Kneeling at the Cross

“And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.” Luke 23:26

This man, out of all the faces in the crowd was picked to carry the cross that another man would be nailed to.  What must this have been like.  The digging question, “why me?”  The sickening sense of what was going on.  The weight of death.  This man carried an instrument that would end the life of another.  There are plenty of ordinary experiences that I have forgotten about over the course of my life, but I don’t imagine for Simon the Cyrene this was one of those. 

This man will ever be remembered as the one who shouldered Christ’s cross.  His named is burned into history by the Gospel accounts.  But there is a limit.  He will always be known only as the one who carried the cross.  But only One will be known as He who died on the cross!  Jesus of Nazareth.  Jesus son of Joseph, son of Mary.  Jesus son of David.  Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed One.  Jesus the Son of God!  Jesus the Savior of the world.  Simon carried Jesus’ cross.  Jesus voluntarily took Simon’s place on it.  And yours and mine as well.  Jesus is a hero, a conquering hero, because when He was done dying He came back to life.  He is no victim…HE IS GOD!  I bend my knee to Him alongside of Simon the Cyrene.  Do you join me there?

“O Praise the one who paid my debt, And raised this life up from the dead” (Kristian Stanfill)