In the movie Spartacus, after a slave uprising has been brutally put down and all of the slaves rounded up, the Roman commander informs the survivors that they have been spared crucifixion if they will only give up the leader Spartacus. As Spartacus rises to turn himself in, the man on his right suddenly stands up and shouts, “I'm Spartacus.” Then, the man on his left stands up and says, “I'm Spartacus.” Pretty soon, the entire crowd is all shouting that they are Spartacus.
I was thinking about this scene and what it means to be willing to take upon us the name of Christ. It reminded me of the last two verses of James Montgomery’s hymn, “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief.”
“In pris’n I saw him next, condemned
To meet a traitor’s doom at morn.
The tide of lying tongues I stemmed,
And honored him ’mid shame and scorn.
My friendship’s utmost zeal to try,
He asked if I for him would die.
The flesh was weak; my blood ran chill,
But my free spirit cried, “I will!”
Then in a moment to my view
The stranger started from disguise.
The tokens in his hands I knew;
The Savior stood before mine eyes.
He spake, and my poor name he named,
“Of me thou hast not been ashamed.
These deeds shall thy memorial be;
Fear not, thou didst them unto me.”
Just how far are we willing to go when we covenant that we are willing to take upon us the name of Christ? If we had been in the crowd when Pilate asked whether He should crucify Jesus or Barabbas, could we have stood up and said, “Take me instead!”
Maybe we won't always get such a dramatic opportunity to prove our loyalty to our Savior, but there are lots of times each day that we are given chances to show real courage and humility and to stand up for the name of Jesus Christ.
As Jesus Himself said, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12).
When someone is in need and people are passing by on either side, are we willing to take upon us the name of Christ and run to bind their wounds and help them up?
When all around us people are spreading hate and fear, are we willing to take upon us the name of Christ and spread peace and love instead?
When there are those who doubt our motives or are integrity, who call evil good and good evil, who judge and condemn and revile us and our faith and our Savior Jesus Christ, when they are saying that Christ and His religion are rotten to the core and responsible for genocides and all manner of atrocities and that the world would be better off if it cast off the shackles of religion forever and did away with such foolish and childish and dangerous things, are we willing to have our “I'm Spartacus” moment and proudly take upon us the name of Christ and defend His Gospel to our dying breath?
To take upon us the name of Christ means that we avail ourselves of the marvelous blessings of His grace and salvation. It means that we accept our place as members of His family and household, becoming joint-heirs to all that the Father has. But it also means boldly standing by His side to face the firing squad.
I hope we never take for granted the name of Jesus Christ. To bear His name is an honor and a privilege that comes with real responsibilities and life or death consequences, and whether we choose to take His name upon us will change the course of our lives here on Earth and throughout all Eternity.
When the world wants us to deliver up Jesus Christ to be tortured and crucified again and again, let us stand and shout bravely, loyally, joyfully, “I'm with Jesus Christ. Take me!”
