Cross-bound
When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.—Luke 9:51
Jesus has already foretold his coming death—twice—when he sets his face toward his crucifixion. Instead of running away from suffering, he moves toward it, step by step. He is bound for the cross, and by the end of his journey, he will be bound to the cross. He is, in a word, cross-bound.
Along his journey, Jesus challenges those around him to move toward the cross. He marches into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday and becomes increasingly cross-bound with every minute, while his followers struggle to bind themselves to him in his passion.
He calls us to take up our cross and follow him, too. Jesus challenges us to put others before ourselves and join God’s mission to transform the world in love. The cross-bound life seeks not to glorify the Christian but to glorify Christ. The cross-bound life serves and sacrifices and endures. It relies on Jesus’ strength in order to follow Jesus’ example of setting his face toward Calvary—not for his own benefit but for ours.
Like Jesus’ original disciples, we often resist the cross. This Lenten study invites you instead to embrace it. The devotion begins on Ash Wednesday, and with each day we will travel through the last week of Jesus’ life as told in the Gospel of Luke. Each daily meditation includes a prayer and a Scripture reading. Keep a Bible on hand to read the full passages, only excerpts of which are provided.
My prayer is that this Lent we will not simply read about the cross but be bound for it and bound to it—that, like Jesus, we will learn to live cross-bound lives of sacrificial love as we await the resurrection.
Chip Hardwick, author of this year’s devotional, is the director of Theology, Worship, and Education for the Presbyterian Mission Agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
In 2013, Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church in South Carolina invited artist Staci Sarkowski to paint interpretations of each Lenten and Easter Sunday sermon. Her original artwork, along with brief reflections, serves as a parallel devotional in this year’s guide.
WEEK ONE
Ash Wednesday
Scripture: Luke 14:25–33
“Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
As Christians, we traditionally repent from our sin on Ash Wednesday, remembering our transgressions against God and our neighbors. As we enter into this cross-bound journey, we recognize a universal sin: we are reluctant to take up our cross and follow Jesus.
In this passage, Jesus tells us about the cost of following him. Being a disciple is more important, he says, than even our most beloved family relationships. We should no more set out as disciples without being prepared for sacrifice than we would begin building a tower or a house without knowing how much it will cost.
The focus of our faith is often on what God can do for us: answer our prayers, give us salvation, or get us through a rough season. A more faithful focus is on what we can do to join God’s mission: how we can carry the cross and follow Jesus through a life of sacrificial love and service. How might you join God’s mission?
Lord Jesus, forgive me for not following you faithfully. Strengthen me for this cross-bound journey.
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