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Mark 15:21-24, A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.  They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.  And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

In chapter 15, we read about the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.  It was a horrific death.  He was beaten and mocked by the soldiers, betrayed by his own people, and nailed to a cross to die.  I won’t go into the gory details of crucifixion, as you have probably heard them before, but it was a terribly painful and humiliating way to die.

In today’s focus verses, there is one verse that I typically skim over.  There was a man named Simon from Cyrene who was passing by and they forced him to carry the cross.  Cyrene was on the tip of Africa so this man was far from home!  And here he was, just going about his business, and he is enlisted, or more like seized, to carry the cross of the Savior of the world.  I’m guessing that Jesus’ physical body was incredibly weak and bloody by this point.  And Simon walked by him, carrying the cross that would serve to execute Jesus but also save all humanity from their sin. 

We don’t know what happened to Simon after the crucifixion.  He isn’t mentioned again in Scripture.  But my guess is that his life was never the same again.  An encounter with Jesus is always life-changing.

Let’s pray…Lord Jesus, Thank you for the cross. In all we do, may we always be reminded of your sacrifice and what it means for our lives.  We will never be the same.  In Your Name, Amen.