Christ’s Cross

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." ESV Matthew 11:28-30

Many of you know that I enjoy searching out and reading writers from the Puritan era. That’s how I came across a great little book called The Loveliness of Christ. Its content was excerpted from the letters of a Puritan writer by the name of Samuel Rutherford; a Scottish chap from the 17th century.

I want to share with you one of his thoughts that I’ve been meditating on lately. Here it is: “Christ’s cross is such a burden as sails are to a ship or wings to a bird.” Now, please take a moment and let it sink in because it packs quiet a punch. That’s what I admire about the Puritans; they pack lots of content into few words.

I shared this thought with several of my friends last week and got all kinds of responses. They ranged from: “Christ is freedom!” All the way to: “Ken, You might want to consider lightening up on your reading a little.” And they were all right…

As I’ve repeated the phrase over and over in my mind this last week, I’ve come to realize that it lines up with the very words of Christ in Matthew.

Think of a sail. It is the means by which a vessel harnesses the wind for propulsion. Sails harness the wind so as to set the whole vessel into motion over the water. The sails must be very strong in order to harness and transfer the energy from the wind. Yet it the grander scheme of things they are not a burden to the ship at all. Quiet the contrary. The sails are an integral, vital, and complimentary part of the ship. And without them, the ship would never make its destination.

What about wings on a bird? Wings harness the air currents in a way that creates lift and enables birds to fly and glide seemingly effortlessly in the sky. Their wings no doubt endure lots of stress while supporting the weight of the bird and being buffeted by the wind. But far from being a burden, they are an absolute necessity if a bird is to fly. Without wings, birds would never leave the ground!

So too is the cross of Christ. Christ’s cross is demanding, yet it is the necessary appendage by which Christians are transformed into His image. It is through the cross that we find true rest. It is through the cross that our souls are quieted. Far from being a burden in a negative sense, the cross of Christ is that means by which we find true peace and eternal life.

Let me end by bringing Paul’s words to the Corinthian church to your recollection, “…the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1Cor 1:18