Burden Bearer – Part 3

(The third in a series. For Part 1: click here. For Part 2: click here.)

[They] placed on [Simon of Cyrene] the cross to carry behind Jesus. (Luke 23:26d)

It’s impossible to erase the affects of a true encounter with Jesus from the conciousness of an individual. Do you think that Simon ever forgot what happened to him (/Him) that day? There’s just something about coming in contact with the God-Man. The meeting leaves its mark on your soul.

And I’m convinced Simon had heard of Jesus prior to this moment. It would have been close to impossible to suppress the news about the great things Christ had been doing in the region. Here was a Man performing incredible miracles, showing supreme understanding and treating others with extraordinary compassion. Jesus seemed to have a handle on how life should be lived. At least that’s what others were telling Simon.

And now Simon gazed upon the Christ for himself!

He was able to observe just how Jesus dealt with life, up front and personal. Was Jesus all that He was made out to be?

I don’t know how long Simon had to carry Christ’s cross. I don’t know if Simon stayed to watch much of the crucifixion. What I do know is that he certainly was afforded some time to observe the Lord. Take a second look and note the last two words of Luke’s verse…

[They] placed on [Simon of Cyrene] the cross to carry behind Jesus.” (Luke 23:26d)

Do you see that there? Behind Jesus. Simon had a front row seat!

And it was from that vantage point that he was able to see just how Jesus dealt with life’s toughest of situations. It goes without saying that Simon saw the most supreme and victorious of examples.

Even the centurion who watched Jesus die (and had presided over hundreds of crucifixions prior to this to compare His to) couldn’t help but say…

“Truly this Man was the Son of God.” (Mark 15:39)

And there are crosses we all must bear. Sometimes they creep up on us in a moment’s time just like Simon’s did. The loss of a job. The loss of one’s health. The death of a loved one. You can be going about your life minding your own business and then something comes along and stops you right in your tracks. Circumstances or situations can arise that press in on you, even to the point of forcing you to journey a much different path than you had planned.

Those times can be unbearable.

They can feel like weights impossible to carry.

Impossible, unless your companion is the Lord Jesus Christ…

…and you’re following behind Him. \o/ #HeIsRisen

(Watch for “Burden Bearer – Part 4” to come soon.)

(Picture above under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license: HERE.)