fifty three

Luke 23:26

"Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus."

Jesus has just been sentenced to death: the death that he had been born for. The death He had left his beautiful throne in Heaven for, the death he had been born in the stinky messy manger for, the death he had walked and talked with the people for, and the death (and later resurrection) that would complete the work He had started on the earth. Here, they were leading Him away from Pilate who, although finding no fault with Jesus, had just sentenced Him to His crucifixion on the cross.

In the time he spent on earth before his death Jesus, talking to the people gathered around Him (true rock star), explained to them that in order to follow Him they needed to, "take up his cross daily and follow Me." He knew He would be the one who paved the way by carrying an actual cross, and that they would follow in His footsteps by doing what they were put on earth to do - know Him, love Him, daily seek His face, and make a difference in their worlds.

As Jesus is carrying His cross on the road to Calvary where He would be hung on it, a man named Simon took over carrying it for Him for a portion of the road. And my point is this: even Jesus, God, doing exactly what He was purposed to do on this earth, couldn't carry His cross for that moment. His cross got too heavy, and sometimes yours will get too heavy for you too. Jesus needed Simon to carry it for a little part of the road and sometimes you will need someone to carry yours for you too. That's totally fine.