When God Says …
“And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.” (Luke 23:26-28 KJV).
Simon of Cyrene, forced to carry the cross, is not about human effort of suffering to earn salvation. Instead, the picture of Simon walking behind our Lord reminds that our Lord Jesus is taking the heaviest burden. Simon is merely carrying a lumber. In grace, when we "hear" the gospel, and suffer with trials, we are simply walking in the shadow of the victory our Lord Jesus already won.
Our Lord, in chastising the crowd of women "Do not weep for me", strongly emphasizes that He was in complete control of His destiny. Even He is being beaten, bloody, and walking to His execution, He did not look for pity or crowd sympathy. He did not need to be felt sorry for. He tells them not to weep for Him because He knew exactly why He was going to the cross—He was intentionally stepping into theirs and our place. He was acting as our City of Refuge (Joshua 20:1-3), absorbing the legal death sentence and the wrath of God under the law, so that we would never have to face it as we enter His grace by faith.
As He directed them to "weep for yourselves and for your children," He was looking ahead to the literal, imminent destruction of the City of Jerusalem (which occurred in 70 AD). This is a pop up alert that no tears of remorse can wash away sins. Our Lord redirects their focus from emotional sadness to their actual spiritual need. They and the religious world are to realize that without accepting His finished work, humanity remains under the burden of the curse of Adam’s sin.
Hence, we all must realize that the cross is the wellspring of grace and unconditional love. Our Lord Jesus Christ rejected the tears of the crowd because He wanted them to see His sacrifice not as a tragedy, but as a triumphant, predestined rescue mission to purchase our eternal righteousness, healing, freedom and salvation. By the Lord's obedience, we are justified. “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19 ESV).
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC.
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
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