Music Monday– Watch the Lamb

This song is always on my heart near Easter. This song and video pull on one theory that Simon of Cyrene mentioned in the gospels as carrying the cross for Jesus, was Jewish. While that’s not known for certain, I find inspiration in this Simon. We don’t know his background. We don’t even know for sure what happened to him after this moment. Did he become a Christian?

Put yourself in Simon’s shoes. You are in a city that is not your home full of political and religious turmoil. It remains one of the most contentious cities to this day. You think you’re just going to be an observer in this moment. It probably wasn’t clear at the time how profound the day was. Many men were crucified.

We don’t know if when he was compelled to help Jesus if he did so with compassion. Perhaps it was only fear.

This is where my reliance on history must end. Imagine being so close to the Savior that His blood was now on you. Imagine that while He bore the sins of the whole world, you bore His cross. Imagine the same man that could tell the thief on the opposite cross that he would be in Paradise with Jesus and was forgiven of his sins, walked beside you and you heard him labor to breathe. Could you be unaffected by that? Could you leave unchanged?

The Scripture doesn’t tell us anything else about Simon of Cyrene. However, every other person that had an encounter with Jesus left changed. I think a person who had such an up close and personal view of witnessing Jesus, a flesh and blood man, endure something so much more than any other human and without anger or bitterness–all while entirely innocent– would have to end the experience as a believer.

As Easter approaches, I pray that I can be like the Simon who bore Jesus’ cross and witnessed His life-saving blood fall from His body. May it give me courage to carry my own cross and testify of Jesus’ love and redemption.

²⁷ Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.

²⁸ And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

²⁹ And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

³⁰ And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

³¹ And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

³² And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.

³³ And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,

³⁴ They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

³⁵ And they crucified him

Matthew 27:27-35