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. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
Comment: I presume that Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry the cross for Jesus because Jesus had been so brutalized by the harsh whipping that He was unable to bear His own Cross! I think that we often sanitize the whole event that Jesus suffered. ‘They crucified Him’ is just three words! But they stripped Him naked, laid Him with arms stretched out and hammared nails through His hands and feet, hammering hard enough for the nails to go far enough into the wood to bear Jesus’ whole weight! They lifted the cross, with Jesus nailed to it, upright dumping the end into an already dug hole, then wedging it so that it wouldn’t fall over. Two others suffered the same fate, but they were guilty, He was guiltless! The only hint of kindness which they offered was a drink of wine and myrrh, probably to dull his senses. He refused it because He was suffering for a Divine purpose – to bear the whole weight of our sin, including yours and mine. It was a taunt of Pilate but in fact His True Title, when they nailed above His head ‘The King of the Jews’. A taunt to the Jewish accusers who had won their battle with Pilate when that they accused Jesus of claiming to be the Messianic King! And then there was a parade of people walking repeatedly before His suffering body quoting His own words – saying that He would do the things, which He was in the middle of doing! He died saving people who would choose to believe and allowing the temple of His body to be destroyed in that He might rise again in the promised three days! There is even worse to come tomorrow!
Psalm 22: 6-8 – But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
“He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
Prayer: Open my eyes to see more than the just, the unjustifiably called guilty Man, killed by foolish judges and accusers! Help me to read ‘The King of the Jews’, His Title, in its fullest meaning.
As I read it! 