Interrupted Plans

  Have you ever had your plans interrupted by something being forced upon you? We see in Mark 15:21 that Simon the Cyrene, that means he was from Libya in Africa, was compelled to bear the crossbeam of Jesus and he learned that some of life’s compulsions are enriching. If you remember the story, he had planned for a while to go to Jerusalem to participate in the religious activities. I’m sure he planned extensively and was looking forward to it. And as he got there, a line of people was on the road, and there was this man who was being taken to a place where they were going to crucify him. His name was Jesus. He was so weak from the tortures and the beatings that he fell under the weight of the cross right in front of Simon. The Roman soldier compelled Simon to come and pick up the cross of Jesus and to help him carry it. Can you imagine his feelings to begin with? He could have been frustrated, fearful, irritated. I don’t know. But, I know that as he was helping Jesus to carry the cross, I’m sure he felt and knew that there was something different about this man. Then he witnessed the taking of Jesus to Golgotha to crucify Him, and then Jesus having a personal conversation with the thief on the cross and he heard Jesus praying "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."  As he witnessed the whole scene on Golgotha, somewhere in that time I’m sure that he became a believer. For we see here in Mark 15:21 and, also you will find in Romans 16:13, and Acts 11:20, not only that he became a believer, but Rufus and Alexander, his two sons became prominent, active members in the church. So, we see here, that even though he had to bear the cross, which is an instrument of death, it also brings resurrection and life. We see that Simon was compelled to bear the cross, he was forced, he didn’t choose it, he was forced to bear the cross, he learned that in life’s compulsions there can be richness and life.
  Remember the Apostle Paul when he was traveling as a great missionary to many different cities and countries. He preached the gospel and was converting people and encouraging people and all of a sudden, he was forced beyond his desire into chains and imprisonment. It stopped him from traveling. He found out that in carrying the cross of Jesus there is a richness to it and there is life in it. It was because he was there in prison that we have the prison epistles written by the Apostle Paul which is a great portion of the New Testament. And he reached more people through that, than if he had been traveling all over the world. So even though he was forced to bear the cross of Jesus, there was life and resurrection in it.
  Last, but not least, have you ever heard of Queen Esther in the Old Testament? She was busy being a queen. But she was also secretly a Jewish individual in a pagan land. Uncle Mordecai came and told her there was a plan to kill all the Jewish people. She had a decision to make. The cross was forced upon her without her choosing it. It interrupted her plans, just like it did Simon and Paul, it was thrust upon her. She came to the conclusion that she was going to speak to the King and "if I perish, I perish." We know that she saved the nation of Israel, the Jewish people. Remember what Uncle Mordecai said to Queen Esther when he was telling her the situation. And it applies to all of us when we think our plans have been interrupted and something has been forced upon us that we didn’t choose. Remember, the cross might be an instrument of death, but it is also an instrument of resurrection and life. Uncle Mordecai said to Esther, “And how do you know but that you have been called for such a time as this?”