Cross Wise

Luke 23:26 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus. 27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.

I received one of those ‘forwarded’ emails this week. (You know the kind: email that has already been sent to hundreds of people - and now is being sent to hundreds more.)

This email was very interesting in what it presented. There was an illustration of a person carrying a large cross, and they were complaining to God about the size and weight of their cross. Each time they complained God complied, and made the cross a little smaller and a little lighter. At the end of their life, this person approached the great divide between God and man, and discovered the tiny cross they now possessed was not long enough to bridge the divide. Only those with large crosses were able to cross over into the presence of God. While this illustration is merely allegorical, it does serve to illustrate what we may understand about the crosses we are to bear in our lives.

Earlier, in another ministry setting, Jesus had declared: Luke 9:23 …"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.

Now here, in this setting on the streets of Jerusalem, Simon, a Cyrenian, is confronted with something altogether different. How about carrying someone else’s cross? As little as we like bearing our own – what about somebody else’s as well? You could say Simon had no choice. You could say he was compelled by a Roman soldier to do so. You could also say God arranged all these circumstances to demonstrate to us what an act of worship looks like from His perspective.

Simon has come to Jerusalem to worship God at Passover, and he finds himself engulfed in this tremendous distraction…his attempt to ‘worship’ diverted by forced compliance to carry someone else’s cross. (Only to find out this is the cross of Christ, and it is indeed the very implement of the redemption of all mankind.) Amazing! Historic! Awesome!

Who knows what you will be called to do while you are on your way to worship?
- Pastor Bill