From the Bunker Day 26
Stations of the Cross
7. Jesus takes up His cross
8. Simon of Cyrene carries Jesus cross
Lashed with a whip of pottery and bone fragments. Kicked in the sides until ribs nearly snap. Pummeled in the face and mocked “who hit you now?” Eyes too swollen to see who would strike next. All the while, running through His mind, “but not my will, Father, yours be done.” A hand reaches for your arm, not with kindness or malice, but with the cold precision of a Roman soldier. Jesus is steadied while two other soldiers lay a cross beam, the very piece of wood He would be nailed to, across his shoulders. Jesus’ knees buckle beneath the weight, and the hands, the rough and calloused hands, yanked him to a standing position. Pain shoots through His body and Jesus gasped for a deep breath.
Out into the streets he walked to a mixture of greetings. Some were those who had yelled, “crucify him,” just hours before. Other voices were sympathetic, castigating the Romans for their barbarity. Beneath the ruckus he could her weeping. Jesus stops for a moment. “Don’t weep for me, but for your children.” The soldier, puzzled by the selfless words, pulled his captive forward. This time with a little less force.
The streets were narrow, uneven, and steep as they wound their way to Golgotha. The soldiers were used to the path. They had led so many Jews down this road that the stones hinted a hue of red. Your heart can grow cold to so much death. The street widened and Jesus fell again. Out of mercy or expediency the soldier looked around and saw a man from Cyrene standing close by. The Cyreneans had that certain look about them, so the soldier yelled, “you get over here. You WILL carry this for him.” There was no use arguing lest you find yourself nailed to the cross you were compelled to carry.
Relieved of his physical burden only gave Jesus more time to think of the true burden he was about to endure. His cross was not the wooden beam this Cyrene carried, but the weight of all man’s sin. What lay ahead for Jesus was the wrath of His Father, the rejection of His Father, the silence of His Father. That was the cross He willing and lovingly chose to bear. Through the pain He willing carried His cross along this way of suffering.
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” Matthew 16:24-26
Has our Christian faith become sanitized? Have we gotten used to the soft chairs, comfortable temperatures, and correct lighting? Has sacrifice been deconstructed down to giving up the last piece of brisket at the church potluck? I am sure that we sacrifice our money and time for things that suit us, but we are still comfortable. Sacrifice isn’t comfortable. Have you taken up your cross?
What does it mean to take our cross and follow Jesus? From what Jesus said it has to do with losing ourself to a cause that offers little in this life but everything in the next. I am reminded of the doctors and nurses who go in every day to treat people with infectious diseases. Why do they put their lives in danger for the sake of others? What drives them to kiss their families goodbye in the morning not knowing if they might come down with the very disease they are working hard to prevent in others?
Jesus took on our disease, our infirmities, our sin so that we would not have to bear the wrath of God. He took up his cross willingly for the joy set before Him, and He now sits at the right hand of the Father. Take time this week to reflect on the cross you have been asked to carry. Unlike the Cyrenean you are not compelled, so what is keeping you from picking it up? I’m just saying…
From the Bunker Day 26
Stations of the Cross
7. Jesus takes up His cross
8. Simon of Cyrene carries Jesus cross
Lashed with a whip of pottery and bone fragments. Kicked in the sides until ribs nearly snap. Pummeled in the face and mocked “who hit you now?” Eyes too swollen to see who would strike next. All the while, running through His mind, “but not my will, Father, yours be done.” A hand reaches for your arm, not with kindness or malice, but with the cold precision of a Roman soldier. Jesus is steadied while two other soldiers lay a cross beam, the very piece of wood He would be nailed to, across his shoulders. Jesus’ knees buckle beneath the weight, and the hands, the rough and calloused hands, yanked him to a standing position. Pain shoots through His body and Jesus gasped for a deep breath.
Out into the streets he walked to a mixture of greetings. Some were those who had yelled, “crucify him,” just hours before. Other voices were sympathetic, castigating the Romans for their barbarity. Beneath the ruckus he could her weeping. Jesus stops for a moment. “Don’t weep for me, but for your children.” The soldier, puzzled by the selfless words, pulled his captive forward. This time with a little less force.
The streets were narrow, uneven, and steep as they wound their way to Golgotha. The soldiers were used to the path. They had led so many Jews down this road that the stones hinted a hue of red. Your heart can grow cold to so much death. The street widened and Jesus fell again. Out of mercy or expediency the soldier looked around and saw a man from Cyrene standing close by. The Cyreneans had that certain look about them, so the soldier yelled, “you get over here. You WILL carry this for him.” There was no use arguing lest you find yourself nailed to the cross you were compelled to carry.
Relieved of his physical burden only gave Jesus more time to think of the true burden he was about to endure. His cross was not the wooden beam this Cyrene carried, but the weight of all man’s sin. What lay ahead for Jesus was the wrath of His Father, the rejection of His Father, the silence of His Father. That was the cross He willing and lovingly chose to bear. Through the pain He willing carried His cross along this way of suffering.
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” Matthew 16:24-26
Has our Christian faith become sanitized? Have we gotten used to the soft chairs, comfortable temperatures, and correct lighting? Has sacrifice been deconstructed down to giving up the last piece of brisket at the church potluck? I am sure that we sacrifice our money and time for things that suit us, but we are still comfortable. Sacrifice isn’t comfortable. Have you taken up your cross?
What does it mean to take our cross and follow Jesus? From what Jesus said it has to do with losing ourself to a cause that offers little in this life but everything in the next. I am reminded of the doctors and nurses who go in every day to treat people with infectious diseases. Why do they put their lives in danger for the sake of others? What drives them to kiss their families goodbye in the morning not knowing if they might come down with the very disease they are working hard to prevent in others?
Jesus took on our disease, our infirmities, our sin so that we would not have to bear the wrath of God. He took up his cross willingly for the joy set before Him, and He now sits at the right hand of the Father. Take time this week to reflect on the cross you have been asked to carry. Unlike the Cyrenean you are not compelled, so what is keeping you from picking it up? I’m just saying…
From the Bunker Day 26
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