| Strength and Beauty |
Chapter 3 |
Page 4 |
Everywhere we see the print of the nails. He bore the marks of his wounds after he arose and showed them to the disciples to prove that he was indeed the Christ. When in the Apocalypse the veil is withdrawn from the heavenly glory, we have a glimpse of him in the midst of the brightness, – a Lamb as it had been slain. A gospel without the print of the nails is not the gospel of Christ, and the voice that proclaims such a gospel is the voice of a stranger.
The same is true of the life to which we are called as Christians – if there be no cross in it, it lacks the essential marks of genuineness. One of the most remarkable incidents in the gospel narrative is the story of one of Peter’s mistakes, when he so violently protested against his Master’s going to a cross. “This shall never be unto thee,” said the loving apostle. But the answer showed that Peter was acting the part of Satan in seeking to withhold his Master from the way of the cross. This was God’s appointed way for his Son, and the voice which was even tremulous with love was yet the voice of a stranger.
Jesus then added that not for him alone, but for his followers as well, was the way of the cross the only true way of life. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life fro my sake shall find it.” To try to keep one’s friends back from sacrifice in the service of Christ is to be Satan to them, tempting them to take the easy way. The voice that invites to such self indulgence is the voice of a stranger. To seek for one’s self a life without self denial, without costly ministry, is to turn away from that which is really the vital thing in all Christian life.
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