our worst enemies and conquered. We must not be afraid to share his sufferings, so as to share his victory. But we need to take stock of what we must do and what it might cost. Or we shall only deserve to be mocked as those who build towers for them to fall at the first sign of danger. Our only firm foundation is Him, and we must prefer Him to everything, even our own life and family.