Matthew 10:38; 16:24; Mark 8:34; 10:21; Luke 9:23 and 14:27 are the

references to those passages which we quote in order that their combined

testimony may be unmistaken:

'He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and

he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And

he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of

Me.  He that findeth his soul (psuche) shall lose it: and he that

loseth his soul for My sake shall find it' (Matt. 10:37 -39).

The cross of Christ is not referred to in the Epistle to the Romans,

except in the words of Romans 6:6, 'crucified with'.  That such a basic

epistle, dealing with such fundamentals as justification by faith, should be

under no necessity to refer directly to the cross of Christ, is a fact that

needs to be kept in mind.  1 Corinthians opposes the cross of Christ to the

wisdom of men and the boasting in the flesh.  Galatians opposes the cross of

Christ to the attempt to avoid persecution, to avoid the offence of the

cross, to make a fair show in the flesh, and to boast in the flesh.

Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians are epistles of the dispensation of the

Mystery, so we will examine the one other reference first, namely that of

Hebrews 12:2.  If we limit the terms, to translations of stauros and stauroo

it is striking to observe that in no epistles, except those of the apostle

Paul, do we find the words, 'the cross', and 'crucify', neither James, John

nor Jude use either word.  The word in Acts 2:23 is not derived from stauros,

'cross', it is prospegnumi.  Peter consistently speaks of 'The Tree', being

the apostle of the Circumcision (Acts 5:30; 10:39; 1 Pet. 2:24).  Paul uses

the word 'tree' in Galatians 3:13, when speaking of the curse of the law, as

well as the word 'cross', thereby linking the need of the Jew, under the law,

with the Gentile in the one offering of Christ.

The one and only occurrence of stauroo, 'to crucify', in the LXX is in

Esther 7:9, 'hang', and this is in the mouth of the Gentile king.  In the

other occurrences of the Hebrew talah, 'to hang', even in the very next

sentence, 'So they hanged Haman on the gallows' (Esther 7:10), the LXX uses

the Greek word kremao.  There is, therefore, a dispensational reason for the

choice, even of these basic terms.  (See Crucify, p. 97).  Hebrews 12:2

brings the references in the Gospels and Epistles to a completion.  Hebrews

12:2 reads as follows:

'Looking off unto Jesus, the captain (archegos) and perfecter

(teleiotes) of faith Who for the joy set before Him, endured a cross,

despising the shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne

of God' (Author's translation).

The full bearing of this passage is more easily seen when the structure

is discovered.  We give it, therefore, as follows:

A

Lay aside entangling sin.

B

a

The agony (agon, contest, struggle) set before us

b

c

Looking off unto Jesus.

d

Captain and Perfecter of faith.

B

a

The joy set before Him (prokeimai).

b

d

Cross, shame, right hand.

c

Consider Him Who endured.