Simon of Cyrene: Just Passing By
Memory Verse:
“Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:10
Sermon Sentence: I pray that Jesus interrupts your life today in a way that compels you to take up your cross and follow him.
Day 1
Read Mark 15:16-40
This Easter, you have probably heard and thought about our goal to see 1% of Westmoreland County hear the gospel presentation. I love this focus because of its reminder of what we base all of what we do as a church on. Easter is a special time for followers of Jesus to reflect and spend time with the story of the cross and the resurrection. These are pivotal teachings for why we do what we do throughout the whole year and deserve many moments of us slowing down and meditating on God’s Great Story of salvation. I remember when I was a kid and it seemed that everyone wanted to spend time talking about the graphic nature of the cross and seemed to try to outdo each other by sharing as many details and assumptions as they could. I remember the Mel Gibson movie “ The Passion” coming out and wrestling with the idea of how gruesome it was and if that was drama or reality. It seems that we don’t have that as much anymore. But I wonder if that is not something that we are missing as well…the general feeling of uncomfortableness wrestling with the reality of what Jesus suffered on the cross. So in today’s reading, I encourage you to imagine what it was like to be there. Imagine what you would have seen and imagine what you would have felt. It may seem uncomfortable and strange, but it can also compel worship for today.
What do you imagine you would have seen there that day?
What do you imagine you would have felt that day if you were observing it all?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
This Easter, you have probably heard and thought about our goal to see 1% of Westmoreland County hear the gospel presentation. I love this focus because of its reminder of what we base all of what we do as a church on. Easter is a special time for followers of Jesus to reflect and spend time with the story of the cross and the resurrection. These are pivotal teachings for why we do what we do throughout the whole year and deserve many moments of us slowing down and meditating on God’s Great Story of salvation. I remember when I was a kid and it seemed that everyone wanted to spend time talking about the graphic nature of the cross and seemed to try to outdo each other by sharing as many details and assumptions as they could. I remember the Mel Gibson movie “ The Passion” coming out and wrestling with the idea of how gruesome it was and if that was drama or reality. It seems that we don’t have that as much anymore. But I wonder if that is not something that we are missing as well…the general feeling of uncomfortableness wrestling with the reality of what Jesus suffered on the cross. So in today’s reading, I encourage you to imagine what it was like to be there. Imagine what you would have seen and imagine what you would have felt. It may seem uncomfortable and strange, but it can also compel worship for today.
What do you imagine you would have seen there that day?
What do you imagine you would have felt that day if you were observing it all?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 2
Read Acts 9:1-22
Simon of Cyrene is who we talked about in the sermon Sunday. He was on his way to Jerusalem for the Passover journey, which was a typical religious adventure that basically everyone took. He had his religion and beliefs. He had been conditioned even to know what to expect…a Messiah was coming. One day. Soon? It didn’t matter, he was doing what he was supposed to be doing, going to the Passover celebration. It was on that journey that his life intersected with Jesus' crucifixion. Paul had a similar story to Simon’s. He too was set on his religious ideas and had his religious plans. He was a Pharisee and didn’t need to be taught anything by this point. He was on his way to carry out the plans of his religion to destroy this newer sect that was rising up. It was on that path that his life also intersected with Jesus and he was forever changed. Jesus has a way of doing that. When we meet Him and even when we have our own ideas and plans of what is religion or religious, He brings His words into our hearts and changes us. For Paul and Simon, there was a big difference between following Jesus and following religion. For both of them, the foundations that were set in their past probably helped them to make the jump that needed to happen.
How is your story like that of Paul and Simon’s?
How could you use Paul or Simon’s testimony to lead someone around you to Jesus today?
Even Paul, the Pharisee that surely knew it all, spent time learning from the disciples. What can we learn from that today?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Simon of Cyrene is who we talked about in the sermon Sunday. He was on his way to Jerusalem for the Passover journey, which was a typical religious adventure that basically everyone took. He had his religion and beliefs. He had been conditioned even to know what to expect…a Messiah was coming. One day. Soon? It didn’t matter, he was doing what he was supposed to be doing, going to the Passover celebration. It was on that journey that his life intersected with Jesus' crucifixion. Paul had a similar story to Simon’s. He too was set on his religious ideas and had his religious plans. He was a Pharisee and didn’t need to be taught anything by this point. He was on his way to carry out the plans of his religion to destroy this newer sect that was rising up. It was on that path that his life also intersected with Jesus and he was forever changed. Jesus has a way of doing that. When we meet Him and even when we have our own ideas and plans of what is religion or religious, He brings His words into our hearts and changes us. For Paul and Simon, there was a big difference between following Jesus and following religion. For both of them, the foundations that were set in their past probably helped them to make the jump that needed to happen.
How is your story like that of Paul and Simon’s?
How could you use Paul or Simon’s testimony to lead someone around you to Jesus today?
Even Paul, the Pharisee that surely knew it all, spent time learning from the disciples. What can we learn from that today?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 3
Read Matthew 16:13-28
I don’t have social media, but I get enough of a run down to know how it works. It is based on the idea of people following your life. You get what we call “followers.” I do take in my fair share of Youtube videos, so that idea is not foreign to me. I have people that I follow on Youtube. They are like minded and interested in the same things that I am, so I watch their videos to be entertained and to learn new things. That is what it means to say that I follow them.
That is not the following that Jesus has asked for, but interesting enough, that is the version that the church has started to offer up. Many people are interested in Jesus…to an extent. They will follow him to learn a few things and see some shared interests. That is not what the following and being a disciple of Jesus is. This following is a taking up of your cross and following Jesus. Jesus’ cross led to the end of His life. That doesn’t sound like a ton of good news, but the good news in that is that Jesus then defeated death with life. Therefore, to give up one’s life for Jesus results in Jesus giving them life right back. What a great trade! This is the kind of following that Jesus calls us all to. This is what it means to be a disciple.
What do you see it meaning when Jesus told the disciples to take up their cross and follow Him?
How have you found life in this process and how do you share that experience with other people?
How does this become your prayer today?
I don’t have social media, but I get enough of a run down to know how it works. It is based on the idea of people following your life. You get what we call “followers.” I do take in my fair share of Youtube videos, so that idea is not foreign to me. I have people that I follow on Youtube. They are like minded and interested in the same things that I am, so I watch their videos to be entertained and to learn new things. That is what it means to say that I follow them.
That is not the following that Jesus has asked for, but interesting enough, that is the version that the church has started to offer up. Many people are interested in Jesus…to an extent. They will follow him to learn a few things and see some shared interests. That is not what the following and being a disciple of Jesus is. This following is a taking up of your cross and following Jesus. Jesus’ cross led to the end of His life. That doesn’t sound like a ton of good news, but the good news in that is that Jesus then defeated death with life. Therefore, to give up one’s life for Jesus results in Jesus giving them life right back. What a great trade! This is the kind of following that Jesus calls us all to. This is what it means to be a disciple.
What do you see it meaning when Jesus told the disciples to take up their cross and follow Him?
How have you found life in this process and how do you share that experience with other people?
How does this become your prayer today?
Day 4
Read Matthew 4:12-25
The gospels make a distinction that is very important in understanding what Jesus was asking of the disciples. His expectations were different for them than would be of the crowds. Obviously, we know that there were 12 disciples, but there were also many others that were called disciples. It was a designation that was given to those that stood apart from the crowd. It was known that the crowd would be following Jesus around. He expected that. He encouraged that in the way He acted. But He also would regularly send the crowd away and spend time only with the disciples. The 12 disciples were called with a purpose. “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men!” The crowd that was following Jesus was not expected or even assumed to be trying to make fishers of men. Disciples were disciple-makers. That is what it means to become a fisher of men. I think it is safe to understand that the fishing part would be done in the crowds that follow. So the goal was to take people from the crowd to become disciples. As for us, we can be crowd people and that could be good enough and not much would come from that. But the call of Jesus is that we become disciples…followers of Jesus…fisher of more disciples. That is how Jesus started in ministry and it is also how we should continue it right now.
Do you have a moment when you moved from the crowd to being a disciple? What did that look like in your story and how did it change what you do in following Jesus?
Why do you think the gospels seem to make a distinction between crowds and disciples?
How does this study today become part of your prayer?
The gospels make a distinction that is very important in understanding what Jesus was asking of the disciples. His expectations were different for them than would be of the crowds. Obviously, we know that there were 12 disciples, but there were also many others that were called disciples. It was a designation that was given to those that stood apart from the crowd. It was known that the crowd would be following Jesus around. He expected that. He encouraged that in the way He acted. But He also would regularly send the crowd away and spend time only with the disciples. The 12 disciples were called with a purpose. “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men!” The crowd that was following Jesus was not expected or even assumed to be trying to make fishers of men. Disciples were disciple-makers. That is what it means to become a fisher of men. I think it is safe to understand that the fishing part would be done in the crowds that follow. So the goal was to take people from the crowd to become disciples. As for us, we can be crowd people and that could be good enough and not much would come from that. But the call of Jesus is that we become disciples…followers of Jesus…fisher of more disciples. That is how Jesus started in ministry and it is also how we should continue it right now.
Do you have a moment when you moved from the crowd to being a disciple? What did that look like in your story and how did it change what you do in following Jesus?
Why do you think the gospels seem to make a distinction between crowds and disciples?
How does this study today become part of your prayer?
Day 5
Read Psalm 78:1-17
In Mark 15:21, when Simon is written about, the names of his two sons are also mentioned. The reason they are mentioned is because the readers of that day would have known them. Mark was calling out people that they were familiar with and they may not know who Simon is, but they surely knew who Rufus and Alexander were….Simon was their dad. This leads me to think that Simon made a generational change that day he met Jesus. On his way to the Passover event, which would have been a tradition of his family probably for generations, he was compelled to carry the cross of Jesus.
That would have impacted you too. Imagine your day taking a turn like that and it not impacting the rest of your life. Tradition tells us that Simon started following Jesus after this day and this testimony here leads us to see that his family was impacted by that decision. That is what Psalm 78 is about, generational change that matters. So many stories are polluted with bad family choices and ideas that keep getting passed down forever. But followers of Jesus are passing something else down. Something that changes lives and hearts in a way that impacts the world. That is the legacy that I want for my family and kids. I want my family to be followers of Jesus who compel other people to follow Jesus.
What is the vision that you have for your family as you read these things?
How can you be a part of creating that legacy that changes the generations to come?
What are some things that are standing in the way of that happening today?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
In Mark 15:21, when Simon is written about, the names of his two sons are also mentioned. The reason they are mentioned is because the readers of that day would have known them. Mark was calling out people that they were familiar with and they may not know who Simon is, but they surely knew who Rufus and Alexander were….Simon was their dad. This leads me to think that Simon made a generational change that day he met Jesus. On his way to the Passover event, which would have been a tradition of his family probably for generations, he was compelled to carry the cross of Jesus.
That would have impacted you too. Imagine your day taking a turn like that and it not impacting the rest of your life. Tradition tells us that Simon started following Jesus after this day and this testimony here leads us to see that his family was impacted by that decision. That is what Psalm 78 is about, generational change that matters. So many stories are polluted with bad family choices and ideas that keep getting passed down forever. But followers of Jesus are passing something else down. Something that changes lives and hearts in a way that impacts the world. That is the legacy that I want for my family and kids. I want my family to be followers of Jesus who compel other people to follow Jesus.
What is the vision that you have for your family as you read these things?
How can you be a part of creating that legacy that changes the generations to come?
What are some things that are standing in the way of that happening today?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
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