He was called chosen
Rufus. Not a big name like Peter, Paul, John and James. But, Rufus. You may have never heard of him. That is very possible. I could only find reference to Rufus in two verses. Why would we notice him? What does his name have to do with us? Why is his story so fascinating? Well, friends, I am glad you asked.
Get ready to get to know Rufus. I have been plowing over his two verses, reading commentaries and trying to decide how he is like me. Really? We are two worlds and lifetimes apart.
Introductions Please
A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. Mark 15:21
Rufus, the son of a certain Simon of Cyrene. If you are not aware of Simon’s story, it is part of God’s perfect plan. Simon was traveling back into Jerusalem as Jesus was exiting the city gate collapsing under the weight of the cross He was bearing for you and me.
Christ had been beaten, ridiculed, spit upon, slapped in the face, and then forced to carry His cross to the place where He would be hung for all who came near to see. Faint from his journey, the guards grabbed a man from the crowd to carry the cross.
Enter Simon. The guards forced him to carry the cross in Jesus’s place to Golgotha. One brief moment in time. One brief encounter with the King of All Kings changed his course and the course of his sons.
Many people from Cyrene were Jews. They had their own temple in Jerusalem and when they came to celebrate Passover they would gather at the temple. Not at this hour. Not for this Cyrene.
His course was changed
Why would Simon’s course need to be changed for God’s purposes?
Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. Romans 16:13
Not only was Simon’s course changed, read this verse in Romans carefully. Paul says, greet Rufus. From the references I have read, it is probable that this is the same, Rufus.
Can you imagine the impact carrying the cross had on Simon’s family? Here we see Rufus was chosen in the Lord.
Chosen. This usage of the Greek word literally means, properly selected, especially as a deeply personal choice. Chosen out of a personal preference (intention).
The Lord had a purpose and a ministry for Rufus to fulfill. He was God’s personal choice and was chosen with intent.
Something to Ponder – If God intently chose Rufus, did He place Simon at the city gate knowing the impact it would have on Simon hence impacting Simon’s son Rufus?
I do not pretend to know the thought processes of a Mighty God but I do know God always has a perfect plan.
Mark adds their names to Simon’s encounter at the cross because by this time (Mark’s gospel) he and his brother, Alexander, were well known in the ministry.
Simon was pulled from the crowd. Although we know very little about him, we see the probable impact it had on his children. God’s purpose for His chosen is in the furthering of His kingdom. We can certainly see evidence of that in His chosen child, Rufus.
What has God done in your family to get you where you are in the furthering His kingdom? If God chose you, what are you doing to spread the Good News of the Gospel?
Our Story was changed
This story is so amazing to me. I love to read through Bible history and see God’s plans laid out in perfect fashion. I am comforted in knowing God knows the plan He has for my life.
One verse I treasure is from Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
That is our Good, Good Father, Friends!
Next week, I will share my Rufus story with you. I hope you will come back to see how I see my family tree playing out in this beautiful story.
In the meantime, I encourage you to write your Rufus story. Maybe share it with us at Sitting Among Friends.
How have you seen God impact your family tree to get you where you are? Maybe you are the first in your family to come to Christ, how are you impacting future generations?
Maybe you have not yet come to Christ but you see how He has been in pursuit of you and protecting you and you want to make that decision. If you have not yet made a decision for Christ, I would love to have a conversation with you. Find my contact information at the bottom of this page.
While you’re here, sit down with some of my friends.
They are amazing writers with so many great stories to share with you. Just clink on a link below and you will go directly to their site where you can get to know them more.
Thank you for posting and linking up. I try to read and comment on as many of these wonderful posts as I can and as time allows. I just want to say you are all doing wonderful work and praise the Lord that I have had the opportunity to come across the path of so many of you.
While you’re here, sit down with some of my friends. They are amazing writers with so many great stories to share with you. Just clink on a link below and you will go directly to their site where you can get to know them more.
Please, linkup (up to 3) of your family-friendly inspiring stories, recipes, DIY, homeschool, giveaways, or share your life’s greatest passions.
Friends are here to encourage and challenge us in our walk of life, so enjoy!
Thank you for posting and linking up. I try to read and comment on as many of these wonderful posts as I can and as time allows. I just want to say you are all doing wonderful work and praise the Lord that I have had the opportunity to come across the path of so many of you.
This party has been fantastic and it is thanks to all of you who stop by and Share this party with your friends. Together we can make this our great place. There are easy share buttons to your left or at the bottom of each post (mobile) and after you linkup.
Thanks! From all of us at #SittingAmongFriends
#mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width:300px;}
/* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block.
We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */
Subscribe to Sitting Among Friends Blog Party Updates. Yes, Sign Me Up!
* indicates required
Email Address *
First Name
Last Name
Email Format
- html
- text
(function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]=’EMAIL’;ftypes[0]=’email’;fnames[1]=’FNAME’;ftypes[1]=’text’;fnames[2]=’LNAME’;ftypes[2]=’text’;}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true);
Thank you for the party. One of my favorite verses is Jer. 29:11.
Mine, too, Michelle. It is my go to verse when I wondering where life is taking me. I know, He Knows.
Thank you for hosting! It really is amazing how one little thing can change your whole life!
A brief encounter with God In the flesh. What an amazing encounter! Thanks for sharing, Debbie.
Hey Jaime, Happy Wednesday!
Thanks for hosting the party! It's always a pleasure to stop by to link up. :o)
Have a blessed week.
Tiffiney
I am glad you are here Tiffiney. It is great connecting with so many wonderful people.
What a beautiful story. I admit I was curious about who Rufus would be. 🙂 These little things are worth noticing! Thanks for sharing.
I have been quite interested in this story for some time. It is amazing how God reveals Himself to us.
I love the way God threads our stories together through the lives of others. Thanks for sharing this!
Yes He has people in our lives for a purpose. How awesome is He to know who we need when. Thanks for stopping by, friend.
I love love love when we take an obscure person or principle from God's Word and WRITE. Rufus. Malchus. Men whose lives had to have been radically changed by The Master. Neighbors at Holly's today…
Obscure but worth the mention. Why? Because He was chosen. God is Amazing. Thank you for coming over today, Susan.
Thanks for hosting. All it takes is one second to change your life.
One second is right Patrick and how blessed Simon must have felt when he realized whose cross he was bearing. Thanks for visiting again this week.
Thanks for hosting Jaime and for telling me about Rufus who I have overlooked.
It's easy to overlook these names. You get to a big list and they all start to blend together. You Don't usually know who they are or why their mentioned. That is what is so great about God's plan. He has a purpose for each one of us and He feels it worth a mention.
Love that you wrote about someone as obscure as Rufus! So fun to find things like this in the Bible!
The Bible is living and active and God reveals Himself to us when we are ready. We have to be prepared to listen.
I also discovered that little connection back when I did a study of Matthew last year, Jaime. It's one that's easy to breeze past and miss the amazing blessing that it contains. So glad you brought it out today and reminded us of all the many ways God weaves details into His sovereign plan for us. I can't wait to hear about your "Rufus" story, my friend! I'll be back to find out how it played out for you. Thanks so much for the linkup!
So glad you stop by every week, friend. I am with you. I love when we see how sovereign God is. When we can see He has it worked out and in His control. What comfort we can take in His plans.
Btw, when someone clicks to tweet from your quote, it doesn't bring us back to your blog. Not sure how to fix that but thought you'd want to know. 🙂
I really appreciate you letting me know. I had it fixed right away. This is why I love my blogger friends.
What a nice idea to make a story of Rufus! Surely there is a story to tell. That bearing of the cross must have had a tremendous impact on the relationship of Simon and Rufus, Simon being the example of man to Rufus.
Thank you so much for hosting this blog hop. I am posting on | Blog Vaccinius |.
The untold stories we so often overlook yet they are weaved in the fabric of God's story. Thank you so much for sharing with us today.
Thanks for hosting the linkup! Some really great posts shared here (including yours!)
Thank you Sheena, I am with you. This is an amazing group of people and I look forward to meeting with them every week. They truly inspire me. Thank you for stopping by.
Great message, Jaime! I don't think I have ever heard of him before so thank you for sharing that. Hope you are having a wonderful week my friend and thanks for hosting 🙂
Thank you so much for stopping by, friend. I always look forward to seeing you. I do this same thing all the time. I will read a verse of a familiar section and say where did that come from? It never gets old.
Amen! It is so good being in the Word and finding new stories and characters! Thanks for sharing with #SocialButterflySunday! Hope to see you link up again this week 🙂
Jamie, I love how you have taught us about Rufus and Simon of Cyrene. Sometimes, I think it's hard for us to see the characters in the Bible as real people with real families but you have brought one unknown person to life. What a legacy and story Rufus must have had to tell others about his father and Jesus, and it clearly had an impact on his life knowing God worked in such a specific way in Rufus' own family.
It is absolutely hard for us to make connections with them sometimes. They sometimes appear in this long list and seem so distant from what we know. We miss that we are like them in so many ways. Thanks for stopping by, friend!
Can't wait to read your 'Rufus' story, Jaime! I love how Rufus, not the most well known or mentioned, was chosen by God. Reminds me that 'I don't need my name in lights, He knows my name' and through my daily encounters with Him, He is making something out of nothing.
Thanks Carlie, that is a lot of pressure. Just kidding. It probably means more to me than anyone because it is how God has captured my life. I would love to hear your Rufus story. Maybe share it with us this week.
Congrats Jaime – you are our Friend Of The Week at Friendship Friday at Create With Joy – Week 216!
Have a blessed week! 🙂
Thank you so much. I am humbled to be here and to be on your space this week. It is certainly a great space to be on.
What a wonderful hidden gem you've uncovered, Jaime! I'm looking forward to reading your story next week! Blessings!
There are so many. What a beautiful thing when we dig through God's Word! Thank you for visiting us today!
Wow! You just taught me something I never knew was in the Bible! When I saw your description briefly on Google I thought Rufus may be a new pet you got…lol! I just love God's Word because after over 30 years of being a Christian, I still am learning new things.
My pets are fish. Not much worth writing about. They are beautiful goldfish but probably not post worthy. I am with you. Learning new things from this amazing Book! Glad you are here today!
It's so comforting to trust in God's plan. Thank you for writing and hosting the link up today Jamie!
Such comfort to trust and see the goodness He has given us. Thank you for stopping by again this week. I am happy to always make new connections!
Jaime, I have to tell you how much I am in awe of God for bringing me to this post tonight. Just this afternoon I was reading Mark 13, 14, 15 and 16. I had written down a question about Simon of Cyrene for my husband. What is also neat to me is that I had read Rufus' name and it stuck out to me. I LOVE that you studied through his name and found the reference in Romans 16:13. Thank you so much for sharing this! I just love when God connects my Bible reading to other things! He is so good! I can't wait for your next post!
That is amazing, Leigh Ellen. Does that not just happen all the time. God knows what we need to hear and when. I will often think about things and then I think every person I radio preacher I listen to and every verse I read points me to the truth God wants me to hear at those moments. So happy to be connecting with you here, dear friend!
What a beautiful post. God has a plan for all of us. We just have to be open and listen to Him. Have a Blessed weekend!
Be open and listen I know that can be my struggle. I like to make sure I am walking in His will but it is hard to know what His will is when we are not in touch with Him! Thanks for stopping by.
How I like your history of Rufus. Our God-encounters are stories we need to tell our children – to impact them like Simon did telling this story to his sons!
That is what I think I stress about too much. God has a plan for them. I need to fulfill my purpose and expose them to Him as much as I can. Then they are left with the choice. As much as I wish I could decide for them, I love God for giving us Him to choose.
Hmmm, Rufus. I don't recall that name at all. Love how the Bible continually surprises us. Lovely post. Look forward to hearing your personal "Rufus" story this week. ((blessings))
I love the surprises. They make the Bible Living and active and worth every. single. time. you pick it up. It is a book that never stays the same. It is awesome! Thank you Brenda for visiting with us today!
Sometimes we discount our purpose because it seems "small" compared to others. So glad that all of God-assignments are significant, no matter the size. Stopping by as your neighbor on the #RaRaLinkup.
No matter the size is exactly right. God has given us a purpose and a way to complete it. We may sometimes feel it is small but in the end we don't know the impact it has on His kingdom.
That was very interesting about Rufus and the impact his father Simon had on his life.
Thank you for sharing with us here at Tell me a Story.
God's Word is interesting in so many ways. Just glad that we have so much access to explore it in many different ways. Glad to be connecting with you at Tell Me a Story!
Always such a great read, thank you for hosting.
Wishing you a Happy Easter!
Thank you so much, Karren for your encouraging comments. I am always happy to see you and visit you wonderful site. Have a great week.
Hi Tammy, I was so over by your post and what happened to us was a God send, our company has been struggling and we thankfully had a huge order come in, now we can breath a sigh of relief!! GOd has the perfect plan. We have had some amazing God moments in our life over the last 20 years!!
I wanted to stop by and thank you for sharing your post on our #OMHGFF last week and this week your post is part of my features!!!
Pinned and shared!!
Hope you have a great weekend-Happy Easter!!
Thank you again,
Karren
Thank you so much, Karren. I had somehow missed your comment here and stopped by your site on Friday and to my delight saw my post was featured. Thank you so much for that and sharing this on your social channels.
I am so happy to hear you had a huge order with your company. God's timing certainly is not always our own. I praise Him because He sees the big picture and we only get the here and now. From the big picture He puts it all in place. Thanks again for the feature. Have a wonderful week.