Devotional 4-9-14

Luke 23:26 (NIV) “As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.”

Have you ever wondered about Simon, this man from Cyrene, who was pulled from the crowd to carry the cross for Christ’s crucifixion?

Simon had come a long way to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem. Cyrene was an ancient Greek colony under Roman rule, located on the northeastern coast of present-day Libya. It was nearly 900 miles from Jerusalem, so it must have been important to Simon to have traveled so far.

Simon most likely had heard of Jesus, and no doubt was curious to find Him as he made his way through the large crowd. He heard talk amongst the people that Jesus was on his way to his own crucifixion. But if this man called Jesus was the promised Messiah, why was He about to be crucified? Simon’s answers would have to wait. He was pulled from the crowd by Roman soldiers, who ordered him to carry Christ’s cross.

We are filled with sorrow and disbelief when we read or see portrayed the suffering Jesus endured. His flogging had been cruelly administered, and He would have had open, bleeding wounds. He had been awake for hours, and most likely had had nothing to eat or drink since The Last Supper with His disciples. And so it’s safe to believe that He walked very slowly and in great pain as Simon carried the cross behind Him.

What would Simon have been thinking? He saw the wounds, he heard the noisy crowd shouting at Jesus, but he also noticed many who were weeping. What had happened to place Jesus here? And how long would Jesus suffer on this heavy cross he’d been told to carry? Unlike us, Simon may not have ever known or heard the complete story.

And it is painful to try to comprehend what Jesus was thinking or feeling during His last hours here on earth. We’ve learned from the apostles that He knew what was to happen to him. And He was deserted and betrayed by the disciples, who were his closest friends. How totally alone He must have felt!

With mixed feelings of sadness, then joy, it is good that we hear this story every year during Lent. We hear of and acknowledge Christ’s supreme sacrifice for us. We are reminded by His suffering that He died for us. We grasp the importance of His forgiveness. And we rejoice in His Resurrection and the assurance of eternal life.

Almighty Father, the time is coming when we will again hear the whole story of Christ’s death and resurrection. May its significance remain in our hearts through the rising of the Son on Easter morning.
Amen

Diane Feaganes