Simon of Cyrene

Simon of Cyrene

Scripture:-

³² As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. ³³ They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).³⁴ There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵ When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. ³⁶ And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. ³⁷ Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

³⁸ Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴² “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”⁴⁴ In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Observation:

After the torture session, the Lord is too weak to carry the cross, and along the way, they grab a man called Simon from Cyrene and make him carry Jesus’ cross. At the place called Golgotha, meaning the skull, they mixed wine with gall and let Jesus drink it to dull the pain. The Lord after tasting it refuses, and they proceed to drive in the nails into Jesus’ hands and feet. All who pass by hurl insults at Jesus, including the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law. Even the two thieves being crucified with Jesus insulted him, although one later repented and defended Jesus as written in other gospels. The primary insults against Jesus was that He saved others and could not save Himself and that He could rescue Himself or have God rescue Him if He really was the Son of God. No one understood that this was all part of God’s plan for humanity’s redemption, and Jesus was there wholly voluntarily.

Application:

Consider Simon of Cyrene. At that time, he could have counted ill luck in being picked on to carry the heavy cross. The blood of Jesus would have got all over him. The mocking and spitting from the people would also land upon him. After coming so far to worship at the Passover, here he was, becoming ceremonially unclean and being forced labor for the crucifixion of some notorious criminal. Finally at Golgotha, Simon was able to let go of the great burden, full of sweat, blood and pain from the weight. What happened to Simon after this? Did he leave Jerusalem in disgust? Did he stay and watch what happened to Jesus? Did he find out more about why Jesus was being crucified? Scripture does not tell us these details here.

However, later in Acts 13:1, Luke gives a list of leaders of Antioch who send Paul and Barnabas out on the first mission to the Gentiles. In that list is Simon called Niger and Lucius of Cyrene. Niger means Black, so it literally means Simon called Black and Lucius of Cyrene. So the Simon here was from Cyrene, and should quite literally be the same Simon of Cyrene that carried Jesus cross! The fact that he was dark also lends credence to the way the soldiers singled him out among others for the unpleasant task of carrying Jesus’ cross. Also, the reason Matthew recorded his name at all was probably because the church knew who Simon of Cyrene was.

So Simon of Cyrene later would realize that what seemed like incredible misfortune was actually the greatest privilege. Who else had the opportunity of carrying the cross for the Lord, upon which He would bring salvation for not only Simon of Cyrene but everyone who would believe in Jesus.

The lesson for us is that although we might face troubles or great inconveniences, we should bear it humbly and graciously. Unknown to us, it might actually be a great privilege.

Prayer:

We praise thee and worship thee O Lord for the marvelous things You have done. We thank You for the lesson of Simon of Cyrene which teaches us how we should bear hardship and trouble humbly and graciously, for behind the scenes even that could be a great privilege to us. Help us and teach us Lord, even as we seek Your face. In Jesus name, Amen.

Why God allows bad things to happen to "good" people?

Why God allows bad things to happen to "good" people?

Our life on earth is not the end of the matter. No matter how much we suffer now, it is incomparable to the time we spend in eternity. Likewise, no matter how much bad people enjoy life now, it is incomparable to the suffering they will spend in eternity if they persist in their sins.

There is no one righteous, not even one. No one is good enough on his own, for God’s standard of goodness is too high and holy for any human being to attain on his own. Our righteous acts to God are just like filthy rags. Only in Jesus Christ can we obtain the righteousness of God by believing in Him.

Job was a righteous man who did all the right things and walked steadfastly before God, but God allowed him to go through terrible suffering without any apparently good reason. Yet, through the suffering he went through, a great book of poetry was divinely created which serves as a wonderful source of inspiration and encouragement to millions throughout eternity. Through the suffering, Job learned to focus on the truly important things in life, which at the end of it, was God’s presence. After his suffering, God blessed Job even more bountifully and his capacity to appreciate and enjoy what he had was multiplied exponentially because of the memory of the sufferings he endured.

Joseph lived in misery for most of his young life, descending down from favored son to slave and prisoner. However, at the end of it, he realized God’s amazing plan to use him as the Savior of his family, and also giving him more fame and power that he could ever imagine. Because of his sufferings, he was also perfectly equipped to handle the responsibility and power with the right humility and wisdom to be a great Prime Minister.

Sufferings always draw us closer to God, if we choose to come to Him for Help and Comfort. God is my refuge and my strength, and ever present help in time of trouble. Quite often in the Bible, men and women of God had to endure suffering they did not understand, but chose to trust God anyway. They realized that God’s ways are higher, and He sees things that they do not. In the end, all things will work out well for those who love God and obey His commands.

When several young missionaries were martyred in God’s service in South America, many questioned where God was. However, the wives of the missionaries took up their husbands’ work and brought revival to the country where their husbands’ blood spilt into the ground. Even the murderers of their husbands’ were saved.

Another question we may ask, is why God allows His salvation to reach some very bad people who repent later in life. A perfect example is King Manasseh, most evil among the kings of Israel and Judah, who repented later in life and was shown mercy and blessing by God. Like the older brother in the Prodigal Son, it is not our place to question God’s mercy, but to concentrate on living our own life righteously before Him and accepting the lot that has been given us.