Matthew 27:32
Have you ever considered the little coincidences in life that place us at a given time and place? Sometimes it is a matter of the "right place at the right time" and sometimes it is what we consider the opposite the "wrong place at the wrong time".
Think of the case of Simon the Cyrene. If he had stopped to tie his sandal tighter that morning, if an overturned cart had blocked his way into Jerusalem causing him to detour around or enter by another gate, we would probably never have heard of him. He was at the right time and the right place to be chosen to help carry the heavy vertical piece of the Cross for Jesus. As he stepped up to receive the burden on his shoulders, he stepped from obscurity into Bible History. His name is recounted as many times and in as many languages as the Holy Bible is spoken and printed. People from round the world now know his name.
But I wonder, did Simon consider this a case of "the right place" or the "wrong place"? Was he angry at being chosen? Did he even know at that point who Jesus was? And what were the consequences of him being at that spot just as the soldiers realized Jesus would need help to get to Golgotha? Did he wish he had been a bit earlier or later that morning? Or did he rejoice at the thought of the service he was able to render to his Lord and Savior? We know little about him except what is recounted in Matthew 15:32, Mark 15:21 and in Luke 23:26. That he carried the cross "after Jesus" and that he had two sons whom Mark supposed everyone in the church knew since he used their names. Some see this as a hint that not only was Simon a believer, but also his two sons. Was he a believer before he helped to carry the cross or after?
But here is the kicker! Whether Simon considered himself to be in the "wrong place" or the "right place", God placed him there! To God, he was in the right place to aid His Son in carrying the physical part of the burden placed upon His shoulders (no one could help Him carry the spiritual part of that burden: "and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" Isaiah 53:6). So what are we being asked to "carry" for Jesus? What is God placing us into that would allow us to aid Him? Will we go willingly or will we be "compelled"? Next time you find yourself in one of those places that seem to be the "right place at the right time" or the "wrong place at the wrong time", ask yourself... why did the God of the whole Universe place me here? What can I do for Jesus here?