The Cross, the Blood, and You! (Pt.2)

 (Pt.2)

“Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.”-Matthew 27:32 

According to Mark 15, Simon had come to Jerusalem with two sons, Rufus and Alexander, we’ll talk more about them later. Jerusalem, at that time, was filled with people who had made their way to the city to celebrate the Passover. Most likely, that is why Simon and his family were there as well. 

The crowds were gathering as Jesus made His way through the cobblestone streets. I am sure, out of curiosity, Simon and his sons moved in closer to see what the commotion was all about. When suddenly a man beaten beyond recognition drops to the ground in front of Simon. At this point Jesus had been beaten with whip so severely He was unrecognizable, had parts of his beard ripped out and and a crown of thorns seated on his brow. It was a gruesome scene. Suddenly the soldiers grabbed Simon and forced him to pick up that blood stained cross, follow Jesus, and carry it the rest of the way to Golgatha. Simon hadn’t signed up for this. It was thrust on him. He had come to celebrate Passover with his family. He was not anticipating a messy crucifixion, nor expecting to bear the weight of a bloody stained cross on his shoulder.

What if your first introduction to Jesus was when you took up the blood stained cross He was carrying and followed Him to His crucifixion?  

We all have origin stories. Stories of when we first met Christ. But, none of us have an origin story like Simon. Could you imagine sitting around with other believers having that discussion. One might say, “I first met Jesus on a hillside in Capernaum and heard him teach about loving our enemies.”, or  “I was in Gadera when I first met Him and saw him restore sanity to a man filled with a thousand demons,” or “I first met Jesus on the road to Jericho and saw him restore sight to a blind man.” What about you Simon? “I met Jesus on the road to Golgatha when I was forced to pick up his blood stained cross and carry it to his death.”

I can only imagine what it felt must have felt like to kneel down next to Christ and take up the cross that He had been carrying. Talk about being forced out of your comfort zone. I am sure Simon was shocked and more than a little caught off guard. He had no idea that he would have to carry the cross that day. Nor did he realize how the man who he knelt beside would transform his life. 

Here is the problem, some Christians today are just as shocked as Simon by the cross they’ve been asked to pick up and carry. 

“24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”-Matthew 16:24-26 

Simon was the physical embodiment of these words Jesus spoke: “Take up your cross and follow me”. In the same way, Jesus has called us to take up our cross and follow Him. However, the cross we bear is not carried out of obligation, but rather out of honor. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church