Luke 23:26 English Standard Version (ESV) And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.

Nowhere in the synoptic gospels does it actually say that Jesus carried His cross at all, nor that He fell. What we may have seen in movies is a screenwriters attempt to solicit emotional drama in the moment but it is not scriptural. Does anyone teach us that it happened that way?

Jesus was not burdened by Rome to carry His cross, Simon was burdened to do so. What happened that day was meant to lay heavily on our hearts. The burden of love compels us to pick up our cross and bear it. Jesus was not allowed to fall under that weight. When we fall under the weight of it, we feel like we have failed God. We are wrong to feel that way because Jesus never fell down nor does He fall down now.

The world would have us think He fell and failed but it is a lie. When we fall we have not failed, that is a lie. We are human and that weight is too much for any of us to bear. Christ in us has the strength to bear up under the weight of it now, given the opportunity. He is faithful and never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:7 English Standard Version (ESV) Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

God is love, Jesus is God, Jesus abides, love abides, and love bears all things.

Our humanity expects to perform to the highest levels of performance and when we fail our own expectations we feel like we have failed God. That is a lie. God knows all things from the beginning to the end. He does not judge us by our own standards, our expectations. God knows the truth in all matters.

We should know the truth also.

1 Corinthians 10:11-13 English Standard Version

¹¹ Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. ¹² Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

It is interesting that the people of that time believed they were at the end of the age. What age we cannot tell. It was certainly not the end of the church age because we still abide in this age. Being that this is true, then the instructions that were set in place as an example are also for us.

It is important here to believe God’s word in relationship to temptation. It comes with an understanding of what the example set before us was in truth. Falling down isn’t failing God. Get up move on.

1 Corinthians 10:5 English Standard Version (ESV) Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown^{[laid low]} in the wilderness.

It is our human condition that thinks we have failed God when we fall down but this is not the same thing as displeasing God as in the day of provocation. God is faithful, full of faith, and has given to us the faith we have placed in Christ.

Hebrews 4:2English Standard Version (ESV) For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.^{[did not meet with the faith in hearers]}

The difference between those days and these days is this example, His faith abides in us and the messages we hear are met by the faith in us, the faithful one, His abiding presence.

He does not fail.