241 views
???? Mark 15:21 Now Simon a Cyrene, who was passing by and coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was compelled to carry his cross. 22 And they led him to a place called Golgotha, which is translated, the Place of the Skull. Simon the Cyrene had traveled about 1,200 km from Cyrene to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. However, when he arrived in Jerusalem, the atmosphere was unusual. Everyone was talking about this man named Jesus. This supposedly Son of God, who had performed countless miracles, was being sentenced to death by crucifixion. Jerusalem must have been filled with the sounds of people getting angry, weeping, and mocking. Simon the Cyrene, perhaps taking care of his family who had come with him, followed behind Jesus as he carried his cross, curious and curious. Jesus, who seemed to be in danger every step of the way, eventually collapsed at some point and could not get up, and the soldiers who were nearby must have shouted to him, “Carry the cross for this man and go up the hill!” He was just watching, but what a bolt from the blue, everyone’s eyes were on him in an instant, and he hated the idea of carrying this bloody, cursed cross all the way to the execution grounds, but since the Roman soldiers ordered him to do so, he couldn’t go anywhere and thought it was unlucky, so he lifted the cross on his shoulder and started walking instead of this man who had collapsed and could not get up. While Simon was dragging the cross, which was much heavier than he had expected, he must have thought, “Why on earth am I carrying the cross? What on earth did this man commit to be sentenced to this terrible crucifixion? It must be so painful. Can I make it that far? I’m not a sinner, so what if people misunderstand? Should I walk a little slower so that this man can follow me?” While he was walking with his cross, his family must have been shocked and worried as they watched the whole scene. And another Simon, Simon Peter, must have watched Jesus carrying the cross from afar, in secret. He must have seen Simon carrying the cross for him. What might Peter have been thinking at that time? The Bible introduces Simon of Cyrene as “Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.” We can see that his sons and wife were members of the early church. Simon Peter, whose name means “rock,” is said to have been crucified upside down and martyred. The cross that he was forced to bear, the cross that he could not bear because he was afraid… The two Simons, who had Jesus’ cross in their hearts, became witnesses who could not be stopped even by the punishment of the cross. Through the Gospel of Mark that we will read this week, I want to deeply engrave in our hearts and meditate on Jesus, who called us to be witnesses as well. ???? Mark 1-16 ???? Song of Simon of Cyrene_Yeom Pyeong-an