Station of the Cross: Jesus is Helped by Simon of Cyrene to Carry His Cross
Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26-27
32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. (Matthew 27:32 ESV)
21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. (Mark 15:21 ESV)
26 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. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. (Luke 23:26-27)
This man who carried the cross for Jesus was significant, but it’s more than what he did in this moment.
There is a lot going on at this point in the crucifixion, right before the trek up to the top of Golgotha. We hear about the actions of the centurion and soldiers. We hear about the priests, scribes, and elders. We hear about the large crowd of men and women. Later we hear about the thieves who have their own crosses on Golgotha. The Gospels set the scene with descriptions and stories with many participants, however there are very few names. This man who carries Jesus’s cross, he is named. From our Gospels, we know that that he was Simon. He had just arrived from the country after a 1100-mile journey from his home in Cyrene to participate in Passover.
It’s striking that Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all mention him by name. You can almost hear the memory being told as witnesses described the event. “That was Simon of Cyrene who the soldiers seized out of the crowd.” “That was Simon, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was forced to take the cross upon his shoulders and follow Jesus up the hill.”
But he was a traveler from far off Libya, and so who in Jesus’s circle would have known him? And yet, he is known.
I like to think that he is so specifically identified in the Gospels because he was still personally known in the growing Christian circles when the Gospels were written. Mark was written about 40 years after the crucifixion and here we have Simon specifically identified, along with his sons.
We know it was Simon. It was Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was picked by some Roman soldiers, seemingly out of obscurity, and forced to help Jesus. It seems to have changed his life. This Jewish man from Cyrene, who had traveled all this way to participate in the rituals of Passover. His home was 1100 miles away. He didn’t know Jesus, and yet here he is named by name. His sons are named. His hometown is noted. He became some sort of notable figure beyond his role in the crucifixion.
It should be noted that Cyrenian Jews were key in the growth of early Christianity. Acts mentions people from Cyrene at Pentecost, preaching in Antioch, and Lucius of Cyrene even became a prophet and teacher, but Simon was the first. Some scholars even believe that the Rufus of Cyrene, mentioned by Paul in Romans, would have been Simon’s son. Paul says, “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.”
Simon was picked out of a crowd. Simon was made to do something he didn’t want to do. Simon’s experience and perspective were unique, as he helped Jesus complete his purpose.
I’m compelled to believe that Simon fell into this situation and was forever changed. He saw Jesus up close. He heard all of the awful things being said by the crowd and by the soldiers. He was the one who laid the cross down before Jesus was nailed to it. He was there and was forever changed.
In what ways will you help fulfill God’s plan? In what ways will you share with others when you have seen God at work?
Prayer
God use me to fulfill your will. Pick me out of obscurity, not because I want to be remembered, but because your will be done. Pick me as a participant, even if sometimes unwilling and unknowing, to witness you at work in those around me. Help me to share and to grow the body of Christ. Amen.