What's In a Cross?

Right, so what was Christ really talking about when he told his disciples to shoulder their crosses? I heard this from a professor of mine in my Church and God’s Mission class, and I thought it was interesting so I’m passing it along. Just food for thought. Even though Christ had told the disciples about his coming death, even if they had accepted the fact he would suffer for all mankind, the thought of him doing it on a cross would have been obscure at best. Crosses were reserved for Roman punishment, punishment for rebellion against the Empire. If anyone were to kill Jesus, it would most likely be the Jews; the religious elite were directly challenged by his teaching and it threatened their very way of life. If Christ’s death was on the disciples’ minds, it would have probably been the traditional Jewish method of stoning him to death.

So what is the significance of taking up a cross and following Christ? The cross bearing march to the place of execution was the last act of the Roman Empire humbling rebels before they were finally brought to an end. It was the last forced act of submission before being put to death, and it was lead by the Roman centurion. Christ sets himself up as the Centurion, leading the death march. With the disciples taking up their crosses in their last act of submission before being fully losing their lives in Christ, how does this change or amplify our understanding of the passage? Interesting thought, huh?