Today’s reading is Mark 15.
Another Place in the Story
As we read the accounts of Jesus’s trial, death, and resurrection, we naturally find ourselves relating to various perspectives in the narrative. Yesterday, we walked in the shoes of Barabbas.
But what about Simon of Cyrene? What is this story from his perspective?
We all Have our Cross to Bear
How often in conversation do we mention a difficulty we face or a hardship we endure and someone responds, “Well, we all have our cross to bear.” Of course we do. But that isn’t what Jesus means when He tells us to take up our cross and follow Him.
No, He actually means we need to be like Simon 0f Cyrene.
Simon wasn’t simply dealing with a hardship. He was snatched from the crowds by a Roman soldier because Roman soldiers were allowed to do that sort of thing. By law, they could make anyone who was among the enslaved nations bear a burden for up to a mile. There was nothing Simon could do but comply.
Jesus was obviously struggling under the weight of the cross. Being beaten near to death and dealing with the shock of blood loss can have a tendency to affect a person in that way. Exactly what prompted the soldiers to grab Simon, I don’t know. Maybe Jesus collapsed under the cross. Maybe He just stalled out and couldn’t walk any further. Maybe He was just going too slow. I am certain of this: the soldiers didn’t put the cross on Simon out of the kindness and compassion of their hearts.
But we need to understand, being enlisted to carry this cross is far different from being asked to carry a soldier’s usual load. Even though it wasn’t Simon’s cross, carrying it was a shame for Simon. In fact, being grabbed to carry this implement of torture and death said something about Simon. He may not have been walking to his immediate death, but having to carry that cross demonstrated the shame of enslavement and death under which the Jews constantly lived as slaves of Rome. He might not die that day. But death was coming for him. And the Romans could kill him at any time, just as they were killing Jesus.
At the end of Simon’s walk, Jesus took up the cross again. Then Jesus was raised up on the cross.
Take UP Your Cross and Follow Jesus
Back in Mark 8:34, Jesus told the crowds, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (ESV). Then Simon literally takes up a cross and follows Jesus. This is what it means to bear our cross. It means to take up the implement of death and walk behind Jesus. It means giving up all we think makes life special and giving it to Jesus.
That can feel like an incredible sacrifice. But Jesus’s point is it is no sacrifice at all. Carrying our cross doesn’t kill us. It saves us.
In fact, it seems that is precisely what it did for Simon. Mark tells his audience Simon is the father of Rufus and Alexander. Why would he do that unless he expected his readers to know those two fellows? In other words, while we don’t know what happened with Barabbas after his encounter with Jesus, it seems pretty obvious what happened with Simon. He did give allegiance to Jesus. He raised his boys to do so as well.
Let’s follow in the footsteps of Simon. Let’s take up our cross. Let’s follow Jesus. Let’s give our allegiance to Him, realizing that, as Paul said in Philippians 3:7-8, everything else we think meaningful in life is rubbish compared to being found in and with Jesus.
Praise the Lord!
Tomorrow’s reading is Mark 15.
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PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family
How does Mark 15 prompt or improve your trust in God?
Read the Bible 