The Impressionable

The Impressionable
Words of Faith 4-18-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 15:21‑24
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.
[22] They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). [23] Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. [24] And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

Children are impressionable. I can recall vividly moments with my Dad when he stopped to help people, fix a car, or give a lift. I still remember clearly the little boy that my Dad took to our family doctor so that he could get the proper medicine for a severe skin infection. At tender ages, memories are vivid of such moments.
Perhaps it was the same for Alexander and Rufus. We don't know the whole story of the family from Cyrene, but the fact that Mark mentions the boys by name has led many interpreters to believe that these two later became known in the church and were disciples of the Lord Jesus. Little wonder, given what they saw that day.
Alexander and Rufus had traveled with their father from Cyrene, a coastal city of North Africa with a sizeable Jewish population. Like many pilgrims, they had come for the Passover. It was undoubtedly a very special event that the boys had looked forward to, but their festive journey was interrupted by a strange detour.
Somehow caught in the crowded swirl of Jerusalem on the day of preparation for the Passover, Simon found himself face to face with a man he had never met before. It would have been difficult to know, really, because the man in the street was bloodied and beaten almost beyond recognition.
Jesus probably collapsed under the 100-pound weight of the Roman "patibulum" or crossbeam he was forced to carry to his place of execution. Simon was conscripted by one of the soldiers to carry the heavy beam. It wasn't really an act of mercy, as the soldier probably didn't want Jesus to die on the street and then have to be carried through the crowd.

Taking the beam was not too difficult a physical task for a rested man, but what a torturous journey it must have been emotionally. Simon surely would have worried about his little boys, who were now witnessing a horrific scene rather than the Passover they had come to celebrate. Simon likely wondered what sort of brutal crime this criminal might have committed to deserve the brutal battering and gashes on His back that were oozing in the heat of the day.
But suddenly, the journey to the place of the skull would have ended, and Simon was free to go. We do not know what Simon did at that moment. No one would have blamed him if he had taken his boys and left to get as far from that gory scene as possible, but it may also have been a scene he could not leave.
Did Simon realize that this innocent man was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? The Paschal lamb of the Passover? Probably not. Many things would only be understood later. But indeed, the power of the event left its mark.
Later, as this family realized what they had seen and who they had encountered, they may have also experienced the irresistible grace of God. We know that Paul greeted Rufus in one of his letters (Romans 16:13), and the family seems to have been known in the early church. What an incredible story for these young men to tell as they gave testimony of the day their Daddy carried the crossbeam for Jesus on the way to pay for the sins of the whole world. What Alexander and Rufus saw that day in Jesus and their Dad forever changed their lives.
I was out and watched a Dad the other day in a family restaurant with his wife and three children. The children were all told to order from the children's menu. They all wanted sodas but were told they could only have water. That's understandable. I've been there. But then I watched as the Dad ordered a big plate of food for himself and then the biggest Coke you have ever seen. I don't know why, but it "got me." My first temptation was to slip the table server enough money for cokes all around. But then the mirror of conviction turned around on me, and I was left wondering just what "cokes" I had insisted on for myself while raising my kids.
Simon of Cyrene makes me wonder what my kids have seen in me over the years. Jesus said that if we would come after Him as disciples, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Him. I wonder if my kids have seen "cross-bearing" in my life-- or do they see me selfishly looking to my comforts and interests while ignoring them? Do they see me deny myself, or do they see me get frustrated and complain? Do they see me suddenly take up the burden of someone who can no longer carry on, or do they see me look the other way?
Will they see me take up the cross of Jesus (as I do unto the least of these and do unto Him), or do they see me shrink back into the crowd? Do they see me following Jesus through life, seeking to make sense of the stripes on the back of an innocent man, or do they see me running away from the cross when it becomes "too emotional?"

Lord, set me free from self-serving excuses. I want to really serve you, Lord. I choose this day to deny myself, take up whatever cross you assign, and follow You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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