Don't Sell Yourselves Short

Just how relevant are you? Well, consider Simon of Cyrene:

“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.” – Mark 15:21

“As they led Jesus away, Simon, a man from Cyrene, was coming in from the fields. They forced him to carry Jesus' cross and to walk behind him.” – Luke 23:26

Still wondering if you are relevant?



Simon was a man from Libya who was in Jerusalem at the time of Passover. There is no definitive proof that Simon was there for Passover or that he was Jewish. However, the bible tells us that he was travelling into Jerusalem from the country or fields. Logic would dictate that because he has his sons with him and was travelling to Jerusalem at the time of Passover that he was Jewish. Yet, he was the one chosen to carry the cross. Think about it. Men chose an anonymous man from the crowd to deny himself, pick up the cross and follow Jesus. Christ himself said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Simon of Cyrene is a physical statement about true and false converts to Christ. Simon was forced to follow Jesus. And yet, that is not what God intended. Jesus leaves the control up to us. In order for us to be true and repentant converts to Christ, we are to surrender our lives to Him. It’s the least we can do considering that He surrendered His life to God for us.

Many religions today demand the completion of an act or deed to reach before salvation. God was the one who did the act 2,000 years ago by dying on the cross. PRAISE HIM!!!

BTW – Why was the lamb so important? An innocent’s blood was demanded as payment for sin. An innocent lamb was that traditional choice. Until…

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” – John 1:29

Jesus is the Lamb to watch for sure! That is why God made Simon relevant.