"Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus."
Luke 23:26
Simon was just an observer on the sidelines. He was a foreigner in Jerusalem on other business when he was attracted by the crowd and he went to see what was happening. He wasn't "for" or "against" Jesus. He was just a bystander. But suddenly he was "laid hold of" by the soldiers and became a participant in the drama, carrying Jesus' cross behind Him. There are scads of people who stand on the sidelines in the crowd. They are not against Jesus but not really committed to following Him either. They really don't want to be identified too closely with Jesus. But Jesus said that there is a cross to bear in order to follow Him (Matthew 16:24; Mark 3:34, 10:27; Luke 9:23, 14:27). This is a figurative cross but it can be just as heavy as the literal one Simon bore. I am "laid hold of" to carry a cross.
Today's Thought: We are called to get off the sidelines and carry the cross.
Have a "carrying" day. Love you.
No comments:
Post a Comment