Black History in God's Story: Simon of Cyrene
Copyright: South Bay Community Church
Sermon Reflections: Black History in God's Story: Simon of Cyrene
Date: 25 February 2024
Speaker: Lead Pastor Tammy Long
Sermon Text: Mark 15:20-21
Sermon Reflections: Black History in God's Story: Simon of Cyrene
Date: 25 February 2024
Speaker: Lead Pastor Tammy Long
Sermon Text: Mark 15:20-21
Sermon Preamble
We are in a mini-series that highlights Black presence in the Bible, as part of our celebration of Black History Month. Black history is part of biblical history. The focus of this message is Simon, a man from Cyrene located in Northern Africa referred to in Mark 15:20-21, Mathew 27:32-33, and Luke 23:26. Before Simon carrying the Jesus’ cross, the scene of the torture of our Lord Jesus Christ is familiar to Christians and non-Christians. It is the brutal abuse Jesus experienced after Pontius Pilate exchanged Barnabas, the insurrectionist leader and murderer, for Jesus. Bloodthirsty mobs cried out, “Crucify him.” (See Matthew 27:15-26). Pilate had Jesus brutally flogged. The scourge was a short whip with leather strips on which small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bone were tied. With each repeated lashing, the iron balls and sharp bones tore the flesh causing pain and blood loss. This initiated circulatory shock long before one got to the cross. The governor’s soldiers stripped Jesus and put a scarlet robe on him to mock him, and then they twisted a crown of thorns and pressed it down on his head. They then put a staff in his hand and knelt down in mockery taunting, “Hail King of the Jews.” They spit on Jesus and repeatedly struck him over the head with the staff. (See Matthew 27:27-31). Then they took off the robe, put Jesus’ clothes back on him, and led him away to be crucified. Simon, the man from Northern Africa, was exactly where God wanted him to be at that time to carry the cross of Jesus. From Simon’s story, we learn the crosses we are to carry. (1) We may carry the cross of our own pain and suffering from the weight of the world’s brokenness with God present with us. (2) We may carry the cross of another’s pain and suffering coming alongside with empathy, support, time, and sacrifice as we lean on God and remember God’s presence with us as God leads. (3) We learn from Simon that his cross is following Jesus. This means dying to our pride and our self-centeredness is an intentional decision to die daily so that we can truly live the life God has for us.
Simon of Cyrene, coming to Jerusalem, was forced to carry Jesus’ cross
“20 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe, and they put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. 21 A passerby named Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.” (Mark 15:20-21). The soldiers tired of mocking Jesus, put his clothes back on him, and then led him away to be crucified.
Simon of Cyrene is mentioned in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Each of the gospel writers tells us a little something different to add to what we know about Simon. To the Jews of Jerusalem, Simon was a foreigner from Cyrene on the north coast of Africa. Cyrene was a thriving Roman province with lands that produced grains, olive oil, wine, figs, apples, wool, beef, and a rare herb called silphium. Cyrene was also known for its academic and artistic centers, science, medicine, and architecture. Cyrene was also known as having a large Jewish population, both transplants from Jerusalem and native converts.
Simon of Cyrene is often depicted as a dark skinned black man. Sidney Portier played him in the1965 movie, The Greatest Story Ever Told. We know Simon was African, but we do not know if he was a dark skinned black African. Simon may have been an olive or brown-skinned African. Given the intercultural population of Cyrene and the large population of Jews in Cyrene, many scholars and tradition say he was Jewish. But Simon could have been traveling to Jerusalem, not because he was Jewish, but rather because he was an entrepreneur who traveled to Jerusalem during the Passover to sell to the crowds.
Simon was exactly where God wanted him to be
Simon was not part of the crowd or spectacle surrounding Jesus. Simon does not seem to have any connection to Jesus at all. Luke 23:26 records Simon “happened to be coming in from the countryside.” Mark15:21 also records Simon “was coming in from the countryside just then.” Simon was coming in from the countryside to Jerusalem while the processional to Golgotha was heading out of Jerusalem.
Simon was exactly where God wanted him to be for such a time as this. When Simon woke up that morning, he had no clue what God had already prepared for him from the beginning of time. Simon had no clue that he would have an encounter with Jesus that would change his life forever.
Like Simon, not knowing what God has in store for us each day is also true for us now
When our feet hit the floor each morning, we have no idea what God has in store for us that day. “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” (Proverbs 16:9). Let’s view this video drama on Simon of Cyrene:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15eG-QNCdnN7eBTt02Wh5w_lbqUKy3MJE/view?usp=drive_link
In applying Simon’s story to our life journey, there are 3 crosses we are to carry
Lesson 1: We carry the cross of our own pain and suffering, not alone in trials and tribulations, for God to transform us into the image of Jesus.
We cannot live in this world and escape the weight of the world’s brokenness pressing down on us, closing in on us, and overtaking us in sadness, hurt, or pain. Simon was just passing by. He was going in the opposite direction of the mayhem around Jesus. Then suddenly, Simon had a cross to carry that interrupted his plans for that day. It was a burden he did not see coming, did not expect, and did not want. However, Simon had to deal with the reality of what was happening to him; he did not have a choice.
It appears that Simon was scared. The crosses we have to face in life can be scary, painful, or debilitating. Often, the crosses we face descend on us without provocation or cause.
We may have to carry the cross of grief or loss, sickness and disease, financial hardship, family dysfunction, mental health challenges, or loneliness. We live in an imperfect world, where trials and tribulations will come our way. We should not expect otherwise. The saying, we are either in a storm, coming out of a storm, or heading into a storm is so true.
God uses crosses and unexpected storms to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ
We do not have to face our crosses and storms alone. God is with us. The God we serve does not waste anything. God uses everything to form us, shape us, grow us, and transform us into the image of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, when we allow God to do so.
James wrote, “2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete needing nothing” (James 1:2-4). In this scripture, perfect does not mean sinless or without moral failures. Perfect means becoming spiritually mature. Every trial we face and every cross we carry has the potential to develop our faith and spiritual muscles. We have the opportunity to learn more about Christ and more about His power and presence in our lives to help us grow and become more like Jesus.
Consider troubles as an opportunity for great joy
“When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy” (James 1:2). No one likes to carry a cross of pain and suffering. No one willingly goes looking for trouble, trials, or tribulations. Like Simon, we don’t always have control of what is thrust upon us. However, we can choose how we respond. Whatever we may be feeling, we can express to God. God can handle all of our feelings, including anger, frustration, fear, and disappointment. God will listen; God will comfort; God will listen more. God will guide us through whatever trial we are facing, never leaving our side. The Lord knows pain and suffering in ways beyond what we will ever know. The Lord Jesus has been there. He too had a cross to carry. God reminds us to be of good cheer because with Jesus there is a testimony on the other side of every test. There is victory on the other side of every cross.
Physical and spiritual exercise to apply the lesson of carrying the cross
Let’s apply the physical and spiritual lesson of carrying the cross of our own pain and suffering. Hunch over with palms down on your lap and close your eyes. Feel the weight of whatever cross you may be carrying today, whatever trouble or trial you wish you did not have to deal with, or whatever you may be feeling from pain, suffering, sadness, or hurt that can weigh you down. With eyes still closed and body still hunched over, turn your palms face up before Jesus. Feel the shift from the weight you are carrying to a posture of offering your burden to the Lord with open hands and simply say, Lord, help me. Slowly lift your body erect and envision God lifting that burden and your cross. Your circumstances haven’t changed, but you have just invited God to help you carry that cross. God is with you. Whatever cross that may be thrust upon us, God is with us just like God was there for Jesus, and God will see us through.
Lesson 2: We may carry the cross of another’s pain and suffering to support someone else.
When Simon was pulled into Jesus’ story by force, Simon was given a cross of his own by taking on the weight of Jesus’ cross. God knew Jesus would need help. God prepared Simon to be there at the right place and at the right time to provide the help to carry the cross that Jesus would need.
In Jesus’ humanity, Jesus had gone as far as he could go. Remember that Jesus was brutally beaten and tortured over a nine-hour period before he got to this point of the journey. By the time Simon of Cyrene enters the story, Jesus is weak, wounded, bloody, bruised, and broken. God the Son needed help, and God the Father provided what Jesus needed in Simon of Cyrene.
Sometimes when carrying the cross of another, the gift of presence is needed, not words
Jesus, even in the midst of his own pain, and Simon of Cyrene would have intently acknowledged and been aware of the presence of each other. Sometimes you don’t have to say a word when you come alongside someone carrying a cross. Sometimes, all that is needed is the gift of presence.
Simon, in carrying the cross of Jesus, was impacted by Jesus’ suffering and trauma
All the jeers, insults, and thrown debris would have been hurled also at Simon. Simon joined Jesus in suffering. Simon was impacted by the trauma of it. Mental health professionals call this secondary or vicarious traumatic stress, so Simon also experienced trauma. In our lives, we may bear the cross of a close friend, spouse, child, loved one, or through caregiving professionally or by circumstances.
Sometimes, God gives us an assignment to help another carry their cross
It is no small thing to come alongside someone else and join them in carrying their cross. It is one thing to give a word of hope and encouragement, and sometimes that is exactly what is needed. It is something deeper still to enter into another’s pain and suffering with empathy, support, presence, time, and sacrifice. This is hard work and tiring. There may have been spots on Simon’s journey when he wanted to walk away.
When God calls us to walk with another in carrying their cross, we need to lean on God more than ever
If we do not lean on God, the weight of the cross can become too heavy. We are not meant to carry other’s crosses by ourselves. Always remember that God is with us. God offers us wisdom, strength, and support as we walk alongside and help to lift another’s cross.
We can draw on the comfort that God gives us to share. “God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
God will let us know when God calls us to carry someone’s cross and when our assignment is done
We will feel a movement in our spirit to care for and extend ourselves even when it is hard, we are tired, or it is inconvenient. God will also let us know when our assignment to walk alongside is done, and it is time to trust God will continue to be by their side. Let’s take a moment to ask God if there is anyone God is asking you to come alongside to help carry their cross. You come alongside not as their savior, or their rescuer, but you are a friend they can lean on as God leads you. Listen to this song, Lean on Me, as you listen for what the Holy Spirit may want to communicate to you:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OqCrwEIJRUQe4RfRo4wyS2bPsO_T94D9/view?usp=drive_link
Jesus had to allow Simon to help him, and we have to allow someone to help us
When we are struggling with our own crosses, we have to be open to who God may send to help us. Jesus, the Son of God, was a model for us in allowing Simon to help him. We may need to remember what Jesus modeled when our cross becomes too much to bear.
Lesson 3: We carry the cross of following Jesus by dying daily to self-centeredness and the world’s way
“[Jesus] said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it’” (Luke 9:23-24). In the first century the cross was synonymous with death. The cross did not have the connotation of a burden or trial to bear like it means for us today. When Jesus told the disciples to take up their cross and follow him, he was talking about dying to oneself or “giving up our own way” from the NLT translation above. This means dying to our dreams, our ambitions, and our desires if they are contrary to the ways of Jesus and His Kingdom. It includes dying to our pride, our self-centeredness, our sense of entitlement and our only me thinking. It also means dying to the norms and ways of the world and popular culture. We must be willing to stand true to the Kingdom even if we are the only ones. Taking up one’s cross and following Jesus means dying to one’s human nature to live as a new creation in Christ’s Kingdom. It is the perpetual position of not my will, but God’s will be done.
Lesson 3 is the most challenging cross of them all. We cannot follow Jesus without the Holy Spirit within. Jesus said to take up your cross daily, so we have to keep dying. It is our intentional decision to die every day, so that we might truly live the life God has for us. Jesus said “if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (v. 24b). When Simon carried Jesus’ cross, Simon gave something of his life that day. Simon’s life was saved because what began as a physical following of Jesus became a following of Jesus spiritually and saved his life.
Simon received salvation, and his family became part of the Christian community
“A passerby named Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.”(Mark 15:21). Mark’s original readers knew Alexander and Rufus. This suggests that Alexander and Rufus were part of the Christian community when Mark wrote his gospel. This suggests that Simon became a follower of Jesus, and through him, Simon’s family became followers of Jesus as well. Simon physically picked up Jesus’ cross, and he also picked up the cross to spiritually follow Jesus. We are invited to do the same.
Now let’s consider how God might be inviting you to take up your cross and follow Jesus like Simon
This is the season of Lent, the 40 days before Easter. It is a time for people to prepare their hearts and minds for Resurrection weekend through fasting, prayer, sacrificial offerings, and acts of love. How might God be inviting you to take up your cross and follow God like Simon? Let’s hear the words to this song as a declaration of deciding to follow Jesus:
I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back, no turning back.
Though none go with me, I still will follow. No turning back, no turning back.
The world is behind me; the cross is before me. No turning back, no turning back.
My cross I'll carry till I see Jesus. No turning back, no turning back.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FAMILY GROUPS
Sermon Preamble
-Why is the brutal flogging of Jesus and the thorns pressed on his head with much pain and blood loss so that Jesus could not physically carry the wooden cross so horrifying it covers any sins we commit, even before death on the cross?
Simon of Cyrene, coming to Jerusalem, was forced to carry Jesus’ cross
-You are an African forced by the ruling Roman soldiers to turn around and go the opposite way carrying a wooden cross. Why might you view this as another example of unjust discrimination and oppression against an African person from a thriving African province of the Roman Empire? What factors might have led them to force the African man rather than other people to carry the wooden cross?
Simon was exactly where God wanted him to be
-Suppose you were Simon of Cyrene on your way to a big event like the Passover in Jerusalem, traveling towards Jerusalem while the crowds around Jesus were traveling away from Jerusalem. When Simon was forced to turn around and carry the wooden cross, in what ways do you see that God was present with Simon? When you have faced injustice and discrimination, in what ways have you seen that God uses it to transform you into the image of Christ?
Like Simon, not knowing what God has in store for us each day is also true for us now
-Simon had his plan to travel to Jerusalem, but God’s plan was a disruption to those plans for God’s plans for Simon. When have you, like Simon, had your own plan, but God stepped in and established your steps not as you had planned?
(1)We carry the cross of our own pain and suffering, not alone in trials and tribulations, for God to transform us into the image of Jesus
-Storms, trials, and tribulations in this imperfect world are to be expected. What kinds of crosses have you faced in your life journey?
-When has a trial or cross you faced developed your faith and spiritual muscles to increase spiritual maturity?
(2)We may carry the cross of another’s pain and suffering to support someone else
-In carrying the cross of another, when have you, if ever, been impacted by trauma from jeers, insults, debris, or other harm to you?
-Why is sometimes acknowledged presence alongside someone enough, even without words?
-Why is entering another’s pain and suffering with empathy, support, presence, time, and sacrifice a deeper level of carrying the other’s cross than simply a word of hope and encouragement?
-Why is it important to lean on God more than ever for wisdom, strength, and support when helping to lift another’s cross?
-In what ways must we look to the Holy Spirit to guide us in lifting another’s cross?
-Why is it important to allow someone to help when your cross becomes too much to bear?
(3)We carry the cross of following Jesus by dying daily to self-centeredness and the world’s way
-What are the various aspects of self and the world that we must die to daily?
-How can you, like Simon, progress to following Jesus spiritually, save your life, and live your life as God intended?
We are in a mini-series that highlights Black presence in the Bible, as part of our celebration of Black History Month. Black history is part of biblical history. The focus of this message is Simon, a man from Cyrene located in Northern Africa referred to in Mark 15:20-21, Mathew 27:32-33, and Luke 23:26. Before Simon carrying the Jesus’ cross, the scene of the torture of our Lord Jesus Christ is familiar to Christians and non-Christians. It is the brutal abuse Jesus experienced after Pontius Pilate exchanged Barnabas, the insurrectionist leader and murderer, for Jesus. Bloodthirsty mobs cried out, “Crucify him.” (See Matthew 27:15-26). Pilate had Jesus brutally flogged. The scourge was a short whip with leather strips on which small iron balls or sharp pieces of sheep bone were tied. With each repeated lashing, the iron balls and sharp bones tore the flesh causing pain and blood loss. This initiated circulatory shock long before one got to the cross. The governor’s soldiers stripped Jesus and put a scarlet robe on him to mock him, and then they twisted a crown of thorns and pressed it down on his head. They then put a staff in his hand and knelt down in mockery taunting, “Hail King of the Jews.” They spit on Jesus and repeatedly struck him over the head with the staff. (See Matthew 27:27-31). Then they took off the robe, put Jesus’ clothes back on him, and led him away to be crucified. Simon, the man from Northern Africa, was exactly where God wanted him to be at that time to carry the cross of Jesus. From Simon’s story, we learn the crosses we are to carry. (1) We may carry the cross of our own pain and suffering from the weight of the world’s brokenness with God present with us. (2) We may carry the cross of another’s pain and suffering coming alongside with empathy, support, time, and sacrifice as we lean on God and remember God’s presence with us as God leads. (3) We learn from Simon that his cross is following Jesus. This means dying to our pride and our self-centeredness is an intentional decision to die daily so that we can truly live the life God has for us.
Simon of Cyrene, coming to Jerusalem, was forced to carry Jesus’ cross
“20 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe, and they put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. 21 A passerby named Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.” (Mark 15:20-21). The soldiers tired of mocking Jesus, put his clothes back on him, and then led him away to be crucified.
Simon of Cyrene is mentioned in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Each of the gospel writers tells us a little something different to add to what we know about Simon. To the Jews of Jerusalem, Simon was a foreigner from Cyrene on the north coast of Africa. Cyrene was a thriving Roman province with lands that produced grains, olive oil, wine, figs, apples, wool, beef, and a rare herb called silphium. Cyrene was also known for its academic and artistic centers, science, medicine, and architecture. Cyrene was also known as having a large Jewish population, both transplants from Jerusalem and native converts.
Simon of Cyrene is often depicted as a dark skinned black man. Sidney Portier played him in the1965 movie, The Greatest Story Ever Told. We know Simon was African, but we do not know if he was a dark skinned black African. Simon may have been an olive or brown-skinned African. Given the intercultural population of Cyrene and the large population of Jews in Cyrene, many scholars and tradition say he was Jewish. But Simon could have been traveling to Jerusalem, not because he was Jewish, but rather because he was an entrepreneur who traveled to Jerusalem during the Passover to sell to the crowds.
Simon was exactly where God wanted him to be
Simon was not part of the crowd or spectacle surrounding Jesus. Simon does not seem to have any connection to Jesus at all. Luke 23:26 records Simon “happened to be coming in from the countryside.” Mark15:21 also records Simon “was coming in from the countryside just then.” Simon was coming in from the countryside to Jerusalem while the processional to Golgotha was heading out of Jerusalem.
Simon was exactly where God wanted him to be for such a time as this. When Simon woke up that morning, he had no clue what God had already prepared for him from the beginning of time. Simon had no clue that he would have an encounter with Jesus that would change his life forever.
Like Simon, not knowing what God has in store for us each day is also true for us now
When our feet hit the floor each morning, we have no idea what God has in store for us that day. “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” (Proverbs 16:9). Let’s view this video drama on Simon of Cyrene:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/15eG-QNCdnN7eBTt02Wh5w_lbqUKy3MJE/view?usp=drive_link
In applying Simon’s story to our life journey, there are 3 crosses we are to carry
Lesson 1: We carry the cross of our own pain and suffering, not alone in trials and tribulations, for God to transform us into the image of Jesus.
We cannot live in this world and escape the weight of the world’s brokenness pressing down on us, closing in on us, and overtaking us in sadness, hurt, or pain. Simon was just passing by. He was going in the opposite direction of the mayhem around Jesus. Then suddenly, Simon had a cross to carry that interrupted his plans for that day. It was a burden he did not see coming, did not expect, and did not want. However, Simon had to deal with the reality of what was happening to him; he did not have a choice.
It appears that Simon was scared. The crosses we have to face in life can be scary, painful, or debilitating. Often, the crosses we face descend on us without provocation or cause.
We may have to carry the cross of grief or loss, sickness and disease, financial hardship, family dysfunction, mental health challenges, or loneliness. We live in an imperfect world, where trials and tribulations will come our way. We should not expect otherwise. The saying, we are either in a storm, coming out of a storm, or heading into a storm is so true.
God uses crosses and unexpected storms to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ
We do not have to face our crosses and storms alone. God is with us. The God we serve does not waste anything. God uses everything to form us, shape us, grow us, and transform us into the image of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, when we allow God to do so.
James wrote, “2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete needing nothing” (James 1:2-4). In this scripture, perfect does not mean sinless or without moral failures. Perfect means becoming spiritually mature. Every trial we face and every cross we carry has the potential to develop our faith and spiritual muscles. We have the opportunity to learn more about Christ and more about His power and presence in our lives to help us grow and become more like Jesus.
Consider troubles as an opportunity for great joy
“When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy” (James 1:2). No one likes to carry a cross of pain and suffering. No one willingly goes looking for trouble, trials, or tribulations. Like Simon, we don’t always have control of what is thrust upon us. However, we can choose how we respond. Whatever we may be feeling, we can express to God. God can handle all of our feelings, including anger, frustration, fear, and disappointment. God will listen; God will comfort; God will listen more. God will guide us through whatever trial we are facing, never leaving our side. The Lord knows pain and suffering in ways beyond what we will ever know. The Lord Jesus has been there. He too had a cross to carry. God reminds us to be of good cheer because with Jesus there is a testimony on the other side of every test. There is victory on the other side of every cross.
Physical and spiritual exercise to apply the lesson of carrying the cross
Let’s apply the physical and spiritual lesson of carrying the cross of our own pain and suffering. Hunch over with palms down on your lap and close your eyes. Feel the weight of whatever cross you may be carrying today, whatever trouble or trial you wish you did not have to deal with, or whatever you may be feeling from pain, suffering, sadness, or hurt that can weigh you down. With eyes still closed and body still hunched over, turn your palms face up before Jesus. Feel the shift from the weight you are carrying to a posture of offering your burden to the Lord with open hands and simply say, Lord, help me. Slowly lift your body erect and envision God lifting that burden and your cross. Your circumstances haven’t changed, but you have just invited God to help you carry that cross. God is with you. Whatever cross that may be thrust upon us, God is with us just like God was there for Jesus, and God will see us through.
Lesson 2: We may carry the cross of another’s pain and suffering to support someone else.
When Simon was pulled into Jesus’ story by force, Simon was given a cross of his own by taking on the weight of Jesus’ cross. God knew Jesus would need help. God prepared Simon to be there at the right place and at the right time to provide the help to carry the cross that Jesus would need.
In Jesus’ humanity, Jesus had gone as far as he could go. Remember that Jesus was brutally beaten and tortured over a nine-hour period before he got to this point of the journey. By the time Simon of Cyrene enters the story, Jesus is weak, wounded, bloody, bruised, and broken. God the Son needed help, and God the Father provided what Jesus needed in Simon of Cyrene.
Sometimes when carrying the cross of another, the gift of presence is needed, not words
Jesus, even in the midst of his own pain, and Simon of Cyrene would have intently acknowledged and been aware of the presence of each other. Sometimes you don’t have to say a word when you come alongside someone carrying a cross. Sometimes, all that is needed is the gift of presence.
Simon, in carrying the cross of Jesus, was impacted by Jesus’ suffering and trauma
All the jeers, insults, and thrown debris would have been hurled also at Simon. Simon joined Jesus in suffering. Simon was impacted by the trauma of it. Mental health professionals call this secondary or vicarious traumatic stress, so Simon also experienced trauma. In our lives, we may bear the cross of a close friend, spouse, child, loved one, or through caregiving professionally or by circumstances.
Sometimes, God gives us an assignment to help another carry their cross
It is no small thing to come alongside someone else and join them in carrying their cross. It is one thing to give a word of hope and encouragement, and sometimes that is exactly what is needed. It is something deeper still to enter into another’s pain and suffering with empathy, support, presence, time, and sacrifice. This is hard work and tiring. There may have been spots on Simon’s journey when he wanted to walk away.
When God calls us to walk with another in carrying their cross, we need to lean on God more than ever
If we do not lean on God, the weight of the cross can become too heavy. We are not meant to carry other’s crosses by ourselves. Always remember that God is with us. God offers us wisdom, strength, and support as we walk alongside and help to lift another’s cross.
We can draw on the comfort that God gives us to share. “God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
God will let us know when God calls us to carry someone’s cross and when our assignment is done
We will feel a movement in our spirit to care for and extend ourselves even when it is hard, we are tired, or it is inconvenient. God will also let us know when our assignment to walk alongside is done, and it is time to trust God will continue to be by their side. Let’s take a moment to ask God if there is anyone God is asking you to come alongside to help carry their cross. You come alongside not as their savior, or their rescuer, but you are a friend they can lean on as God leads you. Listen to this song, Lean on Me, as you listen for what the Holy Spirit may want to communicate to you:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OqCrwEIJRUQe4RfRo4wyS2bPsO_T94D9/view?usp=drive_link
Jesus had to allow Simon to help him, and we have to allow someone to help us
When we are struggling with our own crosses, we have to be open to who God may send to help us. Jesus, the Son of God, was a model for us in allowing Simon to help him. We may need to remember what Jesus modeled when our cross becomes too much to bear.
Lesson 3: We carry the cross of following Jesus by dying daily to self-centeredness and the world’s way
“[Jesus] said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it’” (Luke 9:23-24). In the first century the cross was synonymous with death. The cross did not have the connotation of a burden or trial to bear like it means for us today. When Jesus told the disciples to take up their cross and follow him, he was talking about dying to oneself or “giving up our own way” from the NLT translation above. This means dying to our dreams, our ambitions, and our desires if they are contrary to the ways of Jesus and His Kingdom. It includes dying to our pride, our self-centeredness, our sense of entitlement and our only me thinking. It also means dying to the norms and ways of the world and popular culture. We must be willing to stand true to the Kingdom even if we are the only ones. Taking up one’s cross and following Jesus means dying to one’s human nature to live as a new creation in Christ’s Kingdom. It is the perpetual position of not my will, but God’s will be done.
Lesson 3 is the most challenging cross of them all. We cannot follow Jesus without the Holy Spirit within. Jesus said to take up your cross daily, so we have to keep dying. It is our intentional decision to die every day, so that we might truly live the life God has for us. Jesus said “if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (v. 24b). When Simon carried Jesus’ cross, Simon gave something of his life that day. Simon’s life was saved because what began as a physical following of Jesus became a following of Jesus spiritually and saved his life.
Simon received salvation, and his family became part of the Christian community
“A passerby named Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.”(Mark 15:21). Mark’s original readers knew Alexander and Rufus. This suggests that Alexander and Rufus were part of the Christian community when Mark wrote his gospel. This suggests that Simon became a follower of Jesus, and through him, Simon’s family became followers of Jesus as well. Simon physically picked up Jesus’ cross, and he also picked up the cross to spiritually follow Jesus. We are invited to do the same.
Now let’s consider how God might be inviting you to take up your cross and follow Jesus like Simon
This is the season of Lent, the 40 days before Easter. It is a time for people to prepare their hearts and minds for Resurrection weekend through fasting, prayer, sacrificial offerings, and acts of love. How might God be inviting you to take up your cross and follow God like Simon? Let’s hear the words to this song as a declaration of deciding to follow Jesus:
I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back, no turning back.
Though none go with me, I still will follow. No turning back, no turning back.
The world is behind me; the cross is before me. No turning back, no turning back.
My cross I'll carry till I see Jesus. No turning back, no turning back.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS INCLUDING FAMILY GROUPS
Sermon Preamble
-Why is the brutal flogging of Jesus and the thorns pressed on his head with much pain and blood loss so that Jesus could not physically carry the wooden cross so horrifying it covers any sins we commit, even before death on the cross?
Simon of Cyrene, coming to Jerusalem, was forced to carry Jesus’ cross
-You are an African forced by the ruling Roman soldiers to turn around and go the opposite way carrying a wooden cross. Why might you view this as another example of unjust discrimination and oppression against an African person from a thriving African province of the Roman Empire? What factors might have led them to force the African man rather than other people to carry the wooden cross?
Simon was exactly where God wanted him to be
-Suppose you were Simon of Cyrene on your way to a big event like the Passover in Jerusalem, traveling towards Jerusalem while the crowds around Jesus were traveling away from Jerusalem. When Simon was forced to turn around and carry the wooden cross, in what ways do you see that God was present with Simon? When you have faced injustice and discrimination, in what ways have you seen that God uses it to transform you into the image of Christ?
Like Simon, not knowing what God has in store for us each day is also true for us now
-Simon had his plan to travel to Jerusalem, but God’s plan was a disruption to those plans for God’s plans for Simon. When have you, like Simon, had your own plan, but God stepped in and established your steps not as you had planned?
(1)We carry the cross of our own pain and suffering, not alone in trials and tribulations, for God to transform us into the image of Jesus
-Storms, trials, and tribulations in this imperfect world are to be expected. What kinds of crosses have you faced in your life journey?
-When has a trial or cross you faced developed your faith and spiritual muscles to increase spiritual maturity?
(2)We may carry the cross of another’s pain and suffering to support someone else
-In carrying the cross of another, when have you, if ever, been impacted by trauma from jeers, insults, debris, or other harm to you?
-Why is sometimes acknowledged presence alongside someone enough, even without words?
-Why is entering another’s pain and suffering with empathy, support, presence, time, and sacrifice a deeper level of carrying the other’s cross than simply a word of hope and encouragement?
-Why is it important to lean on God more than ever for wisdom, strength, and support when helping to lift another’s cross?
-In what ways must we look to the Holy Spirit to guide us in lifting another’s cross?
-Why is it important to allow someone to help when your cross becomes too much to bear?
(3)We carry the cross of following Jesus by dying daily to self-centeredness and the world’s way
-What are the various aspects of self and the world that we must die to daily?
-How can you, like Simon, progress to following Jesus spiritually, save your life, and live your life as God intended?
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