The Road: Carrying the Cross

Theme: The Burden of Discipleship

Introduction

Imagine with me for a moment that you live in biblical times and you are right at the height of the scene when Jesus’ is carrying the cross up Golgotha's hill. You are looking upon Jesus and you can not tell that He is even human. He has been beaten literally to a pulp and He is not recognizable. His disfigurement shocks your system to the point you can not look directly at Him. He has lost so much blood and blood is literally covering a majority of the cross beam He is carrying.

Isaiah 52:14 “14 Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men;”

Isaiah 53:2–4 “2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.”

In many cases after someone had been scourged by the Romans, the beating would cause such blood loss that many would not make the trip to their crucifixion. They would die before they even reached the place of crucifixion.

You are a bystander in the crowd. You are there maybe as a passerby of the day and your curiosity is like people who pass a bad accident, you are rubber necking to see what all the excitement is about. And... a Roman guard grabs your arm and asks you to help carry Jesus’ cross.

This is exactly what happened on that day of Jesus’ crucifixion. Simon of Cyrene( Modern-Day Libya) was called out of the crowd, a bystander, to carry the cross for Jesus. We know the name Simon and we must assume He was Jewish. Most likely Simon was in Jerusalem for Passover. One moment He is a spectator and the next moment He is a part of the greatest story ever told!

Oh listen church, carrying a cross is nothing we plan for, it’s something we are called into. And listen dearly beloved, the Christian life, a life of discipleship doesn’t come with a nice neat blocked off calendar of activities. Discipleship comes with a call to follow Jesus on His time frame and in the manner in which He calls many times when we least likely expect it. Discipleship is an on call ministry 24/7.

Luke 9:23 “23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

Luke 14:27 “27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

Matthew 16:24 “24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Mark 8:34 “34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Turn in your Bibles this morning to Luke 23:26-31 as we learn today the demands of discipleship.

Luke 23:26-31

Luke 23:26–31 NKJV

26 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus. 27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. 28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’ 31 For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?”

Prayer

Message

Last week we studied Jesus being carried to Pilate for the finality of the injustice and wrongful condemnation that Jesus faced. You may remember that the chief priests and the rulers and other people at large could not provide any tangible proof of Jesus’ wrong doing. We studied last Sunday from John 18:28-40 and the account said these words:

John 18:29–30 “29 Pilate then went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this Man?” 30 They answered and said to him, “If He were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.””

All they could say was that “Jesus was an evildoer.” They had no proof, no witnesses or any form to support such an accusation. And the reason...it was all fallacy.

You may remember Jesus defense in John 18:19–23 “19 The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and His doctrine. 20 Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret I have said nothing. 21 Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed they know what I said.” 22 And when He had said these things, one of the officers who stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, “Do You answer the high priest like that?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike Me?””

Jesus asked the officer who struck Him these words: “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil; but if well, why do you strike me?”

Peer pressure and the popular vote or the majority in our lives is a powerful thing. Pilate felt trapped and gave into political expediency. Pilate was influenced by a decision that would help His future or so He thought. We learn tonight shared by Dr. J.D. Graeer that historians note that Pilate as Governor at that point in time was on thin ice with Caesar. He may have made the right choice as it related to his political security, but his decision adversely affected his eternal security. Pilate thought He would appease the crowd by scourging Jesus. The crowd unfortunately thronged and jeered more to have Jesus crucified.

Luke 23:13–17 “13 Then Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people, 14 said to them, “You have brought this Man to me, as one who misleads the people. And indeed, having examined Him in your presence, I have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him; 15 no, neither did Herod, for I sent you back to him; and indeed nothing deserving of death has been done by Him. 16 I will therefore chastise Him and release Him” 17 (for it was necessary for him to release one to them at the feast).”

We see here that Pilate knew that Jesus had not done anything deserving of death, yet, he weakened to the majority.

We realize many times that right decisions are not easy decisions. But lest we not forget that even though we can find wrong and weakness in Pilate; we can find hypocrisy in the religious elite of the day that orchestrated Jesus’ murder; even though we can find horrible and horrific actions of the Romans and their treatment of Jesus; the fact friends of Jesus (His disciples) bailed out on Jesus when the temple guards and the temple officers came to arrest Jesus; that even though all these wrongs are valid, they have no bearing whatsoever on the fact that Jesus had divinely planned to go to the cross all the time. All of these scenarios are simply puppetry of God’s divine plan.

I mention that to say that Jesus’ sacrifice means all the more because He knew what was ahead and He still went to the cross. He still continued His journey for our salvation. I remind us of the passion predictions in Matthew for example: And I remind you these predictions are before the reality in Matthew’s account in Chapter 27.

Matthew 16:21 “21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”

This is Jesus’ first prediction of His death and Resurrection after Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah.

Matthew 17:22–23 “22 Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful.”

-2nd prediction while Jesus was ministering in Galilee.

Matthew 20:17–19 “17 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.””

-the most explicit adding that He would die by crucifixion.

Oh dearly beloved, Jesus knew as I mentioned prophesied back in Isaiah 52 & 53, Jesus knew His death was imminent and He still went for you...and for me.

John 1:10–11 “10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.”

Dearly beloved, as we this side of the cross understand the sobering thoughts, the mind boggling thoughts of what Jesus sacrificed for you and me, we know vividly the gruesome details of a death by crucifixion for these many years we have studied the journey of our Savior, the words that Jesus stated time and again, about “denying self and take up your cross and follow Him takes on new meaning.

Let’s look at the demands, the burden that three individuals or groups suffered in this account as we think about bearing our cross to follow Jesus.

The Struggle of Simon (v. 26)

Luke 23:26 “26 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.”

When Roman military asked something of a civilian, Roman law stated they had authority to ask a civilian to carry the load for an officer for one mile, one mile only. During this period Jews were without a King and they held pride in being the sons of Abraham. They had struggled under this Roman rule and the fact they had to submit to an authority, now Roman authorities. It must have been a difficult thing for Simon to submit to this Roman soldier’s request to bear the cross of Jesus. This man passed a real test of humility to obey the officer and honor the soldier’s request. But listen, not only was it a humble decision, but it was a heavenly decision.

Listen to Mark 15:21 “21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.”

Romans 16:13 “13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.”

Note that it states that Cyrene was the father of Alexander and Rufus. When Mark mentioned specific names he was referring to believers of Christ.

Why is this background important? Your first inclination is that Simon’s name was mentioned three times revealing to us that Simon was important to the Lord. Simon was not called by happenstance from the Roman guard to carry the cross. Simon was chosen by the Lord to carry His cross. We can only surmise that in those moments that Jesus came in such close proximity and influence on Simon that Simon believed that Jesus was the Messiah and his belief influenced his boys that were recorded, chosen to be listed in God’s Word.

That day Simon’s life took a detour. Theologians believe Simon’s sons became leaders in the early church. We can only assume from his families linage recorded as believers in the Lord that day changed his life for all eternity.

2 Corinthians 4:10 “10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”

Oh listen dear church, detours can be times of deliverance.

Do you remember the Sermon on the Mount?

Matthew 5:41 “41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.”

-thus we get the phrase “go the extra mile.”

Is the Lord calling you to make a detour towards real deliverance, real discipleship and growth into being the person He wants you to be? Is there some habit, or influence, or decision God has placed on your heart that you know He is pressing and you will not yield to His decision for your life? Oh dearly beloved, great detours, great turn abouts can bring great blessings and growth in the Lord.

The Sorrow of the Women (v. 27-30)

Luke 23:27–30 “27 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. 28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!” ’”

I remind you from vivid prophecy the condition of Jesus as spelled out in Isaiah 52 & 53. Can you imagine Jesus attempting to walk behind Simon that was carrying His cross up Golgotha’s Hill? It was all Jesus could do to put one foot in front of the other. Jesus had lost large amounts of blood, He was beaten and bruised (they placed a cloth over His head and beat Him and asked Him to prophesy which one hit Him). These “daughters of Jerusalem” were lamenting, were sorrowful for the beating He had received. These women were Jewish and had showed no signs of following Jesus as following the “way.” These women were not the women around the cross -Mary, Mary Magdalene, or Salome, but ladies that ministered in these types of situations.

These ladies that Jesus referred to as “daughters of Jerusalem” ministered to fellow Jews that had been scourged or crucifixion by Roman rule. They would provide drink that would desensitize the pain that scourgings and crucifixions brought on.

We could easily say that these women were of tender heart. Furthermore, we would say that these women ministered in such a situation as best they knew how. They showed that someone cared. They mourned over the travesty. They tried to provide a concoction that would desensitize the pain. They showed tangible signs of love.

Matthew 27:34 “34 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.”

Jesus wanted to taste the full affects of death so that He could experience fully what you and I experience.

Now, let’s listen to the interesting fact here. Jesus did not praise their actions or show any form of appreciation for what they were doing, but He sternly shared warning of future judgment. It is amazing to see Jesus in His humanity muster up the unction to share these words with these ladies in the state He was in. This uncovers a deep passion Jesus has for us and His desire to save everyone He can.

You have heard of someone who was “scared straight” going to jail or you have heard of “fire and brimstone preaching” that causes one to run down the isle to stay out of hell?

Here Jesus was going through something no one would ever would want to face and yet He is warning these ladies about a future judgment and He Himself is barely alive. .

These women are mourning emotionally and Jesus quickly redirects their focus.

Luke 23:28 “28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”

In the next 36 years, 70 AD, Jerusalem would see a devastation as they had never seen. Roman legions under General Titus (son of Emperor Vespasian) besieged Jerusalem in response to a Jewish revolt that had begun in 66 AD. Jesus warned of this in Luke 23 that we study today, Luke 21 and Matthew 24. The Roman siege led to famine, cannibalism, and horrific suffering inside the city walls. The Second Temple (Herod's Temple) was completely destroyed and over 1 mission Jews either died, were enslaved or scattered. this was a major turning point in Jewish history.

That was the immediate. We know this side of the cross aside from the judgment to come of in the final judgment.

Revelation 20:11–15 “11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Oh, but listen, let’s make it personal.

Personal finality.

Hebrews 9:27 “27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,”

While Revelation speaks to global, eschatological judgment, this verse emphasizes individual responsibility and the reality of personal final judgment at death.

Jesus was saying that sympathy is not enough. Jesus was calling these ladies and the people of Israel to real repentance.

Joel 2:13 “13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.”

Oh listen to me dearly beloved, a judge in the courtroom is not satisfied with simple tears shed, but for us to take responsibility for our actions.

We see in the life of Pilate what appeasing gets us. Pilate appeased the people and it brought about death on Jesus.

Jesus is saying wake up, wake up from your slumber, you are asleep and in short days you will experience eternal death if something doesn’t change ladies of Jerusalem, people of Israel, guest in attendance today at Mt Zion, world listen up.

Dearly beloved do you believe that a future judgment is real for the lost? Do you really believe in your heart of hearts there is a literal hell? Raise your hands. Now let me ask you this question. Does your life reflect that you believe there is a literal hell around the people you love? Do you believe there lives are a ticking time bomb if they do not change their ways? Is your life bearing the cross of Jesus in the lives of others?

Are you broken over souls with an active brokenness or simply saddened by the circumstances of the day?

The Sacrifice of the Savior (v. 31)

Luke 23:31 “31 For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?””

Jesus’ closing words to these ladies were metaphorical. If Jesus, a living fruitful tree, a tree planted by the waters. If something of this nature can happen to Me, Jesus was saying, what will happen to those that are spiritually dry, that are spiritually dead?

Psalm 1:3 “3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”

Oh listen dear church, He bore judgment He didn’t deserve to spare us from judgment we do.

Isaiah 53:5 “5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.”

What should invigorate us in being His disciple? As we think of His cross, His suffering, think both of your sin and His great mercy.

Christ went to the cross so that we did not have to. When we hear these verses about bearing His cross, does it take on new meaning?

Luke 14:27 “27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

What is Jesus calling us to do today? He does not call us to die for our sins-He already did that. He calls us to die to self so that we can truly live.

Galatians 2:20 “20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”