He Bore The Cross Of Jesus – Who Was Simon Of Cyrene? – An Easter Message For Good Friday Series

HE BORE THE CROSS OF JESUS – WHO WAS SIMON OF CYRENE? – AN EASTER MESSAGE FOR GOOD FRIDAY

[A]. INTRODUCING THE MAN SIMON OF CYRENE

As commentators often like to do, there is a lot of speculation about Simon of Cyrene. There are so many ideas why he was in Jerusalem and what he was doing on the route to Calvary. I don’t wish to engage that speculation but to keep fairly closely to the text.

Three of the Gospels mention Simon. The first is Matthew – {{Matthew 27:32 “As they were coming out they found a man of Cyrene named Simon whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.”}} Matthew states Simon’s home town as Cyrene. Cyrene is in Libya, on the Mediterranean and in Gospel times had a substantial Jewish population who moved there to escape persecution. One estimate is that the whole town had about 5 000 people (though someone on Wikipedia says 100 000). Cyrene was named after Kyrene, the daughter of a Thessalian king (Hypseus), and a water nymph. Simon was a Jew and it seems reasonable that he was in Jerusalem for Passover as many Jews travelled to the capital for the Passover and Pentecost feasts.

The nations recorded in Acts when the Holy Spirit was given included these – {{Acts 2:10 “Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt AND THE DISTRICTS OF LIBYA AROUND CYRENE, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes”}}. Because of his name, Simon, then this man was a Jew who had come from Cyrene for the Passover/Pentecost feasts. Some try to make a big deal that Simon was a black, African man, but I doubt that. He was a dispersed Jew.

Matthew used the term “pressed into service” as does Mark and it means Simon was forced to carry the cross. All three Gospels use “they” when talking about forcing Simon to carry the cross. Who are the “they”? Some say it was the people but I believe it to be the soldiers leading the three men to crucifixion.

The second Gospel says this – {{Mark 15:21 “They pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (THE FATHER OF ALEXANDER AND RUFUS), to bear His cross”}}. Mark gives more information than the others and it seems fairly sure he knows the family. Alexander and Rufus obviously were known to the readers of Mark, and Rufus is often identified with the friend of Paul from this verse – {{Romans 16:13 “Greet Rufus, a choice man in the Lord, also his mother and mine.”}}

The third Gospel adds two important points. {{Luke 23:26 “When they led Him away, they laid hold of one Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and PLACED ON HIM the cross to CARRY BEHIND JESUS.”}} Those points are that the cross WAS LAID ON SIMON, and that HE FOLLOWED BEHIND Jesus. I want to take that up later on.

[B]. WAS THERE ANY EXCHANGE BETWEEN JESUS AND SIMON ON THE PATH TO CALVARY?

That is one matter the Gospel writers are silent about. Some people think Simon was coming from work going home but that was not the case. We are speaking about early morning here when Simon was accosted and forced to carry the cross. There were bystanders on the sides of the road and a multitude following in the procession and some might have been sympathisers of Jesus, but not necessarily His own believers. Most were curious, and gawkers or ghouls who loved seeing harm and hurt come to others.

Once more we do not know if Simon was a believer, or a sympathiser, or some random person who was in the vicinity. Because Simon was the father of Rufus and Alexander, it is said Simon was a believer because his children were in the Church. I am not getting into speculation as I earlier said, but all three men could have been converted because of this incident at the cross (Simon at least, and his sons later). It could have been like the Roman centurion who exclaimed, {{Matthew 27:54 Now the centurion and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “TRULY THIS WAS THE SON OF GOD!”}} and I think was converted through that.

Only once is it stated Jesus spoke to people along the way as recorded here – {{Luke 23:27-31 There were following Him a great multitude of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him. But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children, for BEHOLD, THE DAYS ARE COMING when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘FALL ON US,’ AND TO THE HILLS, ‘COVER US,’ for if they do these things in the green tree, what will happen in the dry?”}}