The Witness

My name is Simon of Cyrene

No stranger to this Nazarene

Of whom I’ve come to testify today
And what I’ve come to say to you

About this man I know is true

So please give ear to what I have to say

I am but a humble man

A stranger to this foreign land

My country is so very far from me
But I have come that you may know

The one whose Spirit moves me so
That you may know this man from Galilee

I was only passing through Jerusalem that day

When I came upon an angry throng

That suffered me to stay

They had gathered just beyond the gate

Outside the wall

And we were on the road to Calvary

To the place they call the Skull

As I drew near, I could hear them

But at first I could not see

The one they scorned and ridiculed

The one they mocked so violently

But I remember when I saw Him

I remember my surprise

To see this man so bruised and beaten

Standing there before my eyes

Who was this man

What had He done to deserve such inhumanity

What did He say to cause such condemnation

From these Pharisees

Why were all these scribes and rulers

So enraged by one so meek

For He seemed to be a gentle man

So strong, but now so weak

Never have I seen such scourging

Never have I felt such shame

Never have I seen such anguish

Born of sin and borne with pain

I could see this man of sorrows

I could feel the maddening crowd

As if they were possessed by demons

Crying out so very loud, "CRUCIFY HIM!

CRUCIFY HIM! CRUCIFY HIM!"

But in His face I saw no anger

No contempt for those who sneered

From His lips no condemnation

From His eyes no bitter tears
His countenance was one of pity

Strangely though He made no sound

Like a Lamb led to the slaughter

He was bound without a word.

And I thought

How could this man be so gentle

How could this man be so meek

How could this man be so silent

Why did He refuse to speak

As the soldiers scourged and mocked Him

Blood was flowing down His cheeks

From the angry crown of thorns

That pierced His brow

His cross He carried ‘till He stumbled

Falling weakly to the ground

Still He uttered no reviling

Still He did not make a sound

A Roman soldier struck and mocked Him

"Rise up Jesus, King of the Jews

Take up your cross if you are able

Or feel my wrath if you refuse"

How my heart cried out to help Him

But my fear kept me at bay

No longer could I bear to watch Him

But I could not turn away

And for a moment, just a moment

Which seemed like an eternity

This man of sorrows turned His eyes on me

He was not a man of beauty

No one would desire Him

His visage was so marred and swollen

From the stripes that tore His skin

I could feel His lacerations

Bleeding to the bone

And robbing Him of precious life

As if they were my own

Then through the darkness of my soul

The Son of God shone through

As from His eyes, a brilliant light

Pierced me through and through

A sudden peace came over me

That I knew was not my own

And I felt His love and dignity

Unlike anything I’ve known

Then I heard His voice call my name

Simon of Cyrene

Take up my cross and follow me

A humble Nazarene

Then reaching down I took the cross

From this man of Galilee

And the demons that were mocking Him

Now were mocking me

And I followed Him to die on Calvary

There the nails were driven in

First His hands and then His feet

Still He uttered no reviling

Still He seemed to be so meek

Unlike the thief who scorned and mocked Him

Though condemned to die like Him

He hung there on that blood stained tree

So innocent of all our sin

And I recall the final scene

Just before He died

The sky grew dark, the crowd reviled Him

Some of His own friends denied Him

While others stood beside the cross

And cried bitter tears

I could not move, I could not speak

I was frozen in that place and time

I could only mourn and weep

Knowing that His sins were mine

Then this man I never knew

This Nazarene who was a Jew

Cried "Father, forgive them

For they know not what they do"

Then from His voice that spoke forgiveness

Came these words, "I thirst"

As  demon armies gathered round Him

How they mocked Him how they cursed

But sour wine mixed with gall

Was all that they would offer Him

To ease His pain and suffering

Inflicted by the curse of sin

And as He hung there on that cross

My life flashed before my eyes

As in a voice so all alone, He cried

 “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?

It is finished”

Then He yielded up His Spirit and He died

The sky grew dark and heaven roared

The earth was shaken to its core

The temple veil itself was torn in two

By raging bolts of thunder

The rocks were split asunder

As if God Himself had crucified Him too

Now those who mocked Him were afraid

Many ran and hid away

No longer did they scorn Him and applaud

And I heard a Roman soldier say

The one who stood by Him that day

That, "Truly, this was the Son of God"

And there I was upon my knees

With nowhere else to go

So lost in my iniquities, that I had come to know

The pain and fear that gripped my heart

Had cut me like a knife

Was tearing at my very soul

And robbing me of life

Then I looked upon His lifeless form

So pure and undefiled

This man that they call Jesus

The one the world reviled

Has caused my heart to bleed inside

As a witness to the way He died

Below the cross, the ground was rent

As the gift of life that heaven sent
Flowed freely from His hands and feet

To rest upon the mercy seat
The blood He shed for you and me

Because of our iniquity
Has paid in full, the wages of our sin

My name is Simon of Cyrene

No stranger to this Nazarene
Of whom I've come to testify today

Written by Bruce Moss

To God be the glory