A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander, and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. Mark 15:21
Today is a special day on the Christian Church’s calendar...Good Friday. It is a day that we remember the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and reflect on the cost of salvation. Christians throughout the world will gather at different services, and in different ways, to commemorate the life and death of Jesus Christ; and while the paths may be different for each church, the destination remains the same—reflecting on the love of God displayed some two-thousand years ago on that “Old Rugged Cross”.
My day will be spent participating in our community’s “Cross Walk” (an event where we remember the walk of Christ as he proceeded to Golgotha) and our own church’s Good Friday services later this evening. I have been asked to bring one of the devotions for our community’s Cross Walk, and have been assigned the story of Simon the Cyrenian carrying the cross of Jesus. As I read over this bit of the story of the crucifixion my mind went back to Jesus’ words in Luke: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me (Luke 9:23)”. For years I have taught, and was taught myself, that the “cross” we carry are the burdens we must bear as followers of Christ: persecution, hardships, etc. However, as I looked over this scripture this morning I began to really think about the cross and the great “burden” that Christ carried that day...and that we are called as his followers to bear ourselves. What was Christ “burden”? It was more than just the persecution and hate...Jesus himself would state that these were to be expected facets of the life of a follower of his. No, I believe the burden Christ carried on his back...the cross that he carried, and we are called to carry—is love.
I know that seems counterintuitive, how can love be a burden, but hear me out. Think about love, true love, it requires actions. Putting another’s needs above our own, seeking out their good above our own; it’s unconditional and unmerited. It is displayed, Christ would say, in no greater way than this: that a man would give his life for his brother (John 15:13). What is a burden if it’s not something that demands your very life?
Love is the burden that we are called to bear...the blessed burden that we bear with joy, just as Christ did on that fateful day. As horrific a day as Christ’s crucifixion was...love was there, and the plan from eternity has always been love. Because God so loved the world, he sent his only son (John 3:16). God demonstrated his love to us, that while we were still sinners, Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8). Over and over we see the message of the bible...God’s love for us, poured out and displayed in the cross. Love was his cross, and love is why he was hated, beaten, cursed, shamed, and killed...love.
This, too, is the cross we bear, his cross, the cross of love—loving God completely, ourselves correctly, and others compassionately; the blessed burden of love.
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
John 15:13
