“Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away. And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.” (John 19:16-19 NKJV)
A series on the sufferings of Jesus would not be complete without mention of Jesus carrying His cross.
At this point in the story, it is important to remember what He has already suffered: He hasn’t had anything to eat since the night before. He’s spent at least 3 hours in the garden sweating blood, He’s been up all night in a senseless trial listening to false accusations, to His own words and actions being turned against Him. His closest friends have fled, except for Peter and John, and Peter has just denied Him. Then He’s gone to Pilot’s court and to Herod’s, and back to Pilot’s again. Here He’s been mocked and falsely accused, He’s been condemned to death while a known murderer has been released in His stead. He’s been beaten until His skin hangs in ribbons, and His blood loss is incomprehensible. Then, after all of this, the heavy crossbeam of the cross is placed upon His shoulders, and He is supposed to carry it from Pilot’s judgment hall to Golgotha!
Many pictures depict Jesus carrying the entire cross, but history tells us that those condemned to crucifixion were only required to carry the cross beam. It, in itself, was a formidable piece of wood, weighing between 75 and 125 pounds (35-60 kg).
Imagine, as weak as Jesus was, having to carry that much weight!
And it wasn’t a simple weight to carry, either! It was bulky and unyielding, and it was made of rough timber. Imagine the splinters rubbing against the shoulders of our Lord and King!
There are many lessons to be learned from this particular sufferance of Jesus.
The first is this: Jesus was willing to carry His cross.
We all have a cross to carry, but are we carrying it willingly, or do we complain and try to get someone else to carry it for us? Think about it: Jesus’ suffering brought life to you and I. We, too, do not suffer in vain. Will we have Jesus’ attitude through it all?
When you think about the weight and bulk of the cross, it isn’t any wonder that Jesus needed help to carry it: “Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.” (Matt 27:32-33 NKJV)
This is the second lesson we can learn: Jesus needed help, and when He was given that help, He was humble enough to accept it!
So many times we, as humans, are in desperate need of help, but our pride prevents us from accepting it! The first and best example of this is our need of Jesus’ sacrifice. So many of us think we don’t need God. We believe that somehow our good works will get us to Heaven, when in reality: “… all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isa 64:6 NKJV).
But those who have already accepted Jesus’ gift of Salvation still often live as if they are the only ones who can accomplish anything. If Jesus needed help, friends, then even more so, we do as well! Jesus accepted Simon’s assistance gladly, and He offers us help as well. He offers us freedom from worry, He offers to carry our burdens (“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matt 11:28-29 NKJV). All we have to do is put our trust in Him!
Sometimes that help comes from other people, and sometimes it comes directly from Jesus. Either way, putting our trust in Jesus is the same as when Jesus accepted Simon’s help in carrying the cross!
There is one last important lesson to be learned from this story, and this comes from Simon of Sirene: Are we ready to do whatever we need to do to help others?
True, Simon wasn’t exactly given a choice. The Bible doesn’t say that Simon was “asked” to carry the cross, it says that the cross was “laid on him”. When God calls us to do work for Him, sometimes it seems like we’re being asked, but other times, it is just “laid” on us! Are we, like Simon, willing to carry the burden to ease someone else’s pain?
Think about it! It wasn’t easy to carry the cross of the Man everyone else was mocking! It put Simon in the position of being mocked as well, and carrying 75-125 lbs (30-60kgs) was, in itself, no easy feat! But Simon carried the cross, and he carried it well.
Friends, are we willing to help the God of the universe? He calls each of us to bear Jesus’ cross. For some it means giving our last dollar to aid someone with no food. For others, it means giving up our TV programs or our camping trips. For still others it means coming out of our comfort zone, exposing ourselves to potential ridicule and persecution. But Remember: Jesus gave it ALL up for us! Can we turn to God for help? Can we be humble enough to accept that help when it is offered? Can we be willing to help others with the burdens that they carry?
Think about it!
Please join us next Saturday during this Lenten season for THE SUFFERINGS OF JESUS, Part 7: The Gall and the Wine.
In His love,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Speech-Language Pathologist, mother of two teens, Author and Moderator for The Nugget, a tri-weekly internet newsletter, and Scriptural Nuggets, a website devoted to Christian devotionals and inspirational poems, www.scripturalnuggets.org, with Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org.
[1] http://www.apologeticspress.com/articles/2223
(To access the entire “The Sufferings of Jesus: A Lenten Series” mini-series, please click here.)