A New Devotion - Simon of Cyrene

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

Matthew 27:32-44

As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over him. Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, 'I am God's Son.'" The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.

Simon of Cyrene

I find the character of Simon of Cyrene fascinating. I mean, he was sort of dropped into the story as the one who carried Jesus’s cross, at least he was according to Matthew, Mark and Luke. For theological reasons, John made a point of saying that Jesus carried his cross all by himself. But that wasn’t the case with the other Evangelists; for them, Jesus had help going to Golgotha. And it was offered by a person who hadn’t been mentioned before this point and won’t be mentioned after. And even here, Matthew wrote that he was “compelled” to do it, not exactly an indication that he was moved by a higher motive. No, Simon would appear to be just an average guy who, from his perspective, was at the wrong place at the wrong time. And yet, he played an important role in an event that would be the hinge on which the history of the universe turned, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Son of God.

And that should remind us all that great things may be done by people who are less than great, you know, people like us. Although we read about the rich and power, the world can be changed by folks who are used by God to do things that can shake the foundations. You see, because of where we happen to be at some given point in human history, we can become involved in movements that can literally change everything. We just need to put ourselves in the position to hear the call and respond to the need.