Jesus Carrying the Cross With a Crown of ThornsBible World
27:32Matthew 27:32
And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.
Weakened by scourging, blows and loss of blood, Jesus fell fainting beneath the cross prepared for Barabbas and could carry it no farther toward Calvary. Simon of Cyrene, meeting the procession on its way out of Jerusalem, was seized and compelled to bear that cross to the place of execution. Though his sons were disciples and he believed in Jesus, he had never been connected with Him or openly professed faith in Him. Bearing the cross stirred his compassion and became the means of his conversion, leading him to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and the world's Redeemer and ever after to bear Christ's cross cheerfully and gratefully. Christ's willingness to suffer from Gethsemane to Calvary shows the depth of what He gave for humanity and makes any self-denial required of His followers seem small beside it.
Journey to Calvary
Matthew 27:32 belongs to the account of Jesus being led away to Calvary for crucifixion, part of his humiliation and suffering. He suffered and died outside Jerusalem's gate, where criminals were executed, as humanity's substitute, and his death there redeemed people from the curse of the law. The cross laid on his bruised and bleeding shoulders was the cross prepared for Barabbas. Crosses were also carried for the two thieves who were to die with him.
Weakened by the night's suffering and by scourging, blows, pain, exhaustion, and loss of blood, Jesus could no longer carry the cross to the place of execution. The priests and rulers saw he could not carry the instrument of torture farther. He bore it only a few rods before falling fainting from loss of blood and excessive weariness and pain, and after reviving and being forced forward he staggered a few steps and fell as lifeless until he revived again, staggering and fainting as if dying. In one account he fell twice beneath the cross and could not continue. In another account the heavy cross was laid on him three times and he fainted beneath the burden three times.
The Jews would not bear the cross because doing so would make them ceremonially unclean and defiled and keep them from the Passover. No one in the crowd volunteered, and the leaders were puzzled to find anyone who would humiliate himself to bear it. At the priests' instigation another bearer was seized. Amid the crowd's shouts and jeers on the way, Jesus faced the opposition of the Jewish priests and rulers, who even pressured the Roman governor to carry out their will. Companies of angels were marshaled in the air above the place.
The sorrowful, weeping disciples followed in grief and despair, remembering their recent joyful welcome of Jesus into Jerusalem and their mistaken hope that he would reign as a temporal king. As they watched their Teacher scourged, mocked, and lifted up to die as a malefactor, their faith was tried and their hope and courage failed.
Simon Bears the Cross
Simon of Cyrene met the procession on its way to Calvary coming from the opposite direction, and he was seized and compelled to carry Jesus' cross on to Calvary, to the fatal spot where the execution would take place. He was taken at the priests' instigation when Jesus could no longer bear the burden farther. His sons were disciples of Jesus, but he himself had never been connected with Jesus and had not yet accepted Him as Saviour. Those who describe him as already a follower present him as one who believed in Jesus but had not openly professed faith in Him.
The cross he was forced to bear stirred his sympathies and compassion deeply in favor of Jesus. What began as compulsion became a blessing that led him to choose to bear Christ's cross and to do so cheerfully. The forced task became the means of his conversion. The events witnessed at Calvary and the words Jesus uttered caused him to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and the world's Redeemer.
He ever after felt grateful for the providence that gave him that burden and that personal evidence that Jesus was the world's Redeemer. He openly declared his belief in Christ on the very day of Jesus' death. With him on that day the Roman centurion who commanded the guard and the thief who died on the cross at Jesus' side also declared faith in Christ. Though the three men differed widely from one another, their confessions together gave fresh evidence of fulfilled prophecy and new witness to Christ's divinity, showing the Redeemer seeing of the travail of His soul.
Call to Follow
On the way to crucifixion Christ suffered and gave himself up for others, enduring from Gethsemane through mocking and abuse all the way to the cross. His willingness to suffer in being led to execution shows the depth of what he gave up for humanity. Beside what he gave up for them, any self-denial required of his followers is small, and any sacrifice made for him seems small. Christ still has burdens to be lifted, and those who wear his yoke and lift his burdens will have the heavy burden lifted from weary shoulders and will receive rest and peace.
The great sacrifice made on the cross of Calvary, together with Gethsemane, measures the church and shows how far behind she is in the greatest work ever given to mortals. It demands greater zeal and a wider movement in harmony with God's progressive plan. It demands far greater consideration of missions at home and abroad, to seize every opportunity for blessing a world in darkness with the last message. The disciples watching Jesus approach the cross and die as a malefactor, scourged and mocked and lifted up, had their faith tried and their hope and courage fail, giving cause to mourn and fast when faith is so tried.
Weakened by scourging, blows and loss of blood, Jesus fell fainting beneath the cross prepared for Barabbas and could carry it no farther toward Calvary. Simon of Cyrene, meeting the procession on its way out of Jerusalem, was seized and compelled to bear that cross to the place of execution. Though his sons were disciples and he believed in Jesus, he had never been connected with Him or openly professed faith in Him. Bearing the cross stirred his compassion and became the means of his conversion, leading him to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and the world's Redeemer and ever after to bear Christ's cross cheerfully and gratefully. Christ's willingness to suffer from Gethsemane to Calvary shows the depth of what He gave for humanity and makes any self-denial required of His followers seem small beside it.
Journey to Calvary
Matthew 27:32 belongs to the account of Jesus being led away to Calvary for crucifixion, part of his humiliation and suffering. He suffered and died outside Jerusalem's gate, where criminals were executed, as humanity's substitute, and his death there redeemed people from the curse of the law. The cross laid on his bruised and bleeding shoulders was the cross prepared for Barabbas. Crosses were also carried for the two thieves who were to die with him.
Weakened by the night's suffering and by scourging, blows, pain, exhaustion, and loss of blood, Jesus could no longer carry the cross to the place of execution. The priests and rulers saw he could not carry the instrument of torture farther. He bore it only a few rods before falling fainting from loss of blood and excessive weariness and pain, and after reviving and being forced forward he staggered a few steps and fell as lifeless until he revived again, staggering and fainting as if dying. In one account he fell twice beneath the cross and could not continue. In another account the heavy cross was laid on him three times and he fainted beneath the burden three times.
The Jews would not bear the cross because doing so would make them ceremonially unclean and defiled and keep them from the Passover. No one in the crowd volunteered, and the leaders were puzzled to find anyone who would humiliate himself to bear it. At the priests' instigation another bearer was seized. Amid the crowd's shouts and jeers on the way, Jesus faced the opposition of the Jewish priests and rulers, who even pressured the Roman governor to carry out their will. Companies of angels were marshaled in the air above the place.
The sorrowful, weeping disciples followed in grief and despair, remembering their recent joyful welcome of Jesus into Jerusalem and their mistaken hope that he would reign as a temporal king. As they watched their Teacher scourged, mocked, and lifted up to die as a malefactor, their faith was tried and their hope and courage failed.
Simon Bears the Cross
Simon of Cyrene met the procession on its way to Calvary coming from the opposite direction, and he was seized and compelled to carry Jesus' cross on to Calvary, to the fatal spot where the execution would take place. He was taken at the priests' instigation when Jesus could no longer bear the burden farther. His sons were disciples of Jesus, but he himself had never been connected with Jesus and had not yet accepted Him as Saviour. Those who describe him as already a follower present him as one who believed in Jesus but had not openly professed faith in Him.
The cross he was forced to bear stirred his sympathies and compassion deeply in favor of Jesus. What began as compulsion became a blessing that led him to choose to bear Christ's cross and to do so cheerfully. The forced task became the means of his conversion. The events witnessed at Calvary and the words Jesus uttered caused him to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God and the world's Redeemer.
He ever after felt grateful for the providence that gave him that burden and that personal evidence that Jesus was the world's Redeemer. He openly declared his belief in Christ on the very day of Jesus' death. With him on that day the Roman centurion who commanded the guard and the thief who died on the cross at Jesus' side also declared faith in Christ. Though the three men differed widely from one another, their confessions together gave fresh evidence of fulfilled prophecy and new witness to Christ's divinity, showing the Redeemer seeing of the travail of His soul.
Call to Follow
On the way to crucifixion Christ suffered and gave himself up for others, enduring from Gethsemane through mocking and abuse all the way to the cross. His willingness to suffer in being led to execution shows the depth of what he gave up for humanity. Beside what he gave up for them, any self-denial required of his followers is small, and any sacrifice made for him seems small. Christ still has burdens to be lifted, and those who wear his yoke and lift his burdens will have the heavy burden lifted from weary shoulders and will receive rest and peace.
The great sacrifice made on the cross of Calvary, together with Gethsemane, measures the church and shows how far behind she is in the greatest work ever given to mortals. It demands greater zeal and a wider movement in harmony with God's progressive plan. It demands far greater consideration of missions at home and abroad, to seize every opportunity for blessing a world in darkness with the last message. The disciples watching Jesus approach the cross and die as a malefactor, scourged and mocked and lifted up, had their faith tried and their hope and courage fail, giving cause to mourn and fast when faith is so tried.