Being forced by the Roman soldiers to help carry a common criminal’s cross was something Simon had never envisaged would happen to him, as he left Cyrene to travel to Jerusalem on that first Good Friday.
Simon wondered what crime this Jesus person had committed. It was obvious he’d been given a hard time by his persecutors and was fairly weak, as he kept falling over.
How embarrassing it was for Simon. He grabbed the roughly cut timber cross with only discontent in his heart for the soldiers. He knew he dare not object, or he could find himself taking the place of this battered bloke beside him.
Simon helped by dragging the cross up the hill. It was a hot day. The cross was heavy, and all Simon wanted was to get the job done and then continue on his way.
He dropped the cross at the top of the hill and looked at the man soon to die a painful death. It was strange, but something within him told him this was an innocent man.
I imagine, Jesus would have looked at Simon with a face smeared with blood, sweat and caked dust. A look from an exhausted man that simply said, – “thank you”.
Simon walked back down the hill and I’m sure he was wondering within himself just what it meant to be the last man to do this person Jesus a good turn.
I’m Peter Mack and that’s faith.