Simon of Cyrene and Life Interrupted

A picture emerges from a forgettable character…

I mentioned at the outset of my sermon last Sunday that I wanted to talk about Simon of Cyrene but didn’t have time. I then promised to write it down and share it and this is my attempt to actually do that.

As they led Jesus off, they made Simon, a man from Cyrene who happened to be coming in from the countryside, carry the cross behind Jesus. A huge crowd of people followed, along with women weeping and carrying on. - Luke 23:26-27 MSG

At the very least, Simon of Cyrene is a named witness to history. In the world before crowds of people filmed everything with iPhones, the way to document an event, to prove it’s veracity, was through the naming of witnesses.

Those named in a story would then, inevitably, be able to confirm or refute a story. Those stories that proved truthful would continue being repeated with the credence offered by the named witness.

So at minimum, Simon of Cyrene is such a witness - who also happened to be a participant, however unwilling, in the story.

But what if there was more for us to draw from the inclusion of the man from Northern Africa who was made to carry the cross of Jesus?

What if this is a picture for us today?

Simon of Cyrene is seized and made to carry the cross for Jesus. He is compelled by forces outside of his own will. All we know is that he was on a personal journey of some sort and is pulled away from that in order to drag along the instrument of Jesus’ eventual torturous death.

It reminds me of Jesus’ own words in Matthew 16:

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” - Matthew 16:24 ESV

Simon of Cyrene came with an agenda of his own. And his life was interrupted, his personal priority denied, as he was compelled to take up a cross and “carry the cross behind Jesus.”

Could it be something for us to consider - that perhaps the beauty of the inclusion of Simon of Cyrene is much like our own inclusion in the story of Jesus?

You and I walk through life with our own agenda until we’re compelled by the reality of Jesus / seized by grace / drawn by holiness to take up a cross and follow him. To walk in his footsteps. To join in his suffering. To emulate his beauty. To participate in his glory. To model his humility. To follow in his dust as he redeems creation. To engage his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven as he renews hope and love and life in our midst.

So maybe don’t miss Simon of Cyrene this year. It might just be the picture of what your life is supposed to be - a life interrupted, participating in the very reimagining of eternity.

- KB

____

Nota Bene - The art for this post is The Cross is Laid upon Simon of Cyrene, 1998-99 by Michael Kenny RA, taken from the Royal Academy of Arts in London.