No 9

(Simon)

“And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus..” Luke 23:26

Simon’s carrying the cross is often used as a picture of the work of the Church throughout all generations; the Church is the cross-bearer after Jesus. Jesus did not suffer so as to exclude our suffering; He bore a cross, not that we may escape it, but that we may endure it. Christ exempts us from sin, but not from sorrow; we ought to remember that and expect to suffer.

But let us comfort ourselves with this thought, that in our case, as in Simon’s, it is not our cross, but Christ’s cross which we carry. When we are laughed at by our friends or family when our beliefs bring cruel mocking upon us, may we remember it is not our cross, it is Christ’s cross. How delightful is it to carry the cross of our Lord Jesus; the mark of his blood-red shoulder is upon that heavy burden. “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” Mark 8:34b.

May we take up our cross daily and follow him not forgetting that we bear this cross in partnership. Some commentators have said that Simon only carried one end of the cross and not the whole of it. That is very possible; Christ may have carried the heavier part and Simon may have carried the lighter end. Certainly it is so with us; we do carry the light end of the cross and Christ bore the heavier end.

Though Simon had to bear the cross only for a little while, it gave him lasting honour. The same applies to the cross we carry; it is only for a little while at most and then we shall receive a crown. We should love the cross and instead of backing away from it, we should count it very dear when it works out for us “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;.” 2 Corinthians 4:17