Liberating Surrender

Liberating Surrender

Read: Matthew 16:24-25

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Matthew 16:24

“Carry the cross patiently and with perfect submission, and in the end it shall carry you.”

—Thomas à Kempis

IN WORD There are two attitudes with which we can approach this verse. The more typical attitude is dread; we look at self-denial and cross-bearing as burdensome responsibilities, demands that we are ill prepared to fulfill. We see this principle of Jesus’ teaching as an imperative for deep sacrifice—walking the way He walked. It looks like a difficult road.

But if we can get past the pain of this verse, there is a profound liberation to be experienced. We realize that this verse is not just about sacrifice, it is about surrender. And the benefits of surrender are well worth the pain of sacrifice.

Think about it: Our biggest burden is us. We cannot manage our own lives, but we are exhausted trying to do just that. We cannot determine our own futures, and it is mind-boggling to try. We cannot handle our own problems—eventually we are in over our heads far more often than we’d like to be. And when Jesus says any follower of His “must deny himself,” it is not just a denial of satisfying things or of attempts at self-fulfillment; it is a denial of all the self-management that weighs us down. It is a call not only to surrender what is pleasing to the senses, but to surrender everything that rivals our dependence on God— including the burden of our willful independence and the awful responsibility of becoming “successful” in the way we define success. We should be eager to make such a denial.

IN DEED We see the pain of self-denial and cross-carrying when we read of Jesus’ crucifixion. But we forget—the Cross was the path to ultimate fulfillment and glory. It was so for Jesus, and it is so for us. The initial cost looks remarkably overwhelming at first glance, but there is ultimate liberation beyond it. It’s the liberation of surrender to a wiser, gentler, more powerful Lord than the one we’re accustomed to—ourselves. We can find freedom by embracing this Cross.