A Cross for Two

Around two thousand years ago a man by the name of Jesus from Galilee, came to this earth. He was born of a woman named Mary, considered to be a virgin, and to Joseph a man who was a common hand worker, or as some believe a carpenter. Jesus Christ was the son of God come to earth as the Messiah, the Savior of the Jewish people.

At close to the age of 30 years old Jesus began his ministry. He gathered close to him men that he encountered along his travels. There were twelve of them in all called, the Disciples. Some of these men were fishermen, tax collectors, people commonly considered to be outcasts to society. The teachings of Jesus were thought to be against the teachings of the Jewish church, as the church saw the men Jesus associated with as sinners, sick, or unworthy. The Jewish church leaders considered Jesus a rebel and feared his teachings would cause people to turn on them. So the religious leaders devised a plan to have Jesus done away with. The religious leaders arranged to have Jesus turned over to them and have him killed. The Pharisees arranged for Judas, one of the twelve, to betray him.

In the days to come Jesus would be condemned to die by Pilate the governor of the area. Jesus would be condemned to die by crucifixion. He would be forced to carry his cross to a place called Golgotha. He had been beaten, whipped and would now be forced to carry his own cross all the way up the hill to the place where he would die. But in the pain he suffered this would prove to be too much for Jesus. Halfway to his destination, Jesus gave out and could no longer bear the weight of his cross. The Gospel tells us that Christ along with the cross fell to the ground. The guards found a man, Simon of Cyrene, who then took the weight of the cross. Simon helped Christ to that place where he would be crucified.

This story is one of sadness but at the same time can be used to give hope to those who need a helping hand. No one, including God said that we had to get through suffering and hard times alone. In this story Christ knows that at the end of his journey with the cross will be to the end of his life. He knows that he will suffer the crucifixion and to death. But what of the weight of the cross?

Researchers believe that there are two different scenarios here. One is Christ carried the whole cross that was believed to have weighed close to 300 pounds, or he carried the cross beam which would have weighed around 125 pounds. With these estimations and the stories out of the Gospels, we know Christ was flogged, beaten, and struck in the head before having to make that climb. So in his journey Christ simply stumbled, but Simon came to the lord and helped him finish his journey. Did Jesus look at Simon and tell him "No, I have got this"? No, he took the help and together they finished the walk. Either way, whether they carried the whole cross or the cross beam that's still weight that two men carried, and  one man didn't have to. Simon saw Jesus in need unable to continue alone and gave him a helping hand and that is something that is rare.

So what does this mean for the Christian people of the modern world? This says one thing, "You are not alone." This bold statement tells millions of people that what ever they are struggling with, that they do not have to do it alone. No matter if the battle is cancer, depression, job loss, unfair treatment, you are not subject to deal with it on your own. The story told in the Gospel shows that it is perfectly fine to let someone help carry your load. If Jesus Christ, the son of God, can take a helping hand then we as people of God can do the same with any feeling of shame.
We as humans are not forced to be down, to carry our crosses alone. We always have someone that can lighten the load. All you have to do is ask. And always remember that the lord our God is always listening to our prayers and will send comfort to those who are in need.

So in review I say simply the crosses we bear are heavy, but we are not forced to bear them alone. As Christ has Simon, so may we also have help on our difficult journeys.