Vital Signs: Sunday, November 24, 2024

As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. —Luke 23:26

The Privilege of the Cross

For many, the cross is nothing more than a fashionable accessory. But the cross on which Jesus died was no such thing. It was a crude wooden device developed by the Romans that served as a literal torture rack for those who died on it.

The Bible tells us that Simon, a Cyrenian, was selected to bear the cross of Jesus. Simon was given one of the greatest privileges afforded to anyone in human history.

We, too, have that privilege today. Jesus said, “Take up your cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

The cross is the same for every person. In first-century Jerusalem, the people who were carrying crosses were on their way to die.

To take up your cross is to die to self and to love God more than anyone or anything else.

I’m Thankful.