Sharing the Story of the Cross: Luke 23:36
“26) When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.” Luke 23:26
Luke skips over the details of the scourging of Jesus. The whipping was so bad that His back was laid open and much blood lost.
That explains why He could not carry His cross the full distance. He buckled under the load either from pain or exhaustion.
At that point, the Roman soldiers compelled at random a man from the crowd named Simon of Cyrene to carry His cross. Mark 15:21 adds that he was the father of Alexander and Rufus. The use of their names implies they were well known to the recipients of the Gospel of Mark.
I believe the random circumstances of our life may have Divine purpose. God is always at work. Simon carried more than the cross, he carried the memory of that day the rest of His life. It had a huge impact on himself and his family.
It is not known if Alexander and Rufus were with him on that occasion, but I am certain he rehearsed the story many times in their hearing of that eventful day.
Are you a Simon? Do you tell the story of Jesus to your friends and acquaintances? The story of the cross has changed millions of people. It changed my life. According to 1 Corinthians 1:18, the story of the cross has the power to save people.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
“26) When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.” Luke 23:26
Luke skips over the details of the scourging of Jesus. The whipping was so bad that His back was laid open and much blood lost.
That explains why He could not carry His cross the full distance. He buckled under the load either from pain or exhaustion.
At that point, the Roman soldiers compelled at random a man from the crowd named Simon of Cyrene to carry His cross. Mark 15:21 adds that he was the father of Alexander and Rufus. The use of their names implies they were well known to the recipients of the Gospel of Mark.
I believe the random circumstances of our life may have Divine purpose. God is always at work. Simon carried more than the cross, he carried the memory of that day the rest of His life. It had a huge impact on himself and his family.
It is not known if Alexander and Rufus were with him on that occasion, but I am certain he rehearsed the story many times in their hearing of that eventful day.
Are you a Simon? Do you tell the story of Jesus to your friends and acquaintances? The story of the cross has changed millions of people. It changed my life. According to 1 Corinthians 1:18, the story of the cross has the power to save people.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
