By Linda King, 3.7.22
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Mark 15:21 “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.”
Simon, the man from Cyrene, is mentioned in three of the Gospels as the man forced to carry the cross when Jesus could no longer bear it. Simon had traveled a very long way to celebrate Passover with his family. He was having a great time with the crowd when suddenly a Roman soldier randomly grabbed him from the crowd and gave him his brutal assignment. He must have been terrified! The crowd must have jeered at him and thrown things at him as if he were an outcast. What would happen to him and his family after this public attention? But Simon was well known in the church in Rome, so we can assume he was honored to carry the cross for Jesus.
Don’t we feel burdened with the cross too? We feel “burdened” with the responsibility of coming to church each week, giving our time for activities at church, giving our money to the church, and especially talking to others about our church. Why aren’t we honored to support our Faith; to come to church every Sunday; honored to serve at church by teaching Sunday School or leading a small group; honored to give of our financial resources, however small, to ensure we continue to share the message of Christ; excited to tell our friends and neighbors about our church and invite them to join us?
Can you imagine how carrying the cross for Jesus must have changed the life of Simon of Cyrene, especially after the resurrection? Let’s all consider the small burden we carry every day by just living a life for Christ!!