His Footprints
“And as they led him away, they seized Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.” Luke 23:26
I was captivated by this verse. I couldn’t get enough time with it.
Were the Romans trying to further mock Jesus and the Jews by dressing him in purple and having another jew carry his cross behind him? Or had Jesus lost too much blood to be able to carry it? Did Simon think Jesus was a criminal, or did he know Jesus was innocent? Did he think it unlucky to have run into the procession, or was he willing to go an extra mile if need be? Did he want Jesus to walk faster, or was he indifferent? Was he careful to breathe in a manner that would conceal his struggle, or was the weight too heavy for him to be able to conceal his discomfort?
Although it is almost more than certain that these men were nothing more than perfect strangers to one another, in my wildest imagination, I wonder if they once hadn’t been. They’d both grown up in North Africa, were Jewish, and had to be close in age since Simon was capable of traveling such long distances and carrying such heavy lumber. It is almost more than certain, however, that Simon was nothing more than a perfect stranger.
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What can be known is that after all of Christ’s followers had deserted him, his best friends had betrayed him, and his most loyal communion had cursed him, all to avoid the weight Simon was bearing. In Christ’s darkest hour, a man from halfway around the known world had made a timely entrance into Jerusalem.
What we do know is that this Simon of Cyrene was the last man chosen to follow Christ.
If we could all go back in time to live one day in the life of a Bible character during Jesus’s 33 years of life leading up to Golgotha, we would not ask to see him turn water into wine, heal the sick, or walk on water. We would follow in his bloody footprints and own his cross as our own.
“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” Matthew 16:24
Such an opportunity exists for us today! It begins with coming into the presence of the Lord in prayer, “Here I am, LORD!” “Your cross is my cross!” “I won’t let you down!” “I’ll be a slave all my days till your work on earth is done!” “Whatever suffering you lack, I will fill up!” “Compell me to be in service to you where others refuse to stand fast.” “My Lord, lead me on; your commands are not burdensome!” “My life can be given no greater significance than to be bruised by a cause marked by your blood’s stain.”
