As millions of sincere Christians get ready to celebrate Easter, let us see what lessons we can learn from some of the characters in the crucifixion of Messiah.
Simon the Cyrenian : Mark 15:15-26:
These verses give us the events surrounding the death of the Messiah. Yet, too often we read these words and fail to catch the small details that make this story come alive for us. In this passage, one of those small details presents itself for us to look at this evening.
In verse 21, we read of a man named Simon the Cyrenian. He is mentioned here and Matthew and Luke. He appears on the pages of our Bible out of nowhere and just as quickly as he appears, he is gone again, However, while he appears in our vision, he teaches us a valuable lesson about the love of God and about a man's love for the Savior. This man did for our Savior what even His closest disciples were unable to do. That is, he eased our Lord's suffering during one of the darkest hours of His earthly ministry. You see, it was Simon Peter who had said, "Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death." Luke 22:33. Yet, when the time came to follow Yahshua unto death, Peter, like the rest of the disciples forsook Him and fled, Mark 14:50.
The Bible tells us that they "compelled" Simon to carry the Lord's cross. This word means to "forced". It seems that Roman soldiers could enlist civilians to do certain tasks for them. People were required by Roman law to obey, or they could be put to death. Messiah seems to mention this practice in Matthew 5:41.
Perhaps one of the reasons the soldiers forced Simon into this service was the color of his skin. It was a shameful act to carry a cross of a condemned man. No soldier would want to do it and, no Jew would do it on the eve of the Passover. Such a person would be ceremonially unclean. For Simon, the Passover was over the minute he touched the cross. Perhaps it was the threat of death that caused this African to pick up that cross and carry it.
Did you realize that the cross of Messiah is still associated with shame?, (Heb. 12:2). Yahshua said that one of the marks of His disciples was that they had willingness and a desire to carry the cross, Matt. 16:24. Those who follow Yahshua must be willing to deny themselves, take up that cross and follow Him. Just as a condemned criminal was forced to carry his cross to show the world that he was submissive to the rules, so the born again believer must bear the cross of Messiah,  to show the world that we are now submissive to the rule of the One that we formerly rebelled against. Part of the shame of Messiah is our learning to be like Him instead of like the world!
It was no accident that Simon and his family were passing through Jerusalem at that particular time. It was the providence of the Lord that allowed his path to cross that of the Yahshua Messiah. We can not understand all the workings of our Lord, but we know that He has a way of bringing people to Him that need to be saved.

The thief on the cross: Luke 23:33; 39-43
Along with the Messiah two other men were also being put to death. We do not know much about these men. We do not know their names. We do not know about their pasts. All we know is that they are called "malefactors", which means "villains or evildoers”,and "thieves", both are criminals, both have been condemned and both are being crucified. The similarities end there.
One man saw his sins, the other did not! One man realized that he and his life had offended a holy God. The other could not have cared less! The difference in them is that one learned the fear of God before he died and the other did not!
One of these men had come to understand that he had an appointment with God after death. Even though he had never read it, Heb. 9:27 was real to his soul. While he realized this truth, the other man did not. The person who does not fear God will never fear the punishment he faces from God when he leaves this world. Psalm 10:13, "Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it."
As the unbelieving thief hung on the cross, he heard the crowd, the rulers and the soldiers question Christ's claim of being the Messiah, Luke 23:35-37. Notice they all used the word "if". He knew that all those around him refused to believe in Yahshua. So, when he opened his mouth to speak, he just repeated what everyone else was saying. That little word ‘if’ is filled with doubt. It questions everything Yahshua is. It denies everything the Bible says about Yahshua. When it comes to Yahshua, there is no room for the word "if". Either you believe He is all He claims to be, or you reject him! When this man said "if”, he reduced Yahshua to just another criminal dying on a cross. As a result of his rejection, he spent his last moments on earth ridiculing the only One who could save his soul!

While this thief was listening to the crowd, the other was listening to Yahshua. The other heard the words of our Lord in, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."
Earlier, this same thief had joined everyone else in mocking the Lord Yahshua, Matt. 27:41-44. But something changed as he watched Yahshua on the cross. He looked at Yahshua and was drawn to the same conclusion reached by Judas Iscariot, Pontius Pilate, Pilate's wife and King Herod. All of these looked at Yahshua and declared "I find no fault in Him!" This thief saw Yahshua as the sinless Son of God. Only a sinless Savior can take away your sins, 2 Cor. 5:21!
This thief was looking for someone to save his soul, he one wanted to go to Heaven. At this moment in time, no one was willing to call Yahshua Lord but this dying thief. He understood that Yahshua, alone, was his only hope for salvation. He believed that Yahshua was the Messiah, the King of the Jews. The dying thief who looked to Yahshua by faith received one of the most wonderful promises ever recorded in the Bible. He was just hoping that when the kingdom was established that Yahshua would somehow remember him then. Yahshua tells him that this very day they will be together in paradise! There will be no waiting.
He was saved purely through the power of grace alone. This is how everyone gets saved, Eph. 2:8-9.  "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." Today, regardless of your background, you are loved by Him. Rom. 5:8.

Like Simon, are you bearing the Lord's cross and following Him through life, gladly bearing the shame and reproach of His great Name? If you are lost, you can be saved tonight. You can experience this same glorious salvation and the guarantee of Heaven if you will come to Him by faith like the thief on the cross! Only Yahshua offers hope for the lost soul!