Must Jesus Bear The Cross Alone?
Must Jesus Bear the Cross Alone?
Must Jesus bear the cross alone
And all the world go free?
No, there’s a cross for ev’ryone,
And there’s a cross for me.
The consecrated cross I’ll bear
Till death shall set me free,
And then go home my crown to wear,
For there’s a crown for me.
Upon the crystal pavement, down
At Jesus’ pierced feet,
Joyful I’ll cast my golden crown
And His dear name repeat.
O precious cross! O glorious crown!
O resurrection day!
Ye angels, from the stars come down
And bear my soul away.
THIS HYMN was written, at least in part, by Thomas Shepherd in 1693. At the time, he was a minister of the Church of England and struggling with a major decision. He first used the hymn after preaching a sermon on Simon Peter. According to tradition, Peter was crucified in Rome upside down because he considered himself unworthy of dying in the same way as his Lord. Shepherd’s hymn originally began, “Shall Simon bear the cross alone, and other saints be free?” Later the hymn was altered to refer to Jesus bearing the cross. But the message of the song is that there’s a cross for every one of us. The Lord may lead us down a difficult road. Cross bearing precedes crown wearing.
And Shepherd’s decision? He made it the next year. He left the Church of England, the handsome church building in which he preached and the security that it provided, to become an independent preacher in a Nottingham barn.
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
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