Cheap Crosses
I recently read a story told by a businessman who had visited one of the small republics of Central America. Someone had asked him on his return what had impressed him most. His answer was this, “cheap crosses.” He had been in a certain town during a festive religious ceremony. Everywhere he looked he saw crosses: large, small, wooden, metal, very expensive, and very crude. It was required that everyone either carry a cross or display a cross in some manner. He turned up a side street and saw a cart being pulled by a drowsy donkey and led by a drowsy peddler. The cart was loaded down with only one product — crosses. They were made of wood, quickly and poorly put together for the occasion and on top of the pile of crosses was a sign — “cheap crosses.” For sure, this was a religion of convenience — a temporary affair, easily picked up and then discarded. A one- or twoday-a-year type of experience. On first impression I tend to say, “how shallow, How Pagan, How hypocritical, how foolish!” But as I thought on it for a while, I feel that that sign would fit over a lot of what passes for Christianity today! Men are looking for a religion or a belief that doesn’t require much of a price, one that doesn’t cost too much to live. Let’s remember today that what is of little cost is also of little value. Religion or Christianity without a cross is a cross without power!
Please understand that the price for your salvation was paid in full at Calvary. You cannot buy one minute in Heaven, but there is a cost involved in walking the walk. Let me be quick to remind you that the cost of serving Jesus is far less than the price that Satan charges. When you turn to follow Jesus, you have His promise which states, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30)
A person’s victory in spiritual areas is directly related to how they do or do not honor God. God gives and gives and gives; Satan takes and takes and takes; and you pay the check every time!
I want us to look for a moment at what it cost to buy your salvation — so great a salvation. Let’s look first to the Garden of Gethsemane. It wasn’t a shallow experience — and it wasn’t a cheap cross. Gethsemane was a fierce battle where He sweat as it were Great Drops of Blood!
In Mark 14:34 the writer quotes Jesus as saying, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful even to death.” He tasted death, not the death of a saint, but the bitter dregs of the death of a sinner. His sorrow unto death was because He loved the Father and knew how the Father hated sin. Shortly, He would be taking on Himself the curse of sin. When we see that sin, or the prospect of taking on sin, caused Jesus to sorrow unto death, it should make us realize the hurt that we bring to the Master when we entertain sin! Can we excuse sin? Can it not weigh heavily on our souls when it crushed Him? Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. He hated sin. God help us not to forget Gethsemane!
Paul said He made Himself of no reputation. He humbled Himself … even to the death of the Cross! Not a cheap cross. Cheap in construction, but definitely not cheap in price. It was a heavy wooden cross. The sentence to death on the cross was final, and horrible. Historically, crucifixion on a cross was a penalty given only to slaves by the Romans. Slaves or free men who had committed the worst of crimes — the vilest of criminals. Oh praise God that tells me that He paid the price for the lowest of mankind.
It was a bloody death. Hebrews 9:22, “without the shedding of Blood there is no remission for sins.” His Blood had to be spilt. It was a painful death. Christ died so that He might feel Himself die. Christ would meet death at its worst in order to conquer death. It was a shameful death. The cross and shame are always put together.
It was a cursed death. In Deuteronomy 21:23 the Jewish Law said, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree!” And now that He took that curse for us, we are free from the curse of sin and of death!
Satan’s claim on mankind was crushed at Golgotha. Praise God! Jesus broke the Power of Satan. He destroyed the shackles of sin. He took the keys of death and hell from Lucifer!
It was an awesome price. He paid it all and all that He requires of us is to follow Him. That’s were our price comes in. In ourselves we don’t have a natural desire to identify with the agonies of Calvary and Golgotha. In our self we draw back from a personal cross, until we are overwhelmed with the Price that He paid to give us salvation. When we see that we can cry with Paul, “God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ!” (Galatians 6:14) The Spirit continually deals with us. He tries to shake us out of our complacency; to shake us from beds of ease and comfort to make us willing to pay the price to walk the walk. To walk worthy of Jesus.