March 18th, 2024
For this week in our devotional reading, we will spend with Jesus in His final hours of the FINAL WEEK. Let’s carefully with a heart of compassion reflect on Mark’s Gospel chapter 15, verses 16 – 32.
A bit of background - The soldiers take Jesus to Golgotha, also known as Calvary and the Place of the Skull, to be crucified. Along the route they force Simon of Cyrene to carry his cross.
Let’s zoom in to V. 21 – “They forced a man coming in from the country, who was passing by, to carry Jesus’ cross. He was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.”
Who was this man “Simon of Cyrene?” He was a Jewish worshipper who had traveled to Jerusalem for the celebration of the Passover. Cyrene was a Greek city in the province of Cyrenaica, in eastern Libya, in northern Africa. It had a Jewish community, where 100,000 Judean Jews had been forced to settle during the reign of Ptolemy Soter (323–285 BC).
Imagine what it was like for Simon to carry Jesus’ cross. Think of the weight … the blood on the cross now on him.. & the emotion of the moment that He was feeling.
What was the impact of these moments of carrying Jesus’ cross to the place of execution? Simon was a father to Alexander and Rufus. It’s evident that he became a follower of Jesus who imparted his faith to his sons. Tradition tells us that his sons became missionaries, spreading the Gospel in the 1st century. Mark's Gospel, written for a Roman audience, seems to suggest that the audience knew who these men were. It has also been suggested that the Rufus mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:13 is the son of Simon of Cyrene. Some also link Simon himself with the "men of Cyrene" who preached the Gospel to the Greeks in Acts 11:20
Respond by rejoicing in your identity – You are one chosen to carry Jesus’ cross today. Prayerfully experience “the love of Christ compelling” you to live for Him and tell others about His love.
A bit of background - The soldiers take Jesus to Golgotha, also known as Calvary and the Place of the Skull, to be crucified. Along the route they force Simon of Cyrene to carry his cross.
Let’s zoom in to V. 21 – “They forced a man coming in from the country, who was passing by, to carry Jesus’ cross. He was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.”
Who was this man “Simon of Cyrene?” He was a Jewish worshipper who had traveled to Jerusalem for the celebration of the Passover. Cyrene was a Greek city in the province of Cyrenaica, in eastern Libya, in northern Africa. It had a Jewish community, where 100,000 Judean Jews had been forced to settle during the reign of Ptolemy Soter (323–285 BC).
Imagine what it was like for Simon to carry Jesus’ cross. Think of the weight … the blood on the cross now on him.. & the emotion of the moment that He was feeling.
What was the impact of these moments of carrying Jesus’ cross to the place of execution? Simon was a father to Alexander and Rufus. It’s evident that he became a follower of Jesus who imparted his faith to his sons. Tradition tells us that his sons became missionaries, spreading the Gospel in the 1st century. Mark's Gospel, written for a Roman audience, seems to suggest that the audience knew who these men were. It has also been suggested that the Rufus mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:13 is the son of Simon of Cyrene. Some also link Simon himself with the "men of Cyrene" who preached the Gospel to the Greeks in Acts 11:20
Respond by rejoicing in your identity – You are one chosen to carry Jesus’ cross today. Prayerfully experience “the love of Christ compelling” you to live for Him and tell others about His love.
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