The Roman army contained Europeans, Africans, and Asians who torn the Son of God’s back with their leather whips which had pieces of iron imbedded in its throngs in order that the body might be torn in a most barbarous way. They also enforced him to carry his heavy cross in spite of his exhaustion. As such Jesus himself exemplified the emblem he put before our eyes: "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." Jesus took up his cross though he was innocent and not deserving the cross, but we are guilty, and deserving God’s wrath. The exhausted, feeble Jesus was unable to bear the cross alone, though he was prepared to. Well! This must comfort us when we think of our inability to bear the problems put upon us.
Then the soldiers compelled a Cyrenian, Jewish man, coming back home, to bear Christ’s cross, giving no attention to the rites that regarded him unclean who touched the cross of a criminal. However, all the house of Simon was filled with blessing and salvation because of Simons’ bearing of Christ’s cross. Both the sons of Simon of Cyrene are mentioned twice as believers and witnesses to Christ (Mark 15:21; Romans 16:13). This is another comfort for us for he who bears the cross for Christ’s sake experiences that Christ participates him in bearing his burdens.
After Jesus and the two thieves who were with him, there were women who followed Jesus, slapping their heads and faces, and wailed over the King of Love. Hence we see that not only the whole Jewish people were determined to destroy Jesus, but also the religious leaders who envied him, incensed a part of the multitudes against him, and made a plot through the outcries of the mobs to have him sentenced to death.
Jesus felt the women’s pity for him, and answered the voice of their love immediately. He did not think of his suffering procession, but of God’s wrath on his people. Therefore he commanded those who wept not to weep for him, but for themselves and their children. He saw trustfully his own way leading to glory, but suffered much for the way of the Jewish people in the furnace of misery and despair throughout the ages, for they said: "His blood be on us and on our children." In the midst of his severe pain, Jesus foresaw millions of decayed bones of the Jews dispersed over the whole world. Many of those who were destroyed in Hitler’s prisons wished that the mountains could fall on them and the hills cover them, but they were unable to flee from their suffering. The mothers instead of becoming glad about their children, suffered because of their hungry children who became fuel for the fire, while the barren blessed themselves for they never bore and never suffered alone.
Jesus likened himself to a green tree, which is not adapted to burn in the fire of God’s wrath, and likened the unrepentant, and the proud of the wicked, hypocritical professors to a dry tree, which is easily kindled and burns rapidly as fuel for hellfire. Do not forget that the prophecy indicates to us the forthcoming event: the wrath of God is rushing as a consuming fire to the surface of our globe, to make our earth a furnace of reddened bricks, because of the injustice of men crystallized by the condemnation and crucifixion of the Son of Man.