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?”}}
Incidentally what Jesus is referring to will be the coming judgement on the people in AD 70, but especially in the start of the Tribulation after the rapture of the Church where this statement is made after the breaking of the sixth judgement seal – {{Revelation 6:16-17 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “FALL ON US AND HIDE US from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”}}
When the bible does not give us lots of details we often wonder about the gaps and try to fill them in. Did Simon remain at the scene of the crucifixion or was he ashamed at his treatment and left? I think the former – just an impression.
Nothing the Lord ever does is by accident or chance. Simon was chosen in the will of God for a specific purpose far greater than his role of carrying the cross. This side of glory, many things happen that confuse us, even annoy us, and worse still, nearly break us. Much of the time we do not know why such things happen but perhaps in glory we will know. Look at Jesus; the disciples did not know what was happening at the cross, but later they understood what it was all about.
Someone said this life is like a tapestry hanging on a wall. We look at it and see the loose threads and the knots and the disorganised chaos and try to make sense of what we see. Often it is to no avail. We are still none the wiser. Then the gallery owner comes along and reverses the tapestry and explains it was being aired. We had been looking at the back! Now we see the masterpiece as the creator intended it to be. We are the masterpieces of God but we see the chaotic back of all that, and eternity will make much more sense.
[C]. THE BEAUTIFUL PICTURE HIDDEN IN THE ACCOUNT OF SIMON OF CYRENE
I want to return to this verse - {{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.”}}
Jesus bore His cross to His own sacrifice. Simon bore it also as he followed Jesus when He was too weak to continue. I am going to go right back 2000 years before Calvary to an incident some 4000 years ago. This was another sacrifice that also involved a father and son. We will read this so we understand the whole story –
{{Genesis 22:1-3 Now it came about after these things that God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” and he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to THE LAND OF MORIAH and OFFER HIM THERE AS A BURNT OFFERING on ONE OF THE MOUNTAINS of which I will tell you,” so Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son, and he split wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
Genesis 22:6-8 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering AND LAID IT ON ISAAC HIS SON, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife so the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” and he said, “Here I am, my son,” and he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “GOD WILL PROVIDE FOR HIMSELF THE LAMB FOR THE BURNT OFFERING, my son,” so the two of them walked on together.}}
Isaac was a type of Simon of Cyrene and also of the Lord.
Both Isaac and (Simon and Jesus) were going to the place of sacrifice. The Lord Jesus Christ was compelled to bear His own means of sacrifice on His back to wend His way through the streets while jeering and curious crowds looked on. He carried the wood of sacrifice for the burnt offering (His cross). The burnt offerings in the Old Testament were types of the sacrifice of Christ for the forgiveness of sins of the world. After a while he was unable to do that and Simon from Cyrene was compelled to carry the wooden cross.
Isaac was going to the place of sacrifice and carried the means of sacrifice on his back, the wood for the burnt offering.
Abraham, the father, went with the son to the place of sacrifice where he was to deliver up his son, and the heavenly Father was with the Son right to the cross, to the place of sacrifice where He would deliver up His Son for us – {{Acts 2:23 “this Man, DELIVERED UP BY THE PREDETERMINED PLAN AND FOREKNOWLEDGE OF GOD, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.”}} We know the dreadful cry when on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?”
God told Abraham to go to the land of Moriah for the sacrifice. It was to a specific mountain/hill where God directed Him and it is believed it was in Jerusalem before it became Jerusalem, and at the very place of Calvary. God was specific in giving the directions to Abraham – “one of the mountains of which God would tell him.” We know the Lord was led to the hill of Golgotha for the sacrifice.
[D]. THE PROVISION OF GOD: THE LAMB FOR THE SACRIFICE
The types here are quite stunning but the prophetic aspects are overwhelming. Consider this statement from Isaac – {{Genesis 22:7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” and he said, “Here I am, my son,” and he said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but WHERE IS THE LAMB FOR THE BURNT OFFERING?”}}
Isaac was mystified about the sacrifice which resulted in this great eternal prophetic utterance - Abraham said, “GOD WILL PROVIDE FOR HIMSELF THE LAMB FOR THE BURNT OFFERING,” and indeed God has provided a Lamb for the offering. John the Baptist could speak of the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world, and right back in Genesis 3, it was almost certain that a lamb was slain so that Adam and Eve could be covered. The Lord Jesus was the Lamb for the burnt offering, and the Lamb who clothes us now in righteousness.
At this Easter time, we are looking at Simon of Cyrene who carried the cross for the Lord. He was God’s provision for the journey to the cross, and Jesus was the Father’s provision for the sins of the world. Simon would never have known that he was following in the footsteps of Isaac in a way, but the Lord followed the same path as Isaac in type, all the way to the altar of sacrifice.
Look at these two specific and important verses – {{Genesis 22:13-14 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns, and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. ABRAHAM CALLED THE NAME OF THAT PLACE ‘THE LORD WILL PROVIDE’, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.”}} The name for that place is “Jehovah Jireh” the Lord will provide. In the mount of the LORD it will be provided. At the mount of Calvary it was provided.
It was at Calvary (for it seems certain that was where Abraham and Isaac were) that it was said - THE NAME OF THAT PLACE is “THE LORD WILL PROVIDE”. Yes! It was at Calvary where the Lamb was provided for the sins of the world. The LORD has provided His Lamb, the most wonderful Son, as the everlasting sacrifice for the sins of mankind.
[E]. ABRAHAM’S FAITH RESULTED IN AMAZING BLESSINGS
{{Genesis 22:15-16 Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son –“}}
Abraham did not withhold his son, his only son; and God did not withhold His Son, His only Son from us. Simon, you were part of this story, the greatest story that is not yet complete. God granted you a very special privilege to serve the Lord Jesus in His time of need.
God honoured Abraham’s faith and granted him a huge promise. {{Genesis 22:16-18 and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son - indeed, I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly MULTIPLY YOUR SEED AS THE STARS OF THE HEAVENS, AND AS THE SAND WHICH IS ON THE SEASHORE, and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies, and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed My voice.”}}
God promised great increase to Abraham in two ways. The stars and the sand are not saying the same thing the same way. They are separate, indeed, as stars are from sand. It is saying that Abraham has two different seeds. Stars are heavenly so there is a heavenly seed. That is the Church for its citizenship is in heaven. Christians are heavenly people. The sand is of the earth, earthly, and represents the earthly people of God. The Jews are the earthly people of God. They belong to the land and Christians belong to heaven. The two seeds are the CHURCH and ISRAEL.
[F]. CONCLUSION – TAKE UP YOUR CROSS
Should we walk in the sandals of Simon of Cyrene? The answer is “Yes”. It was Jesus Himself who said this - {{Matthew 16:24-26 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, LET HIM DENY HIMSELF AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS, AND FOLLOW ME, for whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. What will a man be profited if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?}}
To take up one’s cross was to surrender to the place of execution. It meant dying so how does this apply to us? It means we must identify with the sacrifice of Jesus of Nazareth, conformable to His death. We must not live in the old life but in the new one.
How do we enter into the new life? It is through repentance and turning to Jesus Christ by faith to claim Him as your personal Saviour. We are all lost in sin and condemned by sin, and to remain there is to enter eternity lost forever. Now is the day of salvation if you but turn around and give your life to the Lord. You must follow Him as Simon did, bearing the cross.
The parallel passage in Luke begins this way, {{Luke 9:23 He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and TAKE UP HIS CROSS DAILY, and follow Me,”}} It is a daily commitment; in other words, not some hit and miss thing. Take up your cross DAILY and follow the Saviour as Simon of Cyrene did.
I believe Simon is in heaven today and if you follow in his footsteps, you can begin the journey to heaven. Behold, the Man upon the cross. It was for you He suffered there so you can be forgiven. {{John 3:16-17 “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life, for God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.”}}
May the Lord help us to realise the cost of our salvation this Easter time.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
