SIMON OF CYRENE:

SIMON OF CYRENE: Simon of Cyrene is one of those men people tend to read past, but he should not be overlooked. He was the man the Romans forced to carry the cross of Jesus on the way to Golgotha. Matthew 27:32 says, “And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.” Mark 15:21 says, “And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.” Luke 23:26 says, “And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.” By this point Jesus had already been scourged, beaten, mocked, spit on, struck in the face, and crowned with thorns. He had been brutalized. The fact that the Romans pulled another man in to carry the cross shows how torn up His body already was before He ever reached Golgotha. Simon did not volunteer for this. He was compelled. He was just passing by, coming in from the country, and suddenly Roman soldiers grabbed him and dropped that cross on his shoulders. One moment he is walking into the city. The next moment he is carrying the cross behind the Son of God. Simon was from Cyrene, a city in North Africa, in the area of modern Libya. There was a large Jewish population there, so he was likely a Jew of the dispersion who had come to Jerusalem for Passover. He came for the feast, and before the day was over he was carrying the cross of the true Passover Lamb. Mark also gives another detail people should not ignore. He calls Simon “the father of Alexander and Rufus.” That was not written for nothing. Mark mentions his sons like his readers were expected to know who they were. That suggests Simon’s family was likely known among believers. This encounter appears to have left a mark. Luke also says the cross was laid on Simon “that he might bear it after Jesus.” Simon is behind Christ, carrying a cross, walking the road of suffering. Jesus had already said in Luke 9:23, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Simon became a living picture of that right in front of the crowd. A lot of people want a Christianity with no cost, no shame, no burden, and no suffering. They want the crown without the cross. But Simon reminds us what it looks like to get close to Christ in a fallen world. It is not always clean. It is not always comfortable. Sometimes it is heavy. Sometimes it is public. Sometimes it hurts. Simon did not choose that cross. But he still carried it behind Jesus. That is where every real disciple ends up sooner or later. Not standing in front of Christ giving directions. Not walking beside Him as an equal. Behind Him. Following. Bearing. Enduring. Simon of Cyrene was not a random extra in the crucifixion account. He was a real man pulled into a real moment, and God put his name in Scripture so we would not miss him. A man from far away. Grabbed out of the crowd. Forced under a cross. Walking behind Jesus. That is Simon of Cyrene. #MoreJoyMinistries