Daily Bread 2010 - Mark 15
Daily Bread 2010 – Mark 15
The Crucifixion
21A 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. 22They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 23Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
We don’t know a lot about this man, Simon from Cyrene. Cyrene is a major city in North Africa. Alexander and Rufus (his sons) are mentioned by Paul in Romans, and are thought to be missionaries. Whether or not he was known as a Christian and was picked out of the crowd to carry Jesus’ cross because of this on the last leg on the road to Golgotha is not known for certain.
What we do know is that Simon didn’t have a choice whether or not to carry Jesus’ cross, it was forced upon him. Little did Simon know he would play such an important role in history, when he woke up that morning. Maybe he was indignant as he watched the rest of crucifixion knowing he had played some small role in allowing it to happen. Or maybe, he felt privileged to help Jesus out with this small act of compassion in his last hours.
Most of the time we talk about “taking up your cross and following Jesus” of your own will. But in this case, Simon was compelled to take up Jesus’ cross. Maybe sometime in our life we may be forced to carry His cross even if we don’t want to. Maybe there are parts of the Christian life we would not choose to enter into willingly. Sometimes we are given crosses to bear that we certainly would not have chosen, but are called to bear them anyways.
In the end Simon of Cyrene did carry Jesus’ cross and was a part of Jesus’ fulfillment of His mission here on earth. When Jesus said, “It is finished”, Simon played a small part in making it happen. Where is Jesus calling you to carry His cross today? Will you be like Simon and do it, even if you don’t want to? Maybe we can help carry someone else’s cross and help them in their journey, even if we don’t want to.
Prayer: Jesus we thank you for carrying the cross for us to save us for our sin. As we are called to pick up your cross, help us to realize that even though Your work on this cross is finished, you are not finished with us yet. Amen.
The Crucifixion
21A 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. 22They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 23Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.
We don’t know a lot about this man, Simon from Cyrene. Cyrene is a major city in North Africa. Alexander and Rufus (his sons) are mentioned by Paul in Romans, and are thought to be missionaries. Whether or not he was known as a Christian and was picked out of the crowd to carry Jesus’ cross because of this on the last leg on the road to Golgotha is not known for certain.
What we do know is that Simon didn’t have a choice whether or not to carry Jesus’ cross, it was forced upon him. Little did Simon know he would play such an important role in history, when he woke up that morning. Maybe he was indignant as he watched the rest of crucifixion knowing he had played some small role in allowing it to happen. Or maybe, he felt privileged to help Jesus out with this small act of compassion in his last hours.
Most of the time we talk about “taking up your cross and following Jesus” of your own will. But in this case, Simon was compelled to take up Jesus’ cross. Maybe sometime in our life we may be forced to carry His cross even if we don’t want to. Maybe there are parts of the Christian life we would not choose to enter into willingly. Sometimes we are given crosses to bear that we certainly would not have chosen, but are called to bear them anyways.
In the end Simon of Cyrene did carry Jesus’ cross and was a part of Jesus’ fulfillment of His mission here on earth. When Jesus said, “It is finished”, Simon played a small part in making it happen. Where is Jesus calling you to carry His cross today? Will you be like Simon and do it, even if you don’t want to? Maybe we can help carry someone else’s cross and help them in their journey, even if we don’t want to.
Prayer: Jesus we thank you for carrying the cross for us to save us for our sin. As we are called to pick up your cross, help us to realize that even though Your work on this cross is finished, you are not finished with us yet. Amen.
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