"As they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon...and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus" (Luke 23:26).
Denying self, taking up the Cross, and following Jesus is not automatically done by anyone who is a Christian. It requires a change in viewpoint so that we no longer judge after the outward circumstances, but after our Father's view and intentions.
Below are scriptures that give two different accounts of the experiences of a man called Simon of Cyrene. One account relates what Simon may have seen just before he was forced to help carry the cross of Christ. The second account shows what he saw and heard on his way up to the place of Jesus' crucifixion. By examining these two passages, we can see how necessary having a viewpoint other than our own is when we are presented with carrying the Cross:
"The soldiers led him away within the court, which is the Praetorium; and they called together the whole cohort. They clothed him with purple and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on him. They began to salute him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They struck his head with a reed, and spat on him, and bowing their knees, did homage to him. When they had mocked him, they took the purple off of him and put his own garments on him. They led him out to crucify him. They compelled one passing by, coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear his cross. They brought him to the place called Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, 'The place of a skull.'"
(Mark 15:16-22)
"When they led him away, they grabbed one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it after Jesus. A great multitude of the people followed him, including women who also mourned and lamented him. But Jesus, turning to them, said, 'Daughters of Jerusalem, don't weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.' Then will they begin to tell the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do these things in the green tree, what will be done in the dry?' There were also others, two criminals, led with him to be put to death. When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified him there with the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.' Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots. The people stood watching. The rulers with them also scoffed at him, saying, 'He saved others. Let him save himself, if this is the Christ of God, his chosen one!' The soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him vinegar, and saying, 'If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!'"
(Luke 23:26-37)
As they watched Jesus stumble and fall, the Roman officer in charge noticed a man, Simon of Cyrene, passing by. Simon was probably a Jew, obviously from Cyrene. There were many Cyrenian Jews in Jerusalem, as we are told in the Book of Acts. From the account above we find that the Roman officer commandeered Simon to carry Jesus' cross for him. He could do so because the Romans had the power to requisition people at any time for any service they desired to be performed. It was called being "conscripted." A Roman could come and touch your shoulder with the back of his spear, signaling to you that you were selected for service.
Was Simon Cursed with this Task?
Why was Simon of Cyrene chosen for this task? He could have felt this was all unfair and that God was singling him out or targeting him. He was given the opportunity to carry Christ's cross, hear words from Christ's own lips, and watch Christ's death on behalf of himself so that he could put his trust in Him. Depending on his view, he could have let this mar the rest of his life in a negative way.
Denying self, taking up the Cross, and following Jesus is not automatically done by anyone who is a Christian. It requires a change in viewpoint so that we no longer judge after the outward circumstances, but after our Father's view and intentions.
Below are scriptures that give two different accounts of the experiences of a man called Simon of Cyrene. One account relates what Simon may have seen just before he was forced to help carry the cross of Christ. The second account shows what he saw and heard on his way up to the place of Jesus' crucifixion. By examining these two passages, we can see how necessary having a viewpoint other than our own is when we are presented with carrying the Cross:
"The soldiers led him away within the court, which is the Praetorium; and they called together the whole cohort. They clothed him with purple and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on him. They began to salute him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They struck his head with a reed, and spat on him, and bowing their knees, did homage to him. When they had mocked him, they took the purple off of him and put his own garments on him. They led him out to crucify him. They compelled one passing by, coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear his cross. They brought him to the place called Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, 'The place of a skull.'"
(Mark 15:16-22)
"When they led him away, they grabbed one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it after Jesus. A great multitude of the people followed him, including women who also mourned and lamented him. But Jesus, turning to them, said, 'Daughters of Jerusalem, don't weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.' Then will they begin to tell the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do these things in the green tree, what will be done in the dry?' There were also others, two criminals, led with him to be put to death. When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified him there with the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing.' Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots. The people stood watching. The rulers with them also scoffed at him, saying, 'He saved others. Let him save himself, if this is the Christ of God, his chosen one!' The soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him vinegar, and saying, 'If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!'"
(Luke 23:26-37)
As they watched Jesus stumble and fall, the Roman officer in charge noticed a man, Simon of Cyrene, passing by. Simon was probably a Jew, obviously from Cyrene. There were many Cyrenian Jews in Jerusalem, as we are told in the Book of Acts. From the account above we find that the Roman officer commandeered Simon to carry Jesus' cross for him. He could do so because the Romans had the power to requisition people at any time for any service they desired to be performed. It was called being "conscripted." A Roman could come and touch your shoulder with the back of his spear, signaling to you that you were selected for service.
Was Simon Cursed with this Task?
Why was Simon of Cyrene chosen for this task? He could have felt this was all unfair and that God was singling him out or targeting him. He was given the opportunity to carry Christ's cross, hear words from Christ's own lips, and watch Christ's death on behalf of himself so that he could put his trust in Him. Depending on his view, he could have let this mar the rest of his life in a negative way.
Simon of Cyrene walked behind Jesus, carrying his cross. In so doing, Simon gave us a physical illustration of the principle Jesus taught of taking up the cross and following Him. When the procession arrived at the place of crucifixion it was Jesus, not Simon, who died on the Cross. When they reached Golgotha, Simon's service was finished.
Run Your Own Life
It is pride that makes one feel independent. It is appealing to feel that you are the master of your fate, that you run your own life, and call your own shots. But that feeling is basic dishonesty. The truth is, you cannot go it alone. You cannot ultimately rely on yourself alone. You are dependent on God for your very next breath.
What we see here in the story of Simon of Cyrene is the divergence of two different paths. One path can see past the problems of this life to the real meaning. As it does, it partakes of God in all things and finds His deep and hidden treasures. The other path suffers through this life of "Roman persecution." It takes what could have been of God and turns it into a dirty situation. It feels robbed of its independence and freedom. When it does diligently cry out to God, it only does so when it feels its rights are being taken away by the "Romans." But in reality, it cries to God to support its independent existence and maintain its false concepts concerning how to approach life. To some, the Cross does not relate to the glory of God but is simply a thing of shame and humiliation. And to have to be caught up personally in the flow of such events makes one feel ashamed and humiliated, rather than privileged to fellowship with Christ in the hour He had waited His whole life for.
A Question of Seeing Correctly
It is a question of how one views things. The scriptures constantly warn us to see correctly. What is our view of Jesus being mocked, scorned, and made to carry a heavy cross up a lonely stretch of road? Jesus was given a cross to carry through the streets to the place of execution. The Romans conducted processions as a warning to the public discouraging political and seditious activity. What would we think of this picture knowing the man who is bleeding and faltering is rejected by the Jewish leaders, the people, the Romans, and even His own close followers? How do we react when forced to get involved with this whole thing?
But what is God's interpretation of this procession? Just as the body of a sin-offering victim would be burned outside the camp of ancient Israel, "so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his blood," says the writer of Hebrews (Heb. 13:12). God’s view knows this moment is bound up in eternal purpose and glory. Simon’s life came face to face that day with the Son of God, the Lamb Himself, needing our help as He carries the wood to His altar. The Father allowed Simon to be that person. This moment for Simon should not be viewed as a great moment of suffering, but as one of the greatest privileges of all time. ***
Just last month, the booklet "A Study on Galatians 2:20" was published on Amazon in a physical-book format! It is an excerpt from the larger manual "The Cross of Christ" and is a short, power-packed study on the cross and our death with Christ as the only way to true Life within! Click the image below to check it out on Amazon.
