The Lord blessed us with a wonderful weekend. We were awakend Sunday
morning for some very fresh, yet friendly, snow. It was great to be in the
house of the Lord. It is written in Psalm 122, " I was glad, when they said
unto me, let us go into the House of the Lord". I was very glad to be in the
house of the Lord with those who love Him and serve Him. I preached for three
services yesterday. It was a great thrill and a great blessing.
One theologian said the cross of Jesus is like a diamond because the
more angles you can look at it the greater your appreciation. I am
reflecting on the cross from the perspective of Simon of Cyrene. He makes an
appearance in the fifteenth chapter of Mark’s gospel. "And when they had mocked
him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they
led him out to crucify him.
A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull) Mark 15:20-22 NIV
We might say Jerusalem was Simon’s most favorite place in the world where he had never yet been. He certainly wanted to remedy that, and not just to be in Jerusalem, but to be there at during its grandest time, Passover! Historians estimate that as many as Two million pilgrims come to Jerusalem annually for the Passover feast. Those who lived within close proximity made the journey every year. For others, like Simon, it was a dream just to get there once in his lifetime. Today one might say that seeing Jerusalem with his own eyes was something on his “bucket list.”
Such a journey was no easy task since Simon lived in the city of Cyrene, the capital city of the district of Cyrenaica in North Africa.
Each year Jewish families retold the story, completed their Passover observance, and declared, "Next year in Jerusalem". Simon makes the journey to Jerusalem. Finally there he arrived at the western gate where, walking in, he soon found himself in the flow of the crowd up the narrow streets lined with the shops of numerous merchants.
Suddenly Simon must have looked ahead where he saw some kind of processional coming in his direction. He pushed through the crowd to get a better look, but his stomach was not prepared for what he saw - three men carrying the full weight of huge beams of wood come struggling down the road; several Roman soldiers carrying whips were pushing them along. Occasionally the crisp clear crack of one of the whips rang out. Simon quickly realized that what he was watching was a death march and the three men carry the beams of wood were going to be crucified.
A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull) Mark 15:20-22 NIV
We might say Jerusalem was Simon’s most favorite place in the world where he had never yet been. He certainly wanted to remedy that, and not just to be in Jerusalem, but to be there at during its grandest time, Passover! Historians estimate that as many as Two million pilgrims come to Jerusalem annually for the Passover feast. Those who lived within close proximity made the journey every year. For others, like Simon, it was a dream just to get there once in his lifetime. Today one might say that seeing Jerusalem with his own eyes was something on his “bucket list.”
Such a journey was no easy task since Simon lived in the city of Cyrene, the capital city of the district of Cyrenaica in North Africa.
Each year Jewish families retold the story, completed their Passover observance, and declared, "Next year in Jerusalem". Simon makes the journey to Jerusalem. Finally there he arrived at the western gate where, walking in, he soon found himself in the flow of the crowd up the narrow streets lined with the shops of numerous merchants.
Suddenly Simon must have looked ahead where he saw some kind of processional coming in his direction. He pushed through the crowd to get a better look, but his stomach was not prepared for what he saw - three men carrying the full weight of huge beams of wood come struggling down the road; several Roman soldiers carrying whips were pushing them along. Occasionally the crisp clear crack of one of the whips rang out. Simon quickly realized that what he was watching was a death march and the three men carry the beams of wood were going to be crucified.
Simon is mentioned in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but Mark’s description
is representative of all we really know about Simon of Cyrene: "A certain man
from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way
in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross." Mark 15:21 .
Simon was first a spectator, then a participant in the procession, bearing the
cross of Jesus our Lord. We do not know exactly how long the walk was nor what
Jesus and Simon said or did not say to each other. We do know that Simon saw
how perfect love and grace responded to cruelty and injustice. Meaning is found
in Jesus. Jesus is the answer.
WE HAVE UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTERS WITH THE CROSS OF JESUS. Not only did Simon not expect it the cross, I suspect he didn’t want it. By neither choice nor preference of his own, Simon came to the aid of Jesus. To be honest, it is likely that Simon would not have carried that cross if he had not been forced to do so, but the very thing he did not want to do was and is his greatest blessing, even to eternity.
Some people find the cross. Sometimes the cross finds you. God had a divine appointment with Simon that day. Sometimes he makes Divine Appointments with us. Like Simon, this may involve tasks we would prefer not to do but, also like Simon, these often lead to some of life’s greatest blessings. Our lives leave marks and influence, particularly upon our family. Mark mentioned the sons of Simon: Alexander and Rufus. (Mark wrote as if his readers would readily recognize their names). It is largely thought that Mark wrote his Gospel for Christians in Rome. Paul later wrote a letter to the church at Rome. In his closing greetings he said: Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord… (Romans 16:13a NIV) It is not too great a stretch to conclude that this Rufus is the same person as Simon’s son. Simon’s story surely had left an impact on his children.
Let us be praying that, as we have our own unexpected divine appointment, that we leave a legacy to those who follow after.
WE HAVE UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTERS WITH THE CROSS OF JESUS. Not only did Simon not expect it the cross, I suspect he didn’t want it. By neither choice nor preference of his own, Simon came to the aid of Jesus. To be honest, it is likely that Simon would not have carried that cross if he had not been forced to do so, but the very thing he did not want to do was and is his greatest blessing, even to eternity.
Some people find the cross. Sometimes the cross finds you. God had a divine appointment with Simon that day. Sometimes he makes Divine Appointments with us. Like Simon, this may involve tasks we would prefer not to do but, also like Simon, these often lead to some of life’s greatest blessings. Our lives leave marks and influence, particularly upon our family. Mark mentioned the sons of Simon: Alexander and Rufus. (Mark wrote as if his readers would readily recognize their names). It is largely thought that Mark wrote his Gospel for Christians in Rome. Paul later wrote a letter to the church at Rome. In his closing greetings he said: Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord… (Romans 16:13a NIV) It is not too great a stretch to conclude that this Rufus is the same person as Simon’s son. Simon’s story surely had left an impact on his children.
Let us be praying that, as we have our own unexpected divine appointment, that we leave a legacy to those who follow after.
In Christ,
Brown
