Liturgy for Sunday, AM Confession of Dependence and Divine Greeting Ps.43:1,2 Ten words of the covenant Ps.43:3,4,5 Prayer of confession and for illumination Ministry of the Word Reading: Mark 8:31-38; Mark 15:1-20 Hy.25:1,4 Text: Mark 15:21 The Roman soldiers compelled Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus cross. We ll see: 1. How Jesus could not bear his own cross. 2. How Jesus helps us to bear our cross. Ps.138:2,4 Offering Hy.69 Thanksgiving and intercessory prayer Hy.37 Divine blessing Songs for worship taken from the 2014 version of the Book of Praise In worship we use the English Standard Version (ESV) Rev. Joe Poppe 1
Singing: Ps.43:1,2; Ps.43:3,4,5; Hy.25:1,4; Ps.138:2,4; Hy.69; Hy.37 Reading: Mar.8:31-38; Mar.15:1-20 Text: Mar.15:21 Beloved congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ, In the gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus is presented as a great King. But he was not the type of King expected by the Jews. Christ s kingship was not of this world. It was a spiritual kingship. Christ s goal was not to serve as earthly king; as a man who would save the Jews from the dominion of the Romans. Instead Christ s goal was to serve as eternal King. To do that he needed to save his people from their sins; he needed to deliver them from the tyranny of the devil. In order to do that, Jesus had to walk the pathway of suffering. He had to go the way of the cross. As we approach Easter, it is good to reflect on this. To see the way in which Jesus Christ humbled himself. How he became the Suffering Servant spoken about by Isaiah. To know that Christ emptied himself (Phil.2:7). How he became a slave on our behalf. This morning we hope to focus on the suffering of the Lord Jesus Christ. For it is only in this way that we will appreciate the grace we have received in the death of our Saviour. Our focus this morning will be on one small incident that occurred on that Good Friday so long ago. On the fact that Jesus could no longer carry his own cross. And that as a result the Roman soldiers compelled Simon of Cyrene to do so. It is from this perspective that we will examine Jesus command that we deny ourselves, and take up our cross and follow him (Mar.8:34). We ll see that although in his time of humiliation Jesus could not bear his own cross, yet now in his exaltation he will help us to bear our cross. May the grace of our God in Jesus Christ strengthen us to live as citizens of the kingdom of heaven. I preach to you the Word of God under the following theme: The Roman soldiers compelled Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus cross. We ll see: 1. How Jesus could not bear his own cross. 2. How Jesus helps us to bear our cross. When the soldiers led Jesus out to be crucified, he bore his own cross. This is made clear to us from what John writes in John 19:16-17. John writes that Pilate delivered Jesus to the soldiers to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led him away. and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. Jesus went out from Jerusalem, carrying his own cross. What a humiliation this would have been for the Lord Jesus Christ. He was King of kings and Lord of lords. A week earlier he has come into Jerusalem as Israel s triumphant King. Then Christ had shown forth his kingly authority. He had requisitioned a donkey to ride on. Christ s lordship was clear. He commanded the disciples to get a colt to ride on. He said, If anyone says to you, 'Why are you doing this?' say, 'The Lord has need of it and [he] will send it back here immediately.' (Mar.11:3). And that is how it happened. In the same way, Jesus showed forth his kingly authority in commandeering a room in which to celebrate the Passover. You can imagine that with the Passover celebrations at hand, real estate in Jerusalem was scarce. Thousands of pilgrims came from all over the world, and they all needed places to stay. Yet Jesus told his disciples that when they came to the city they were to follow a man carrying a pitcher of water to the house he entered. They were to say to the Master of the house, The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? Jesus told them, And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us. (Mar.14:14-15). Christ was eternal King. He had such authority that when he spoke people heeded his commands. Yet now the Messiah, the Lord and King of Israel, had laid aside his divine prerogatives. Voluntarily our Lord walked the pathway of suffering. When Israel s religious leaders came with soldiers to capture him, Jesus went willingly. He commanded Peter to lay aside his sword, Rev. Joe Poppe 2
saying, Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? (Mat.26:53). Although he was still almighty King of heaven and earth, Jesus became a suffering Servant. For our sake, he humbled himself, even to the point of death on a cross (Phil.2:8). Within the Roman Empire, death by crucifixion was the worst death a man could face. Roman citizens were never crucified. Crucifixion was reserved for slaves, robbers, and those who rebelled in a treasonous way against the state. It was a death reserved for those considered to be the scum of the earth. When someone was crucified it was a public ceremony. It was meant to discourage others from terrible crimes, and from revolution. Part of this ceremony was that the condemned man had to carry his own cross to the place of execution. According to the law, crucifixions had to take place outside of the city. Numbers 15:35 speaks about how a man condemned for breaking the Sabbath had to be stoned outside the camp. In Leviticus 16:27 the LORD commands that the sin offerings whose blood was brought to make atonement in the holy place, were to be taken outside the camp, and burned with fire. The author of Hebrews points out the significance in Jesus being crucified outside of Jerusalem. He says in Hebrews 13:12, So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. So we see that our Lord went out towards Golgotha, carrying his own cross. It is not clear if the condemned criminals had to carry the whole cross, or just the cross-beam. Either way it was a heavy task. Yet it appears that it was not an impossible one. It is likely that the other two criminals who were crucified with Jesus carried their own crosses all the way to Golgotha. Yet our Lord did not. For he could not fulfil this task. We should not get the idea that the Lord Jesus was just a weakling. Remember that he did not begin his public ministry before the age of thirty. Prior to that time it is likely that he worked in the trade of his father, Joseph, as a carpenter. There is a specific reason why the Lord Jesus could not carry his own cross. It was because of all the suffering he had already undergone. In the past night Jesus had suffered tremendously both in spirit and in body. He suffered great torment in the Garden of Gethsemane. There his sweat became like great drops of blood, falling on the ground (Luk.22:44). Jesus suffered the betrayal by Judas, the desertion of his disciples, and the denial of Peter. Although he was completely perfect, a man without sin, he had been condemned to death through a hypocritical court trial. He had been mocked, and scorned, and reviled. Physically, Jesus had been up all night, without any sleep. He had been tried before Caiaphas, Herod, and Pilate. Christ was beaten, he was flogged, he had the crown of thorns shoved down on his head. All this abuse had so weakened our Lord that on the way to Golgotha he stumbled under the weight of the cross. He could bear it no further. He could not carry it another foot. Our Lord was completely done in; he was at the end of his tether. When Jesus succumbed beneath his load, the Roman soldiers exercised their dominion over the people they had conquered. They did not want to carry Jesus cross themselves. They would never have gotten one of the Jews accompanying them to do it either. And so they requisitioned a passer-by to carry Jesus cross. Our text says, And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. Simon was coming from the opposite direction, going from the country into the city. So they grabbed him and forced him to bear Jesus cross. Some commentators put Simon up on a pedestal. They present him as the last person to show the Lord Jesus some sympathy as he walked the pathway of suffering. Within the Roman Catholic Church Simon is portrayed in statues as a saint eagerly helping his Lord. Yet beloved, that is not what the Scriptures teach. Our text says that Simon was compelled to bear Jesus cross. Rev. Joe Poppe 3
The word compelled finds its origin from the renowned postal service of the earlier Persians. The Persian postal service had authority to claim men or horses at any time, in order to carry the post from one stage to the next. Thus the word compelled speaks of the government s ability to requisition men or goods for its own needs. The government had the authority and power to make demands upon a person s property, his time, his will, or his person. The point is that Simon was no volunteer. He was forced by the Roman soldiers, probably at spear point. Pick-up this cross, or else. Commentators tie themselves up in knots trying to discover who Simon was, and what he was doing on the road leading into Jerusalem. Some suggest he was a native Jew who had settled in Cyrene; others suggest that he was a Moor, a black man. Commentators are divided about whether Simon was an adherent to the Jewish religion, or if he was a Gentile. In the end we have no answers for any of these questions. The only thing Mark tells us about Simon is that he was from Cyrene, and that he was the father of Alexander and Rufus. Paul mentions a Rufus in his letter to the Romans, indicating that he was a man chosen by God (Rom.16:13). It is possible and perhaps even likely that through his contact with Christ, Simon somehow became a believer. Yet Mark gives us few details about Simon, for the focus is not on him. Mark does not want us to feel sorry for Simon. Instead he wants us to keep our eyes focussed on the Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved, it is hard to imagine the suffering our Lord was undergoing. What a change from just a week ago. A week earlier Jesus had entered Jerusalem as triumphant King, riding on a colt that he had requisitioned. Now he was leaving Jerusalem as a condemned criminal, and did not even have the strength to bear his own cross. No volunteer came forward to carry it for him. A passer-by was requisitioned to carry it for him. Simon was forced to bear his load. Here the last shred of self-respect was torn away from our Lord. It was not his style to let others do his dirty work for him. Jesus did not come to have others suffer in his place. Was he not the one who said, Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest? (Mat.11:28). Although Christ came to bear the burdens of others, here Simon was forced to bear Christ s load. The Helper has become utterly helpless. The Great Shepherd who cared for others could not even care for himself. Beloved, imagine the temptation that faced Christ at this point. He could easily have called upon the power of his divine nature, and so proudly helped himself and carried his own cross to Golgotha. We should never forget that Christ was still King. He had authority over all things in heaven and on earth. Yet instead our Lord humbled himself. In Philippians 2:7 Paul speaks about how he emptied himself. Christ suffered the loss of all human strength and power. He stumbled forward in utter weakness, not even able to carry his own cross. What utter humiliation our Lord endured. He who called us to take up our cross and follow him, had to hand over his cross to another. He who warned his disciples of the cost of following him, was crushed under the weight of that cost. We ll never understand what it meant to Christ to hand over the burden of his cross to Simon of Cyrene. Yet what we do see is that Christ was willing to endure even this shame for our sake, to save us from our sins. That makes us humble and thankful. It motivates us to heed Christ s command to deny ourselves and take up our cross joyfully and follow him. In our first point we ve seen how Jesus could not bear his own cross. In our second point we ll see how Jesus helps us to bear our cross. When we see the Lord Jesus staggering under the weight of his cross, unable to carry it any further, we are reminded of our own cross. Jesus commanded us in Mark 8:34, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. And so we face the question, What is this cross that Jesus commands us to bear? Rev. Joe Poppe 4
We definitely do not need to make atonement for our sins. For the Lord Jesus has done this for us. He has fully paid for all our sins with his precious blood. We do not need to bear the burden of God s wrath against our sins. Christ has paid the penalty that we deserved. Sometimes we interpret cross-bearing in the sense of bearing the burdens that God has put on our pathway because of sin. Then we see our cross as dealing with the sickness, or hardships, or bereavement that God has put on our pathway. Yet such things are not specifically what Christ is speaking about when he commanded his disciples and the crowd to take up their cross and follow him. It was Christ s intention that his followers should not be detached observers of his passion and death. He wanted his followers to be men and women who grew in faith through participation in his sufferings. In Mark 8:34 the command is that we deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus. In this command we see that the focus of our lives needs to shift from concern for self, to denial of self. We need to do not our own will, but God s will. For us crossbearing is joyfully accepting the consequences of being a Christian, even if it mean suffering ridicule, or shame, or persecution for the sake of Christ. It is not easy to be a Christian in a world filled with Satanic evil and oppression. If we are willing to truly let our lights shine before men, we will be attacked, opposed, and ridiculed. At times we are called to make sacrifices that others are never called to make; to set priorities that others never set. We are calledto be giving in the midst of a world that likes to take. Christ calls us to live a lifestyle that is not understood by the people in society around us. To serve Christ our King, instead of going off to do our own thing (1Pet.4:1-6). And beloved, we are called to do so joyfully. Not with a martyr complex, thinking about how we are suffering for Christ s sake. But willingly, eagerly, thankfully, voluntarily (Mat.5:10-12). Simon of Cyrene was compelled to bear Christ s cross. There is no human power that requires us to bear our own cross. We are not forced to do so by the government of the land, or by the elders of the church. It is Christ who calls us to do so; it is the Holy Spirit who works the willingness in our hearts. To take up our cross joyfully in the service of our King. What does this mean practically, in everyday life? It means recognising Jesus as King over your whole life, and submitting yourself to his Word and will even when that is hard. For children it means obeying your parents, even though you think that they are sometimes unfair. For spouses, it means loving your husband or wife, even when he or she is not really all that lovable. It means that we stand up for our Lord and Saviour when his name is blasphemed, even though it may cost you a sale or a job. Bearing Christ s cross means that we are willing to forego some of our spending, in order to support his kingdom work. Not in the first place because we have to. But because the Spirit creates in us an eagerness to support the ministry of the gospel, the work of mission, and other kingdom causes. We re willing to deny ourselves like the widow who gave her last coins (Mar.12:42). God s grace in Christ makes us thankful. It makes us cheerful givers (2Cor.9:7). Even in situations where the budget is tight; where it costs us to make that contribution. In the midst of our bearing our crosses, the time may come where we feel like we cannot go on. Where the burden becomes too heavy; where we re stumbling under the load. In such situations we do not need to look for some passer-by to help us. We cannot compel others to carry our load. Instead we may look to the Lord Jesus Christ. To our eternal King seated on the right hand of power. We may pray to the Lord Jesus, telling him about how difficult it is to carry our load. When we are tired and worn down, we may go to him and ask him to help us. Our Saviour will understand. He knows all about cross-bearing. He himself once staggered under the load and was unable to go on. Hebrews 4 assures us that we have a High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses. It says, Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb.4:16). Rev. Joe Poppe 5
Christ will help us. He has given us the Holy Spirit to comfort us and strengthen us. Often the Spirit uses means. Christ has placed us in the midst of his church, the communion of saints. Through the preaching of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments, the Spirit encourages and strengthens us. He grants us the assurance that we are God s children, and that our Father will care for us, also in the midst of difficulties. He gives us the confidence to persevere, for we may do so in Christ s strength rather than our own. As a communion of saints, we may bear our burdens together. God has given God-fearing parents, Christian teachers, faithful office-bearers, and a supportive communion of saints. In that sense, we are in a different position than our Lord was on the way to Golgotha. He was all alone, except for one unwilling man who bore his cross for him. Yet we may experience the loving care of fellow Christians; we may share in communion with our Saviour when we celebrate the Lord s Supper. At times it happens that we still collapse under the load. Yet in such situations we may look to Jesus Christ. For Christ can help us. Today Jesus is no longer that struggling man who could not carry his cross on the way to Golgotha. Today Christ is Lord of lords and King of kings (Rev.17:14). He ascended into heaven and sat down on the throne at God s right hand. God has highly exalted him, and given him the name which is above every name (Phil.2:9). All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him (Mat.28:18). Today Christ says: I am with you every step of the way, and I will help you to bear your cross, that you may persevere in your life as a Christian. Christ knows how to lift us up. The Saviour who once bore the cross on our behalf, now helps us to bear our cross. In his grace and love, he encourages and strengthens us. Therefore we may confess, LORD, you will to my rescue come, when trouble looms from all directions. Though enemies around me swarm, your mighty arm is my protection. We may also have confidence as we look to the future. For God does not give up on his children. Thus we may sing, God shall fulfil his plan for me; his promise he will keep forever. LORD, God of grace, do not cast off your works of love. Forsake them never! (Ps.138:4, Rhymed Version). Christ our King walked the way of suffering to glory. And he will help us to also persevere to the end. No matter what burden or struggle we face in our lives, he will help us to bear the load. He will strengthen and encourage us till we too cross the finish line. He will guide and direct us so that we may join the innumerable multitude of the saints, and inherit eternal life. And so we sing, Worthy the Lamb, for sinners slain, through endless years to live and reign. Thou hast redeemed us by thy blood, and made us kings and priests to God. O may we wage the glorious strife, and win, like them, the crown of life. (Hy.69:3, Rhymed Version). Amen. Rev. Joe Poppe 6