Jesus' journey is near its end. He has been plotted against by one of His own disciples, who conspired with the chief priests and captains of the temple guard. He celebrated His last passover supper with His disciples, fulfilling the Passover as the supper of His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. He prayed earnestly and in much agony, sweating drops of blood. He has been taken prisoner, bound, blindfolded, and beaten. He was tried and convicted of crimes He did not commit, sentenced to death for the crimes—that is, sins—of the people. Now, He is on the way to Golgotha.

Along the way, a man from northern Africa is made to carry Jesus' cross. He follows close behind Jesus, bearing the heavy load that Jesus could not, possibly due to the frail condition brought on the beatings and floggings He endured. If the point hasn't been driven home yet, let it be said again: God was sent as man to die for the sins of the world. Here He is, fully human, unable to bear the weight of His own cross, yet still fully God, creator of the universe—the One through whom all things were made and who holds all things together in His hands...yes, those bloody, scraped, and bruised hands!

Therefore, the Roman soldiers take a man from the crowd, Simon from Cyrene, and place Jesus' cross on his shoulders. Jesus words should spring to mind here: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." Was Simon a Jew—a Jewish convert (he was, after all, from a region that is now known as Libya)? What was He doing in Jerusalem at this time? Why was he along this road?

We are given no other information about this man, simply that he was in the wrong place at the right time. Or, would that be the right place at the wrong time? ... right place at the right time? He is certainly there by design, otherwise we wouldn't have been told of him; he follows Jesus, carrying Jesus' cross.

St. Mark tells us that Simon had two sons: Alexander and Rufus. Later in time, St. Paul writes to the Romans and mentions a member of the congregation there, sending his greetings: "Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine." Dr. Arthur Just posits, "It is possible that Simon the Cyrenian became acquainted with Jesus when he was conscripted to carry Jesus' cross and that Simon became a believer and subsequently passed on the faith to his son Rufus. If so, then it may be said that on these final steps of the journey, Jesus is followed by a catechumen who bears the burden of his cross, even though it may be unwillingly."

So, the words ring in our ears again, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." Simon was doubtless minding his own business that day. Perhaps he had gone to the roadside to see what was going on. He certainly did not intend to participate in the crucifixion of Jesus in this manner. But we cannot ignore the possibility that Simon became a believer, being a witness of the things that happened. If that possibility is the truth, he, for all intents and purposes, denied himself, picked up his cross, and followed Jesus inasmuch as he was forced to deny what he was doing, pick up Jesus' cross, and follow Him. He is, for us, a very physical example of what Jesus words mean for us.

So, the pair continue along the way to Jesus' crucifixion. As the people followed, the very same people who demanded this capital punishment, there were women who mourned and wept. Jesus addresses them:

Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, "Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!" Then they will begin "to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!'" For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?

That's an interesting phrase, "daughters of Jerusalem." A similar phrase, "daughters of Zion," was used to represent or personify faithful Israel. Here, Jesus speaks to those people who remain faithful to Him or come back to faith in Him—those who were of the crowd assembled by Pilate, but now repent of and lament their cries of "Crucify Him!"

He is addressing His Bride—"Daughters of Jerusalem"—the Church. He goes now to die for Her. He goes now to be joined to Her in the Holy Matrimony of His sacrifice on the cross. He goes now to win forgiveness for Her—for them. Therefore, He calls them to repentance: "Weep not for me; weep for yourselves and for your children."

In other words, there need not be tears of sorrow for Jesus. While devastating and gruesome, He is going to the goal placed before Him; it will not end with His death, but will be overcome by His resurrection. Weep for those who continue to reject Him; weep for those who continue to call for his execution. Weep for those in Jerusalem who do not recognize this visitation by God. "Daughters of Jerusalem, while you remain faithful or return to faith, your countrymen do not. Weep for them, they will not share in my redemption."

"Weep for yourselves, as well, for you must also bear a cross. You see Simon behind me carrying my cross. Likewise, you who follow me must bear a cross: the cross of dying to self and sin." But, as with Jesus, death is not the end of it all, for this death will be overcome by resurrection.

For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.

Woe to them who rejected Jesus. For the time will come when they, too, will know the truth of Who Jesus is, when He returns in judgment. Those who rejected Him and taught their children to reject Him will receive the double blow of agony, for they will not only bear the curse of their own destruction, but bear the curse of witnessing the destruction of the ones they love. Therefore, "Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!" These would rather be crushed by mountains and hills than face the wrath of God. Sadly, they will be like dry wood which will easily and quickly be consumed in the fires of God's wrath on that day.

But not you who are of the Bride of Christ. Barren or not, you are blessed, for you have received Him who now goes on His way—you are a part of the family of God. You are the green wood, kept moist and fruitful by the Word of God—Who is your root—working through you. Temptations will come alluring, the trials against you will be great, the world, the devil, and your own sinful flesh will rage against you...the fires of this world will blaze against you, but being the green wood, you will not burn easily. By the keeping of the Word of God, you will not be consumed by the fires of this world—you will be led by Him to confess your sins, weeping for yourselves, and by Him you will be given the nourishment of the forgiveness of sins—that which keeps you green and moist, producing good fruit.

For you Jesus is being led like a lamb to slaughter. Following Him, one Simon of Cyrene, likely a Christian convert, giving us a very physical example of denying oneself and bearing a cross. Following Him, a multitude, among them women who weep. To them and to us, Jesus gives instructions on what it means to bear their cross.

"And He was numbered with the transgressors." "There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death." The "Lamb goes uncomplaining forth...laden with the sins of earth...goes patient on, grows weak and faint, to slaughter led without complaint, that spotless life to offer; bears shame, and stripes, and wounds and death, anguish and mockery, and saith, 'Willing all this I suffer.'" On Golgotha, He is sacrificed between two criminals.

There He dies for Judas and the chief priests and temple guard captains who conspired to capture Him and try Him and sentence Him to death. There He dies for His disciples who celebrated the Passover with Him, sacrificing His body and blood for them. There He dies, filling the cup of salvation He prayed to have removed from Him. There, He dies for the guards who bind Him, blindfold Him, beat Him and mock Him. There, He dies for the Sanhedrin and Pilate and Herod, and all those who were like them. There, He dies for the people, those who rejected Him and demanded His death. There, He dies for Simon and Jerusalem, daughters and all. There, He dies for the sins of the world—for your sins and mine, criminals and transgressors all—that we would receive the forgiveness of sins and the pronouncement of not guilty...innocent by the blood of the Lamb.

Lamb of God, pure and holy, Who on the cross didst suffer,
Ever patient and lowly, Thyself to scorn didst offer,
All sins Thou borest for us, Else had despair reigned o'er us:
Have mercy on us, O Jesus! O Jesus!