We're thinking this week on Things Unseen about some of the people who formed part of

the drama of Jesus' journey to the cross. We've got a great deal to learn from them.

But we've even more to learn from Jesus Himself and the great issues involved in either

trusting Him or rejecting Him. Today I want to think with you about what if? You probably

know what I mean by that. I've a book that imagines some of the what if moments in history.

What if Julius Caesar had never crossed the Rubicon? What if the Emperor Constantine had

never been converted? What if Muhammad had been ignored? What if Martin Luther had decided

to keep his 95 thieesys to himself? And we all have personal what ifs, don't we? What

if we'd arrived late? What if that person had changed his plans? Maybe you wouldn't

have the job you have or live where you do, or at least humanly speaking even be married

to the person who's your husband or wife? I wonder if you can guess from that introduction

who's on my mind today? Well think about these words from Mark chapter 15 verse 21. Simon

of Cyrene who was coming in from the country. Most of us have to consult a reference book

even to know where Cyrene was. It's in what we call Libya. And in our Lord's day there

was a large Jewish population there. And it looks as though Simon was visiting for the

Passover. Jerusalem would have been crowded and maybe had found the Palestinian equivalent

of an Airbnb somewhere out of town. And there he is casually perhaps happily making his way

to the temple. He was on holiday because these were holy days. And the rest is history.

But what if, what if he had come half an hour or perhaps just five minutes later or earlier,

we would never have heard of Simon of Cyrene. Five minutes later and obliterated from Mark's gospel

would be the words and they, the Roman execution squad, compelled the pastor by Simon of Cyrene

who was coming in from the country to carry the cross. But if you know Mark's gospel,

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