"the Face of Favor" (Part 1)

A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. (Mark 15:21-24 NIV).

The July 17th issue of Morning Devotionals, “What Does God Look Like?” (http://www.gracerestoration.org/site/?p=439) ended with my assertion that God has a “yes face.” The more I began to think about that statement, the more I began to ponder how others must have seen Jesus during His earthly ministry. What better place to see the reaction of those who “saw” Jesus than at the cross? As you imagine being there, seeing the people gathered, there are many faces in the crowd. Some of them were friendly, some antagonistic, others indifferent; however, each tells a specific story. One of those was Simon of Cyrene. At first you may say he was there unwillingly, conscripted by the Roman soldiers to merely carry the cross of Jesus to Golgotha. But, as time passes and we learn more about him from the Scripture, we see he was grateful to have been elected for this honor.

Simon was born into a dedicated Jewish home in the North African city of Cyrene. His parents expressed their faith by giving him the name Simon at birth. Simon was a prominent son of Jacob. Being such a faithful family Simon must have dreamed of the day when he would be able to make his pilgrimage to Jerusalem at Passover. When he first entered the city he must have been agog at the sight of the Temple. He must ave felt something else though. There was a great disturbance in the city. The rumor was that a teacher from Galilee had arrived. There was sharp division among the Jews as to the purpose and identity of this man. Some felt certain he was the long awaited messiah, while others argued he was no more than a charlatan, a false prophet. It was widely rumored that the religious leaders were plotting his death.

This was the setting for Simon’s introduction to Jesus. On the day of the great Passover Feast, Simon came upon this strange spectacle. He saw a noisy crowd clustered around a small group of Roman soldiers. In their midst was a very weary, weakened, bloodied man. He was carrying a cross to his execution. Undoubtedly the crowds were shouting, the soldiers were prodding the man along. The man falls, not once, but three times under the strain. Just then, as the soldiers tired of this parade, wanting nothing but to be finished with their grisly assignment, their eyes fell on Simon. Seizing him, as was within their power, they ordered him to carry the cross. For the first time, Simon saw Jesus. From that moment on his life would never be the same. That’s the way it is with Jesus. Once you have seen Him you can never be the same. The Face of Favor demands a decision. Simon decided then this man was no ordinary man. The events that would follow would prove it for him. We’ll look more closely at those events and the challenge it has for us today in the next few days. However, can I ask you if you have seen Jesus? How has that changed your life? Stay tuned!