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. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

--Parallel verses:
Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’

Carrying a cross is a challenging task for a man in general. This crossbeam likely weighed 60-80 lbs., by my estimation. Jesus’ state of exhaustion was evident here. His body was likely half-dead before he was crucified — from the beatings with a rod, the flogging with the Roman flagrum (whip), and the punches to the face.

And then we have this random countryside dweller who wanders into the city. I see an important analogy here. Jesus was carrying his cross spiritually, paying the price of death for us and our sins, substituting himself for our sake and our punishment. And Simon physically carried the cross for Jesus, taking on his Roman duty, even though he was forced to do so.

One system, the Roman system, was a system that demanded work by force, sacrifice out of fear of reprisal, and cross-carrying by obligation. In the other system, Jesus’ spiritual kingdom, work was done out of a compelling love, sacrifices made from a heart of compassion, and cross-carrying because we can. We can help carry each other’s burdens as brothers and sisters in Christ.

What system do I want to be under? Who do I want my allegiance to rest with? Jesus offers me an opportunity to serve with him and enter a new life with refreshed motivation to serve out of love, not obligation.

Lord, thank you for this great contrast that appears in many of the Gospels. You carried your cross out of love. And you call us to do the same!