How Simon of Cyrene met the Lord and his calling on the way to Calvary
By Robin Sam
THIS message is about what God did for us through Christ. It is also about a man and what he did for Christ. And, through what he did for Christ how he discovered himself and his destiny.
We are going to track the message of the cross through the journey of this man. We read about this man in three out of four Gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke talk about him (Mat. 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26). The man’s name is Simon. The Bible calls him Simon of Cyrene. Each Gospel gives him exactly one verse. That’s all we know about him.
Talking of Simon of Cyrene, we find that there were two phases in his encounter with Jesus Christ.
- Before he met Christ, he was SOMEONE IN THE CROWD
- After he was compelled to bear the cross, he became SOMEONE WHO GOT AN IDENTITY
- After the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, he was to become SOMEONE WHO LEFT A LEGACY.
This message is also about three choices.
- The choice of God
- The choice of Christ
- The choice of the disciple.
SIMON – SOMEONE IN THE CROWD
Before Simon of Cyrene met Jesus, he was someone in the crowd. Just a face among the hundreds that milled around in Jerusalem witnessing the passion of Christ.
Matthew 27:32 says: ‘Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.’
Cyrene is a place in Libya in north Africa about 900 miles away from Jerusalem. Bible scholars believe Simon was a Jew and he was making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He wanted to be in Jerusalem during the Passover – the feast of the unleavened bread. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Simon. In Acts 6:9, we read that the Cyrenians had a synagogue of their own in Jerusalem. Historians tell us 300 years before Christ, there were about 100,000 Jews living in Cyrene. They were deported there by Ptolemy Soter, a friend of Alexander the Great. Ptolemy was the pharaoh of Egypt and his rule stretched to Libya as well.
And so, Simon of Cyrene was making this journey to Jerusalem. The journey itself would have required months of preparation and several weeks of travel. Why did Simon take so much trouble 2,000 years ago when there travel was not swift and light. Simon, we gather from contemporary history, wanted to be in the Temple of God, confess his sins and offer sacrifice to seek atonement. That was his plan.
And, as Simon entered the gates of Jerusalem he saw a procession of sorts. Three men were bearing their crosses and slowly making their way outside the city. While two men had rugged rowdy looks and were agile, the third man looked weak and haggard. Obviously, he had been beaten all night and had lost quite a lot of blood. He had trouble carrying his cross and walking.
The Roman soldiers had a job to do. On that day, they had three crucifixions to execute. They had to be crucified early so they would suffer a slow but painful death. Roman law required an agonizing death at the cross for those convicted of the most heinous of crimes. The soldiers plan was to hang the three on their crosses on Golgotha outside the camp and put a sentry on guard and return to their barracks as early as possible. But the plans of the soldiers were upset by a slow moving Jesus who staggered and fell often under the weight of the cross.
The only one who looked as if he didn’t have a plan was Jesus. After all, he was a convict – the enemy of the Jews and the Romans. Jesus was a slave, literally. He had no rights of his own. But make no mistake, it was all going according to God’s plan.
1 Peter 1:19-20 say: ‘but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world…’
Rev. 13:8 says: ‘All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.’
Jesus Christ was foreordained to be the Lamb of God and die for the sins of the world before the world was founded. Jesus is the choice of God for our salvation. Acts 4:12 says: ‘Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’
The plan of Simon, the man who wanted to be in Jerusalem during the Passover week to offer sacrifices for his sins, was overturned. But Simon need not worry, God had a better plan.
It was as if God was saying: ‘Simon, the One who is greater than the temple is here. Look unto Him. Like those who looked up to the bronze serpent in Moses’ time were saved, you will be saved too if you look unto Him.
There is no verse in the Bible that suggests that Jesus and Simon spoke to each other. But, if Jesus had a chance to speak to Simon, He would have said: ‘Simon, you don’t have to offer your sacrifices, wait for a while. The sacrifices you offer have to be repeated every year. I am offering myself as the supreme sacrifice. I am the sinless one, the spotless one, the blameless one, the Holy One of Israel and I came to the world to be the sacrifice for your sins.’
Jesus would have said: ‘Simon, I have chosen you the path of cross for you before the foundation of the world.’
God has chosen you and ordained you, too.
Romans 8:29-30 say: ‘For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.’
God has got your back. He wants you to come to the cross of Christ. There is no other way. There is no other name. If you accept Jesus, God will reveal His plan for you.
But remember, before God will reveal His plan for your life, He will upset the plans you have already made for yourself.
Just like He upset the plans of Simon, the Cyrene. Continued on page 2
