I started reading Matthew chapter 10. As I progressed through the verses I came to verse 38 which reads, ““And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.” I wondered, “What does our ‘cross’ signify?” So I looked up references and I found another verse.
Matthew 27:32 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.
For some reason, I found Simon interesting. Who was this man? He must have been important enough to be mentioned by name. It started with the particulars: a man from Cyrene, with children whose names were Alexander which means “human defender” and Rufus, which means “red.” I’ll let those preach for themselves if you understand Christ on the cross.
Anyway, in Hebrew, Simon’s name means “hearing.” But what about in Greek? It means “snub-nosed.” Snub-nosed is a facial deformity. If you were snub-nosed back in the time of the High Priest in Jerusalem, you were considered unable to offer the bread of his God, to give an offering or eat the bread of his God. You couldn’t go near the veil or approach the altar.
This person was called to carry the cross. We are unworthy to carry such a cross yet we are still called to.
Simon was coming from the country. He wasn’t expecting to work or be near Jesus. How many of us were just going through life when we encountered Christ? He was compelled to carry the cross. Compelled means “employ a courier, dispatch a mounted messenger, or press into public service.” Simon was called to do what? To help deliver a message. A message of love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and salvation.
Lastly, the cross wasn’t the sin, it was the tool to kill it. “What the enemy mean for evil, God turned it for good.”
What Jesus carried was different. Not only did He bear physical pain. He bore the weight of our sin inside Him.
The weight of the cross we are called to bear can’t compare to the weight Jesus carried for us. Simon had picked up the cross after Jesus and was the first to feel that weight of what it meant to walk with Christ. It wouldn’t be easy, but it would be worth it.
Jesus walks beside us as He did Simon. Imagine, Jesus, walking alongside you, carrying the weight of your sin. And just like He did with Simon, Jesus walked with him the whole way. The whole way until it was time for Jesus to step in front and pay the cost for our sin.
Christ is with us all along. The things we deal with in this life are temporary. Salvation is eternal. So today, Jesus is asking you to walk with Him. To focus on Him. And He will walk with you all the way until the end.
God Bless You.