When I read this, it fuels something inside of me and I hope it does to you too...
Simon Peter
And he went outside and wept bitterly. (Luke 22:62)
Simon Peter fell from his high horse and flat on his face as he buckled under the weight of his guilt. In less than 24 hours, Peter went from declaring his loyalty to Jesus even unto death (Luke 22:33), to flat out denying that he knew the man. He had just denied his Lord. Not once, but three times.
Peter could have well earned the title, "History's Greatest Flake", but his story doesn't end there. Decades later, he finds himself hanging on a Roman cross. Tradition tells us that he requested to be hung upside down, feeling unworthy to even die the same death as Christ.
Simon of Cyrene
When the torture has taken its toll and the cross has become too heavy to bear, Jesus looks back and finds not a friend, not a disciple, not anyone from his inner circle... Jesus finds the help of a stranger.
He could have been left anonymous; records could have kept him unnamed. But the gospel writers don't merely gloss over the detail that a foreigner helped Jesus carry the cross. For this act, he is forever etched in history. The stranger from Cyrene. And his name is Simon.
Think Tank
1. Has there ever been a Simon in your life--someone who pulled through for you when you were in dire need and help was nowhere to be found? Thank God for that person.
2. Now, here's a chance to be a Simon to someone else. Think of someone who you believe may be in need of something. Pray for that person.
-excerpt from the Walkway
