Scripture
As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. Luke 23:26
Observation
In this one verse we have a man who chose the cross and a man who had the cross forced on him. Jesus was compelled by love to take the Cross and Simon was compelled by the Romans. Jesus chose to die on the Cross and Simon took the Cross so he wouldn’t die. Cyrenian Jews had a synagogue in Jerusalem, where many went for annual feasts. Simon was just there to make offerings to God for his sins and had no idea how close he was to God and how he would never have to make offerings again after Jesus offered His life for all mankind. Here's the interesting thing. Simon was forced to carry the Cross, but this grueling and unwitting participation with the greatest act of sacrifice in history had a deep impact as evidenced by history. Mark 15:21 identifies Simon as "the father of Alexander and Rufus". Tradition states that they became missionaries; the inclusion of their names may suggest that they were of some standing in the Early Christian community at Rome. Mark's Gospel, which was written for a Roman audience, seems to suggest that the audience knew who these men were. It has also been suggested that the Rufus mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:13 is the son of Simon of Cyrene. Some also link Simon himself with the "men of Cyrene" who preached the Gospel to the Hellenized Jews in Acts 11:20. So, no matter how much of this is true it's clear that what started as the worst day of Simon's life became the best one. You can't be close to Jesus with His blood all over you and not be changed from the inside out!
Application
How many men have found themselves forced to go to church with their spouse only to find their lives forever changed when they meet with Jesus? So many show up out of obligation and experience transformation. Our God is good like that! However, no matter how we met Jesus and were changed by His Cross there's a choice we must make every day afterward. We must choose to take up that Cross. It's heavy. It's coarse. It has splinters. It's impossible to carry in a way that doesn't cause us to bend low every where we go. We can't enter a room without everyone noticing. There's no blending in or covert Christianity when you're a cross carrying Christian. Notice that right after Peter tries to get Jesus to take some other route other than death on the Cross Jesus hears the silvery tongue of Satan's temptation to comfort in the mouth of his best friend. He tells Satan to get behind Him and tells His disciples they are going to face the same choice over and over again. "24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 25If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it." Matthew 16:24-25. Apart from Judas, each of these disciples would go on to take up their Cross and die for Jesus. Peter even asked to be crucified upside down as he didn't consider himself worthy to be crucified in the same manner as His Lord Jesus. Here I am complaining when I'm hungry during my fast or considering myself as suffering when someone rebuffs my pastoral guidance. This whole idea of a soft and cozy Christianity doesn't align with the path Jesus has called us to. It seems I have been spending my Christian life avoiding that which I should be embracing.
Prayer
So very thankful for this wake up call. The hole in our Gospel has been to sanitize the life of Jesus so we can pick and choose our level of obedience. Suffering was always a part of the journey and The Cross is supposed to be the first thing I grab when I hop out of bed in the morning. Forgive me for leaving my Cross in my closet and not carrying it with me. When You are asking me to give until it hurts, to forgive when there's been no apology, to extend mercy to those who deserve judgement You are simply reminding me taking up the Cross was never going to be comfortable or convenient. You won't force me to take up my Cross. I must choose it every single day if I truly want to follow You.
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