The Way of KingsSample

The Crown and the Cross

It’s an amazing feeling to realize that as God’s sons, we’re royalty—our name has power and we have been given influence over the world and circumstances around us. But there’s another part of accepting a crown and becoming a king that doesn’t look like the triumphant, comfortable, leisurely life we often envision.

Scripture tells us, “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return” (Luke 12:48), but what does that mean in the context of the kingdom God has asked us to help rule? What does that look like practically in the world?

Every crown comes with a cross; every reign comes with a responsibility.

For Jesus, it meant taking up his crown and receiving glory but also being killed by the ones He loved. Maybe for you it’s taking on a new and more prominent position but also more stress and bigger responsibilities. Maybe it’s the decision to get healthy that comes with the hardships of exercising and self-control. Maybe it’s dealing with your mental illness but having to face the difficulty of opening up to a mentor or therapist. Maybe it’s finding a wife but also accepting the difficulties of unconditionally loving and taking care of a family.

God has offered each of us a crown, but with it comes a cross. He does not force us to take either, but should we want to reign with him, should we want to take our place as royalty, it will also require sacrifice.

When Jesus tells us, “My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matt. 11:30), His words can ring hollow. This life can often feel so, so heavy—almost too heavy for us to bear. But perhaps Jesus knew what we often forget: that yes, the yoke or cross is light not because it isn’t heavy but because of His sacrifice.

Like a yoke on His back, Jesus carried the cross on which He would die. It was a weight as heavy as the world, but one He bore knowing it couldn’t compare to the glory of the crown He would wear as He defeated death. It’s in this story that we find the God who modeled for us both wearing his crown and bearing the cross.

As a result of following God, what have you found in your life that is a crown? What have you found in your life that is a cross?