"Even Jesus Needed Help"

Simon of Cyrene Helping Jesus with his cross. (From "The Passion of the Christ"

Throughout the story of Jesus Christ’s journey to the cross, numerous verses push me to reflect on the suffering our Lord endured. But there is one that causes me to pause and reflect on the moment. It’s one verse, a brief mention in the Gospel of Luke.

As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. (Luke 23:26). 

Imagine for a moment the spectacle of Jesus carrying his cross through the city of Jerusalem as they make their way to Golgotha. This poor man, body bleeding from the flogging and beating, stumbles with each step. He falls. He falls again. The cross is getting heavier. He might not make it. If he doesn’t make it Pilate will be mad. The soldiers grab a random stranger and force the cross upon him. 

I always wondered how Simon of Cyrene reacted to the order. He must have looked at this condemned man and been disgusted by his appearance. On this holiest of days, the Passover, he must have wanted nothing to do with Jesus. And now this Jesus needs him to carry a cross, a cross Simon didn’t ask for, a punishment Simon didn’t deserve. But Jesus can’t finish his selfless act of love without help. He needs Simon’s strength to make it through these last steps. 

On Good Friday, we see Jesus’ humanity on full display. He weeps, endures pain, and he bleeds like any other human being. At the heart of the incarnation, the 2nd person of the Trinity taking on human flesh, is the reality that God has chosen to limit Godself. Jesus surrenders his divinity with all its divine power and knowledge to live authentically as a human being. He will know what it means to have learn and grow, to experience hunger and pain. He will experience the full spectrum of human emotions. And he will know what it means to ask for help. 

He will know what it means to have learn and grow, to experience hunger and pain. He will experience the full spectrum of human emotions. And he will know what it means to ask for help. 

Even when he begins his ministry, he receives help and hospitality from others. When it comes time to begin spreading the message of the gospel Jesus calls apostles and disciples to assist him in this task. He empowers them, even giving them the authority to cast out demons and heal the sick. Jesus couldn’t build the kingdom of heaven alone. 

Jesus is our model for the Christian life, for what it means to be a servant. He is also our model for the priesthood. Though Jesus had power and authority, he still needed help. I know firsthand how hard it is, especially during these holy days when we want every liturgy to convey the power of Christ’s story and guide people from the table to the cross, to the grave, and finally to the empty tomb. We can fall into the trap of taking over every detail and believing that control leads to effectiveness. 

But it is times like these when we need to ask for help, when we need to empower those around us to do their part in telling the story we celebrate each year. I have been blessed with fellow clergy and lay persons who know how important the work they do is. The next few days may be a grueling experience for some. But it doesn’t have to be. We can honor the suffering of Christ without causing ourselves needless suffering. I don’t believe that Jesus suffered on the cross so each one of us would crucify ourselves alongside him. Rather, he suffered so that we might be saved and so that we might know that our suffering and trials are seen by God and do have value. Yes, this Good Friday we should walk the way of the cross with Jesus. But let’s carry our crosses together remembering that even the king of the universe asked for help.