Journey to the Cross | Day 5 | April 9, 2020
Jesus Bears His Cross & Helped by Simon the Cyrenian
Read John 19: 6: 15-17 | Mark 15:21
It had already been a whirlwind of a week for Jesus. And now He finds Himself beaten beyond recognition, put through the mockery of a trial and sentenced to death. And what form of execution was handed to our Savior?
A cross.
2 pieces of wood and 3 spikes.
The execution site had already been prepared just outside the city. And now Jesus, physically weakened by the torture that He had endured, was to carry His own cross to the place of His death. Accompanied by the soldiers who had just mocked and scourged Him, Jesus begins His painful march to Golgotha. Along the way, the Soldiers, for whatever reason, compelled, or forced, a “certain man” to bear Jesus’ cross for Him. Simon from Cyrene dared not to disobey, but rather took upon his own shoulder the cross of the Lord.
As this account unfolds in the Scriptures, let’s look at the significance of this moment. Jesus had been offered no compassion for the past several days. No mercy was extended to Him by any of the people He was in contact with. His friends had abandoned Him and His enemies were cheering. We see in this moment, a small act of kindness shown to Jesus. Simon the Cyrenian stoops to lift the cross off of Christ’s shoulder and bears that cross the rest of the way.
This act of kindness is also a reminder to us that the cross Jesus was carrying should not have been His. But rather, it was Simon’s. It was yours. It was mine. The truth is that Jesus, in the greatest display of love, took our place. He chose to pay the ultimate price for our sins so that we could be redeemed! Hallelujah, what a Savior!
May we each one be reminded today of what Jesus says in Luke 9:23, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
