PEOPLE JESUS MET
Palm Sunday 25
“Simon–An Unexpected Cross”
Mark 15:21 “And they compelled one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.”
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This verse jumps into the middle of the high drama of Jesus being marched to the place of His crucifixion.
The man the passage mentions, Simon of Cyrene, was likely Jewish for he’s traveled approximately a full month to make it to the Passover feast.
This was the feast his family had talked about all throughout his growing up–the amazing story of God saving His people from judgment by the blood of a slain lamb applied to the doorpost of their doors while enslaved in Egypt.
“When I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.”–Ex 12:13
On arriving to Jerusalem, he’s making his way through the dense, teeming crowd when he encounters a strange and solemn procession–three men carrying crosses, surrounded by Roman guards, making their way out of the city to a distant hill called Golgotha.
Simon quickly noticed one of them was out of strength and had dropped to his knees, too weary to carry it further.
It was at this moment that Simon of Cyrene unbeknownst to him stepped into the history books, not by his own choice, but by command of a gruff Roman soldier:
“Pick up his cross and carry it!”
You don’t argue with a brute with a sword!
–Then and there Simon was confronted with an unexpected Cross.
And the drama and significance of his carrying it is a powerful message for us today!
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The irony of the scene can’t be overstated!
Simon had traveled an entire month to celebrate the Passover–a feast that God had commanded His people to observe centuries before so that they would never forget the power of the shed blood of a spotless lamb that had protected them from judgment and set them free from Egyptian bondage.
“When I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you.”–Exodus 12:13
Unbeknownst to Simon, he had been compelled to carry the Cross of the true sacrifice Lamb–the One the Passover feast predicted and pointed to–the Lamb of God, come to take away the sins of the world!
–As Simon was compelled to carry the Cross our Lord could no longer hold up, several things took place in his life:
I. It Brought Him Into The Presence Of Jesus
If not tapped to carry it, Simon would likely have stood there a moment as the grim procession passed, then moved on to the Temple where thousands of lambs were being sacrificed.
But carrying Christ’s Cross placed Simon in close-up proximity to the suffering Savior.
He was so close, he could no doubt hear the voice of Jesus and His labored breathing.
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And today it still holds true–the Cross brings you into the presence of Jesus.
It is the doorway to salvation!
As the old hymn says:
At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith, I received my sight
And now I am happy all the day!
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The next thing that happened to Simon was, carrying the Cross:
II. Made Him Follow In The Steps Of The Savior
Every step Jesus took, Simon took.
If Jesus stopped, Simon stopped.
When Jesus went forward, so did Simon.
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And it’s the same with us today!
Only in picking up His cross daily can we follow his steps
Luke 9:23 “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”
“Anyone who wants to follow me must put aside his own desires and conveniences and carry his cross with him every day and keep close to me!”–LB
The day you put down your cross and start following your own will and ways is the day you stop following in His steps!
We read of Demas of whom Paul said, “Demas has forsaken me having loved this present world.”–2 Tim 4:10
One commentator writes, “Having loved ease and safety, Demas chose rather to live in the comfort of home than to suffer affliction or endure hardship with Paul.”
In other words, he put his cross down!
–But as long as you carry your cross you won’t get in front of His will, and you won’t get behind His will.
You will walk in lockstep with Him.
You will go only where He leads!
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A third thing carrying Christ’s cross did for Simon was it:
III. Made Him Part Of The Greatest Work In The World
Simon was compelled to play a part in the awesome work of redemption, which the entire OT anticipates, and the entire NT celebrates.
And so it is also true for us today!
The greatest work in the world is to be part of God’s unfolding plan of salvation–to join with Him in carrying the good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth, starting with our family, neighbors, and co-workers.
Jesus told the formerly demon possessed man of Gadara,
“Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you.”–Mark 5:19
And this gloriously delivered man immediately went and preached Jesus to ten different cities, glorying in doing the word of the Lord!
To put your hand to the kingdom plow is the greatest work in the world!
It is to join hands with our Heavenly Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit in Immanuel labor!
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And finally,
IV. The Cross Changed Simon’s Family Forever
We find in Mark 15:21 that Mark names Simon’s sons–Alexander and Rufus.
Then in Romans 16:13 Paul recognizes his son, Rufus, and his mother, Simon of Cyrene’s wife, as “chosen in the Lord.”
Simon and his entire family were changed forever by one simple act–Simon carrying the Cross of Christ.
–When he actually realized he had carried the real Messiah’s Cross we don’t know.
Was he saved that day? Weeks or months later? After the resurrection? We don’t know.
But one day he placed his faith in Jesus!
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And once again, the same dynamic holds true for us today.
A genuine, cross-carrying Christian will inevitably impact others, starting with home.
We have no guarantees that our faith will bring family members, but statistics are:
If a child is the first person in a household to become a Christian, there is a 3.5% probability everyone else in the household will follow.
If the mother is the first to become a Christian, there is a 17% probability everyone else in the household will follow.
However, when the father is first, there is a 93% probability everyone else in the household will follow.
Simon was the father, hence we see his children and wife so committed to Christ they wound up in the Bible!
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What has the cross done for you?