jonathanfwoodall
  • welcome
  • about me
  • blog
  • sermons
  • welcome
  • about me
  • blog
  • sermons

Holy Week: Simon the Cyrene

4/15/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Matthew 27:32–34; Mark 15:20-24; Luke 23:26 
Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount the idea of service, he said if anyone asks us to walk a mile with them, go another mile.  Roman soldiers were able to command those they protected to carry their belongings for one mile…a repayment to their service.  Simon of Cyrene stumbled upon this as he entered Jerusalem at the end of his pilgrimage.  A man who lacked the ability to walk his cross to the place of death needed help. 

The Roman soldiers, recognizing that Jesus didn't have sufficient strength to carry his cross by himself, "seized" Simon and demanded that he carry the cross of Jesus. No doubt Simon was hesitant, fearing that he might end up sharing Jesus' fate. Yet he knew enough not to provoke the soldiers, so he took the cross as ordered. We don't know much more about Simon than this, since he disappears from the biblical record at this point.

There is much writing regarding what happened to Simon after this event. Most Christian thinkers are compelled because of their knowledge of the Savior and their passion for the narrative to connect Simon with the scattered church both in the writings of Acts and of Romans. Yet, we forfeit that search today to focus on what we know. Simon joined Jesus in his moment of shame, and for that we remember him today…this Good Friday.  

We ought to identify with Simon of Cyrene, who found himself a surprised participant in the crucifixion of Christ. This is especially true since many of us became Christians without really knowing that we were dying to our old selves so that we might live anew in Christ. We were pitched a gospel of salvation and eternal life without the implications of servanthood, sacrifice, and death to sin and self.

Yet what is the thought we should take from Simon of Cyrene?  

“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it" (Luke 9:23-24)  We All have a cross to bear…yes.  

Perhaps the words of this hymn will penetrate our hearts today: Must Jesus Bear the cross Alone?

    Must Jesus bear the cross alone,
    And all the world go free?
    No, there’s a cross for everyone,
    And there’s a cross for me.

    How happy are the saints above,
    Who once went sorrowing here!
    But now they taste unmingled love,
    And joy without a tear.

    The consecrated cross I’ll bear
    Till death shall set me free;
    And then go home my crown to wear,
    For there’s a crown for me.

    Upon the crystal pavement down
    At Jesus’ pierced feet,
    Joyful I’ll cast my golden crown
    And His dear Name repeat.

    O precious cross! O glorious crown!
    O resurrection day!
    When Christ the Lord from heaven comes down
    And bears my soul away.

Yet, this take goes a step further because Simon wasn’t carrying his own cross, but was joining Jesus in the shame of sin and condemnation…Like the other hymn sings: I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, its shame and reproach gladly bare…

It’s one thing to suffer for our own sins, and to pay our own consequences.  But Jesus asks us to suffer for the sins of others, to take up crosses all around us and in so doing…we have served the Lord.  Jesus says, “Whatever you do to the least of these, you have done for me.”  The day of carrying Jesus’s cross has passed, and we are thankful for Simon of Cyrene and his service to the Lord…

But are we equally thankful for a Savior and Lord that commands us to search for the shame and reproach around us and to reach out to the hurting, broken, hungry, and forgotten…After all, we have to at some point acknowledge our mistake in thinking that this cross was actually Jesus’ to begin with…the perfect Son of God, carried a cross…but not his cross.  It was more Simon’s cross or my cross than Jesus’ cross…

Jesus carried our shame, our sin, and when he chose to put that upon himself and go to the cross, then the old rugged cross became the Cross of Christ, and it transformed into something beautiful and Holy…Just like our lives when given over to Jesus, they too are transformed from shameful and rugged to beautiful and holy.  

This was shared at a station of the cross during the Elizabethtown Carry the Cross Event, Friday, April 14. I pray that on this Saturday between death and life, we might ponder the ways of Jesus and seek to pick up crosses. 

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    jonathan's jots

    I want to share thoughts, insights, and scriptures that lead us in the direction of Christ.  

    Archives

    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    Acceptance
    Action
    Acts
    Advent
    America
    Application
    Autumn
    Baptism
    Belief
    Betrayal
    Bible
    Blog Tour 2017
    Blog Tour 2018
    Brokenness
    Character Of God
    Christ And Culture
    Christian Art
    Christianity
    Christian Love
    Christian Marriage
    Christmas
    Church
    Civil Rights
    College Ministry
    Colossians
    Community
    Conflict
    Consequences Of Sin
    Covenant
    Creation
    Creativity
    Cross
    Current Events
    Darkness
    Dehumanizing
    Discipleship
    Do Not Fear
    Earth
    Emerging Adulthood
    Endurance
    Eschatology
    Esther
    Evangelism
    Evil
    Excuses
    Expectations
    Failure
    Faith
    Faithfulness
    Father
    Forgiveness
    Freedom
    Generations
    Genesis
    Gentiles
    Glory
    God
    God's Presence
    Good Friday
    Gospel
    Grace
    Healing
    Heaven
    Hebrews
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Week
    Honor
    Hope
    Hosea
    Hymns
    Identity
    Individualism
    Interpretation
    Intimacy
    Isaiah
    Israel
    Jeremiah
    Jesus
    Jesus Christ
    Job
    John
    Joshua
    Joy
    Judas
    Judgment
    Kingdom
    Leadership
    Legacy
    Lessons From Children
    Light
    Love
    Luke
    Mark
    Marriage And Family
    Matthew
    Maturity
    Media And College
    Memorial Day
    Ministry
    Mission
    MLK
    Money
    Music
    Narrative
    New Testament
    New Testament World
    Old Testament
    Parable
    Passion
    Paul
    Personalities
    Philippians
    Politics
    Post-Christian
    Poverty
    Prayer
    Promise
    Prophecy
    Proverbs
    Psalms
    Reconciliation
    Relationships
    Remembering
    Remembrance
    Revelation
    Rochester College
    Romans
    Sacred Space
    Salvation
    Satan
    Seeking
    Self Love
    Self-love
    Service
    Sexuality
    Sexual Practices
    Shame
    Silence
    Sin
    Songs
    Spiritual Formation
    Spiritual Formation
    Story
    Struggle
    Suffering
    Temple
    Theology
    Throne
    Tragedy
    Transformation
    Treasure
    Tribes
    Trust
    Vision
    Visual
    Voting
    Wisdom
    Word
    Work
    Works And Faith
    Worship
    Wrath
    Yahweh

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.