Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay 

His physical strength and prowess had always defined him. For most of his life, Simon the Cyrene took pride in using his abilities to help others. From lifting heavy tree branches to digging trenches to plowing fields, people in his village regularly sought his assistance.

But lately, Simon’s heart stirred in an uncomfortable manner. Perhaps it had to do with what he’d heard about the new teacher in Jerusalem. Unable to determine the source of the restlessness, Simon realized his heart was moving away from his beloved friends and neighbors, urging him forward on a singular journey. And somehow, he knew that this journey would eventually redefine him. Early one morning, he set out on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, intending to arrive just before Passover.

The long trek was finally nearing an end, and when Simon saw the temple mount in the distance, he quickened his steps in anticipation. As he neared the city, he heard loud, angry yelling. These were not cries for help or warnings of danger. No, the shouts he heard came from a throng of people hurrying out of the city.  They marched along his own path in hot pursuit of vengeance. Violence and hatred filled the atmosphere like a dust cloud, and Simon knew the Romans must be involved in yet one more ruthless and inhumane torture of their Jewish subjects.

His worries were confirmed when he saw soldiers marching alongside three men, each one carrying a large, wooden cross. Oh no, it’s a crucifixion. Simon hung his head, Jehovah, have mercy.

Soon, another fierce internal stirring alarmed him. He was frightened by the intensity of his own emotion, let alone the fervor of the crowd in the distance. No human strength could resist this urge, so Simon ran. With supernatural resolve, he resisted the desire to hide, and rushed forward toward the evil of humanity he was witnessing.

His height and muscular build made it easy to push through the horde, and soon he found himself standing in front of one man who would die that day. The man had fallen under the heavy load of the cross he’d been forced to carry. This wicked Roman practice. This immoral spectator sport. The mob would not be denied their malevolent taunts and jeers, nor the subsequent deathwatch of suffering men expiring after hours of torture hanging on a cross. It was evil at its worst.

The crowd continued shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Jesus!”

Hearing the name, Jesus, Simon realized the man on the ground was the One he’d heard so much about recently—the teacher he’d hoped to listen to in the temple courts during Passover. The rumors in Simon’s village hinted that Jesus could be the long-awaited Messiah come to free the Jews from the cruelty of Roman occupation.

Simon froze on the edge of the path to Golgotha. A flurry of anxious thought filled his mind, but his body stood still. If Jesus the Christ was crucified, how could he be the Messiah? How would he conquer the Romans? Simon searched his memory for what Rabbi Silas taught him from the prophecies. Nothing made sense. The only thing he could do in the panic of the moment was pray. Yahweh, help!  Help this man! Help me understand the confusion of what I’m seeing!

Perhaps Yahweh’s answer came with what happened next.

“You!” the Roman sentry stood eye to eye with Simon.  “You! Pick up the cross and carry it for him!”

Despite the chaos, he did not react in haste or fear. Somehow, he understood this moment was ordained. And so, Simon knelt to lift the crossbeam from the path on which it fell.

He steadied himself with one hand on the ground as he balanced the heavy beam before rising. Turning to see if Jesus was even still alive, Simon closed his eyes in horror, seeing the effects of Roman brutality. The blood falling from the wounds of the customary 39 lashings significantly afflicted and weakened the mysterious teacher.

He forced his eyes open again, and as Simon glanced at Jesus’ face, he knew something supernatural was occurring. What happened next, he would later testify was divine revelation. A solder jerked Jesus to his feet simultaneously as Simon rose with the cross. And in that moment, time and space stood still. Jesus fixed his eyes on Simon’s, and the unspoken message communicated through swollen, bruised, and bloodied eyes spoke to Simon’s very spirit. He heard each silent word in the depths of his soul.

I know what is in the heart of man, the sinful nature and tendency to leave the paths of righteousness. Many are blinded by the cares of this world and the lies of the evil one. Their ears do not hear with understanding, their hearts are hard, and their necks are stiff. 

This is why I came! Hear this truth: When anyone risks to believe and chooses to follow Me, they are born anew—into new life—into My kingdom. My kingdom is one of mercy, peace, and redemption. But My kingdom is not of this world. 

Follow me, Simon. Take up the cross and let me lead you where lovingkindness and truth meet together, and righteousness and peace kiss each other; where truth springs from the earth and righteousness looks down from heaven (see Psalm 85:10-11).

That scripture! That Psalm! Suddenly all became clear.  Rabbi Silas had urged Simon to memorize that very psalm just before he left on his pilgrimage. The rabbi told him the promise would be realized sometime during the journey.

In that transcendent moment, Simon was transformed. Nothing else mattered. His physical strength paled in comparison to the spiritual strength of Jesus. His life would never be the same.

So, he took his place on the dusty, rocky road to Golgotha, his place alongside the Messiah.

Unsure if it was real or not, an unearthly radiance of light enveloped them. And as he carried the cross next to Jesus, Simon was held by the miraculous strengthening presence of the suffering Christ.

A supernatural assurance that Yahweh’s purposes were being fulfilled encompassed the scene. And for whatever reason, he—Simone of Cyrene—would play some small part in this unfathomable plan. Simon would carry the cross. Whatever the cost, he would follow Christ.

****

REFLECTION:

The above story is an inference of what may have happened on Good Friday so long ago. Simon the Cyrene is only mentioned three times in scripture (in the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke) as the man “coming in from the country” Roman soldiers pressed into service to carry the cross of Christ to Golgotha. Yet, even names mentioned only once or twice in scripture are significant. For the God who counts the hairs on our head, the God’s whose thoughts toward us are as many as the grains of sand, the God who formed us in our mother’s womb is the same God who ordained Simon the Cyrene to carry Christ’s cross.

Scholars believe that Simon had two sons, Rufus and Alexander, both mentioned in the New Testament as followers of Jesus. (https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/why-is-it-important-that-simon-of-cyrene-carried-the-cross.html). It is even speculated that Simon himself was sawn in two during the intense persecution of Christians of the first century, A.D.  (https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/facts-you-may-not-know-about-simon-of-cyrene.html). This is all conjecture, but it certainly seems plausible.

What we do know is that this man who carried the cross of Christ walked alongside Jesus on the road to Golgotha. Simon’s up-close and supernatural encounter with the suffering Christ was an ordained moment, a story to be told throughout history. Is it any wonder, then, that his life was redefined by the experience?

Therefore, we can trust that the significance of Simon’s story informs our own pilgrimage of faith. In fact, prior to crucifixion, Jesus charged His disciples to take up their cross and follow Him,

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25, NASB1995).

This is Christ’s enduring call to all who choose to follow. We may resist the idea of carrying our cross. Afterall, it involves personal sacrifice and purposeful choice. But the journey is easily embraced when we liken ourselves to Simon the Cyrene. If we, like him, seek transformation. If we hold to the hope of lovingkindness and truth meeting and righteousness and peace uniting, we are strengthened by a God-inspired yearning to understand the supernatural realm of God’s kingdom. And in following Jesus, we, too, will be redefined.

Hebrews 12:2 exhorts us to fix our eyes on Jesus. We are reminded that Jesus propelled himself forward on the Via Doloroso for the joy that was set before Him, enduring the cross, and scorning the shame. For He knew where the way of suffering led. Though His death was the required sacrifice, Jesus would again take His place at the right hand of God. And in doing so, He made a way for all who believe to join Him for eternity.

In my inference of Simon’s story, he experiences the miraculous sense of Christ’s strength beside him. Their shouldering the heavy crossbeam together can be likened to a yoke of sorts. With the power of two working side-by-side, there is greater intensity, so the burden is light.

Lest we forget, Jesus also told his disciples, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30, ESV).

As we consider our yoking with Christ, we can trust the depth of the side-by-side sojourn. Though we, the weaker, may be skittish at times, we trust our leader’s might to guide us in the right direction, knowing we never bear the cross alone.

Christ’s call to carry the cross is first and foremost a call to simply follow where He leads. In doing so, we are intricately linked to the power, grace, and hope of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Yoked to Him, we know Christ will lead us to a new and transformed life.

Will we, like Simon, allow Jesus to redefine us?

*****

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  (Philippians 2:5-8, ESV).

“Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities. The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him.” (Isaiah 53:4-6, NASB1995).