Make an impact please…..
Mark 15:21”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.”
Make an impact in this broken world! We have worn too many crosses around our necks and shirts, now it is time to show the world the impact of the ‘cross’ in your life! Are you listening? Let them see your identity with Christ! One day Simon of Cyrene was caught up in the crowd that came to see Jesus who was on the last leg of his journey to Jerusalem, bruised and with a heavy cross on his back. Simon was not prepared at all when suddenly one of the soldiers dragged him to Jesus and ‘compelled’ him to carry the cross. The journey of Simon carrying the cross of Jesus started with compulsion but it did end with him being awed at the fortitude of Jesus during a time of terrible crisis! I guess this endearing quality of his patience while blood oozed out of his body should have moved Simon!
I would like to show something outstanding in the above scripture, Simon is introduced as the ‘father of Alexander and Rufus ! Did you get that? By the time Mark wrote these details, Alexander and Rufus were already well known among their group. They were known as the sons of Simon who carried the cross of Jesus! Now, the aftermath of an encounter with Jesus is what counts! Would the life of Simon be the same after such a dramatic encounter with Jesus and having had the opportunity to cross His cross? Never. Do you want to know more details of the cross about the weight and the texture, Simon would be the right person to answer, having touched and carried it for Jesus. What a privilege! I am sure, he would have narrated the experience hundred times to his children Alexander and Rufus. May be they were given clear and pristine description of the agony that Jesus went through on that day. May be Rufus would have asked, ‘Dad, were you able to actually touch Jesus on that day?’ ‘Did Jesus actually see you carry the cross?’ The questions would have been endless…………My children ask me, ‘ma, have you actually heard the voice of Jesus?’ Youngsters just love to surround me with torrent of questions on my joining the mission field of the Lord and about our relocation to Hyderabad. People love to hear our intimacy with God! Simon of Cyrene had loads and loads of information to share with his children and family.
Would you like to know more about the children of Simon? We see the wonderful man of God, apostle Paul mention about them in the book of Romans: “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.:(Romans 16:13) The family of Simon of Cyrene became a blessed family!
Friend, we serve a Master who lived an awesome life on earth; having known the Truth, let us impact the world with our love and godly life. This morning the father of a student studying in our school were leaving the town to a different village. They were hindus but the teachings in our school made a tremendous impact on the family and he pleaded with tearful eyes, ‘madam, before we go, we want to take a photo with you as a remembrance and keep it with us because we are very blessed because of your school.!
One of Mahatma's most famous quotes is, "You must be the change you want to see in the world." Wherever you may be make an impact for Jesus!
