Simon of Cyrene

They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. Mark 15:21

I had never heard of Simon of Cyrene. Only one line in Matthew 27:32, Mark 15:21, and Luke 23:26 and in all of their accounts he is a foreigner ‘compelled’ to help Jesus bear His cross.

This past week, I’ve been teaching idioms to my sixth graders. For those of you unfamiliar or don’t remember your lessons in 6th grade, an idiom is a figure of speech where the literal meaning doesn’t mean the same as the figurative meaning. It’s raining cats & dogs, the answer is on the tip of your tongue, you get the picture? We use them every day but not many 6th graders have a firm grasp on their real meaning. This scripture has the quintessential idiom. “A cross to bear,” what does is really mean? Jesus had to carry that cross alone, he had the burden of all of our sins on his back. As I prepared and prayed about this devotional, my mind couldn’t get away from its meaning. We all have a cross to bear, meaning we must face our difficulties alone. But just when Jesus was beaten down, bearing His cross, Simon of Cyrene, a stranger from Africa, came to help.

In life, we have many crosses to bear, but when we have reached our limit, God is always with us.  He may send an unlikely foreigner, a Simon, to help or it may be a friend, a neighbor, or a stranger. Do we accept the help? Jesus did. And it changed Simon forever.

Heavenly Father,  As we struggle in our daily lives, bearing our crosses, be with us.  Help us to accept the ‘Simons’ in our lives.   Amen