WHAT WOULD IT TAKE?

Mark 15:21-25

²¹ And they forced a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. ²² And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). ²³ And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. ²⁴ And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each would take. ²⁵ And it was the third hour when they crucified him.

unforgettable visit

Simon of Cyrene was just passing through Jerusalem, a visitor caught in the wrong place at the wrong moment—or so it seemed. He had no intention of becoming part of an execution procession. He was not a disciple, not a follower, not even a bystander with interest in Jesus’ trial. He was simply a man from the countryside, swept into a story far larger than he imagined. Yet that single moment changed everything. He saw Jesus up close—saw the exhaustion, the wounds, the dignity, the silence. He felt the weight of the cross that would soon hold the body of the One he carried it for. And according to early Christian tradition, that encounter eventually led Simon and his sons, Alexander and Rufus, into the faith. Something convinced him that Jesus was more than a condemned man. Something persuaded him that the One he saw die was also the One who rose.

Simon knew Jesus truly died; he had carried the instrument of death on his own shoulders. For him to later follow Christ, he must have encountered the living Jesus or the undeniable testimony of those who did. Only a risen Lord could turn a random passerby into a lifelong disciple. Only resurrection power could transform a moment of forced service into a lifetime of willing devotion.

And that brings the question home to us. What would it take for you—and for your family—to commit yourselves fully to Jesus? For Simon, it was seeing the reality of Christ’s suffering and the truth of His resurrection. For us, the same evidence stands. The cross shows His love; the empty tomb shows His power. The invitation is the same: to let the One who died for us become the One we live for.

LORD, thank You for dying for us. Show us how to live for You.