Simon of Cyren: "I Was Pressed Into Service"

"As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross" [Matthew 27:32]

Good evening. By now you have begun to hear a number of life stories of those who were eye witnesses to the events and the happenings concerning Jesus from Nazareth. I, like the rest of the guests you have heard have my own story to tell. It is an interesting story, and as I must tell you, it's a life changing story, although that was not how I anticipated things to be on that great and unforgettable day; the day Christ died, the day my life was changed forever.

Looking back it is amazing how certain events can change one's life. I was a good and pious Jew and in keeping with the tenants of our faith I had come from my town in Libya in North Africa that had a large Jewish population there. I had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. It was an important celebration for our family as my two sons; Alexander and Rufus were now able to travel as they had come of age. It would be the first time that I could visit the great temple with my two sons to pray, to celebrate the Passover in the great city. My wife and I had dreamed and planned and saved for that day. At last we were able to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem. Little did we know that the events of that weekend would change our lives forever.

 

As I have said, my family was in the city of Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. It was early in the morning and I was on my way to the temple to offer up prayers of gratitude. There was so much for me to be thankful for. My faithful and pious wife, my two sons who were there to worship. God was so good to me...And then it happened. Like a shot that rings out in the stillness of a quiet night a Roman guard grabbed me by the shoulder and forced me to carry the cross of this condemned man by the name of Jesus.

I'll never forget the look of the Savior. The Roman guards had thoroughly enjoyed heaping the blows upon this poor man. He must have done something terribly wrong to deserve such punishment. But what struck me so was the gaze the look the intent look that He gave me as I picked up the cross bar from his bleeding back. It was more than just an expression of relief to have that heavy bar removed from his body. He had the look of pure love, of mercy and grace.

I must admit now that at first his glance at me was met with contempt. If you observe human features it's amazing how often that guilty men can give the appearance of innocence. And of course that is what I thought Jesus was doing with His innocent glance.

I became angry. Angry that I had been pressed into service, angry that here was a condemned and guilty man; a criminal guilty of death, so guilty that He was to be condemned on such a high, holy day.

His look stifled me. What was worse I knew as soon as I was pressed into service that I would be forced to spend a day or two watching this retched soul die. The Romans, as you know take great delight in forcing people to do things against their will. That's their way of exercising total control.

Men condemned to death were usually forced to carry a beam of the cross, often weighing 30 or 40 lbs. to the place of crucifixion. Jesus started out by carrying His cross but He had been so weakened by flogging that I was pressed into service.

From the foot of the hill I observed the entire episode. What was remarkable was the fact that the crucifixion took only three hours. Who was this man? What had He done to invoke the wrath of our priests and leaders? What crimes had he committed?

I soon discovered who this Jesus really was. And this is where my life and the life of my entire family. We had decided to remain in Jerusalem until the feast of Pentecost had been completed.

This was a family pilgrimage to the holy city and we wanted to make a lasting impression on our children how special our faith really was. The events of Passover started my personal search and inquiry as to who the Messiah might be. My questions were answered on Pentecost when in my own native language I heard the mighty acts of God proclaimed to me in my own language.

Peter and the rest of the apostles where speaking of the mighty things this Jesus had done. Being from Cyrene in North Africa what an amazing thing to hear a Galilean speaking my mother tongue what God in Christ had done.

The Holy Spirit converted me, my wife and our two sons that very day. We were each individually baptized and soon joined that small band of new Christians. My two sons were taken in by Peter and Mark and as time moved on Rufus became a close associate of St. Paul. Our families became close, quite close, in fact my wife was given recognition by Paul in his closing verses to the Christians in Rome.

I've heard that there is a popular saying in your culture that says when God closes a door He opens a window. On that Friday morning when I felt the tap on the shoulder of that Roman soldier in a sense was God slamming a door on my former way of life only to open up a huge window to a new life. A life filled of His mercy and grace.

I was inconvenienced, confounded and put out when I was pressed into service by that Roman officer. Yet in some small way the hand of God was also felt. The service I was to be thrown into was God's service. It is Jesus' life that changed my life and I am living proof that what might at times seem to be an inconvenience might very well turn out to be a life changing event. Thank God that He is in the business of changing lives.

Concluding thoughts: How often are we like Simon inconvenienced and pushed into some sort of service that changes or alters our lives. It could be a change in status, a career change, a change in health. Throughout the changes and changes of this human life we have a Savior who is shaping our life to be molded after His life.

Little did Simon know that his life would change as it did. He serves us as a tremendous model of how God desires to pattern us after Himself. The next time you are pressed into some type of service, and especially when it's against your will, or when circumstances and changes go not according to plan remember Simon who was used by God for a higher good. May the Savior so use us to be instruments of His mercy and grace.

Illustration from a woodcut by Baron Julius Schnoor von Carolsfeld, 1794-1872, a distinguished German artist known especially for his book, The Book of Books in Pictures. copyright © WELS used by permission for personal and congregational use.