The last few days of Jesus' earthly life were full of mental and physical strain. Luke says (21.37 - 38) "And in the day time He was teaching in the Temple; and at night He went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives. And all the people came early in the morning to him in the Temple, for to hear him." Following this came the last Passover and a long talk, then the Garden with its anguish and agony. An armed company came to take one defenceless man. He was betrayed by a kiss, bound and led away to trial. Mocked, humiliated, insulted, scourged and crowned with thorns, Jesus began his journey to Calvary. Bearing his Cross for himself, he went forth to die. (John 19.17 RV).

When the journey began Jesus was "led" forth carrying the cross but before the place called Calvary was reached and probably at a point just outside the north gate of the city (note "as they came out" in Matt. 27.32) it was necessary to transfer the heavy cross to someone else's shoulders. Moreover whereas at the beginning of the journey He was "led", at the close of it, such was his physical exhaustion, that He was "brought" or "borne along" (Mark 15.20,22). Even his sinless body had its limits of endurance and they were reached that day. For three and a half years He had daily poured out his soul unto death, giving forth his vitality and strength. Now like the Psalmist (Psa.73.26), he could say, "My flesh and my heart fails but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever". His faith never faltered though his steps might. A passer by was 'impressed' by the Centurion in charge, one Simon, a Cyrenian, and he walked behind Jesus bearing the cross. Perhaps he was one of the "scattered abroad" Jews mentioned by Peter, come up to keep the Passover and obliged to lodge himself outside the city. Suddenly he found himself compelled under the law of Rome to carry a burden laid upon him by the Roman soldiers. The unlooked for happened and he found himself with his day's programme changed, walking in a direction opposite to that he had intended, following a Person with whom he had never thought to be associated and bearing a burden he had never dreamed of carrying! How came it that the moment at which Simon met the procession was the very one at which the Centurion decided that somebody was wanted to carry a cross? If Simon had been a little earlier or later, if he had entered by another gate, if the Centurion's eye had looked in another direction; but there are no ifs in the outworking of God's purposes. Behind apparently chance circumstances lies the planning of the wise God, that was why Simon's name that day found a place on the page of Scripture. Nothing happens by chance where God's providences are concerned. It is not likely that Simon welcomed the interruption of his day's programme but it was God's way of bringing him into touch with Jesus.

It must have happened like that in thousands of cases since; some trivial circumstance, some slight incident, some strange turn of event has made all the differences in the life. Sickness, sorrow, loss, the breaking up of a cherished plan, these and a host of other unwelcome happenings have resulted in bringing many into touch with the Lord Jesus.

Peter, the leading Apostle; how was it he was not carrying his Master's cross at that great moment? If he had been as good as his word and had lived up to his boast he would have been so close to Jesus that morning that it would have been impossible for any other to be chosen to carry the cross. A few hours previously Peter had said, "I am ready to go with thee, to prison and death" and when somebody was really needed to go with him to the place of death, Peter was not there. He was afar off hiding his tears and his shame, far off with that last look his Master gave him burning into his tortured mind. The echo of his own denials and curses was still in his ears; so Simon Peter lost the opportunity that could never come back. Never again was the Son of God to walk that sorrowful way of the cross and because Peter was not there he lost the right to carry the cross for his Lord and go step by step with him to Calvary. Think of it! Their Lord and Master who had shown such willingness to serve them in the most menial of tasks ‑ washing their feet ‑ needed such a service at such a moment. Not one of his own disciples was at hand to render it, so that to a stranger the undying honour must fall.

Simon the Cyrenian in a very real sense took Simon Peter's place that day. How glad we are that the grace of God restored Peter to his place, for he was in peril of losing, not only his opportunity of service in carrying the cross after Jesus but also his crown, "Let no man take thy crown". The sight of a man carrying his cross was quite familiar in Jerusalem. Our Lord had chosen the figure of a cross bearer as an illustration of a true disciple and added the paradox concerning losing life by saving it and saving life by losing it. Everyone seeing a man carrying his cross saw one whose life here was ended. So it is with one who sets out to carry his cross, he is severing his connection with old pursuits belonging to the old life, and following Christ into the new life. Simon the Cyrenian had this signal honour; alone of all the characters of Scriptures he was the embodiment of our Lord's own illustration of a true disciple ‑ a man carrying a cross after Christ! See him associated with Jesus in his shame, all his strength devoted to the carrying of a cross, walking pace for, pace behind the Lord himself, but with this difference ‑ Simon carried Christ's cross: the disciple carries his own. The disciple's cross is Christ's only in the sense that he bears it voluntarily, gladly for "my sake". (Mark 8.35). Paul is our example. He was always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus (2 Cor.4.10) and filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ (Col.1.24). He counted all things but loss and dross that he might win Christ and be found in him.

We may suppose that Simon the Cyrenian never forgot that morning's burden carrying, nor the incidents that came after. If the Centurion who laid the cross on him was constrained before the day was out to say "truly this was the Son of God", we may believe that Simon's heart was reached. Simon is mentioned in Mark 15.21 as being the father of two sons, Alexander and Rufus. These two men were evidently well known Christians at the time Mark's Gospel came to be written, the evangelist doubtless mentioned them by name because they were known to those Christians to whom he was writing. This in itself is strongly in favour of the assumption that Simon was so moved by his experiences on that eventful day that he became a follower in the deeper and spiritual sense of him whose cross he bore, and trained his boys to do the same.

TH