July 13 2025

Sunday July 13

“Simon a Cyrenian”

Luke 23:26

26 Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.

Jesus is finally condemned by Pilate and sent to be crucified on Golgotha. According to John’s Gospel, Jesus is forced to bear His cross. “Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away. And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.” (John 19:16-18). (By the way, John is the only Gospel that does not mention Simon of Cyrene by name.)

Matthew’s Gospel tells it this way: “And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified. Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull…” (Matthew 27:31-33).

Mark’s Gospel gives us some additional information about Simon of Cyrene. “And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him. Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross. And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull” (Mark 15:20-22)

History also gives us some information about the country of Cyrene where Simon was from: Jews began migrating to Cyrene as early as the 3rd century BCE, primarily under Ptolemy I’s policy to strengthen Cyrenaica, with further migrations occurring during the Roman period. The reasons for migration included political strategies (Ptolemaic resettlement), economic opportunities (Cyrene’s prosperity and trade), religious connections (ties to Jerusalem), and, in later periods, escape from persecution or instability in other regions. By the time of Simon of Cyrene in the 1st century CE, the Jewish community in Cyrene was well-established, influential, and closely linked to Jerusalem, as evidenced by their synagogue and presence at major Jewish festivals. Cyrene was located in present day Libya next to Egypt.

It was a part of the prisoner's humiliation that he carry his own cross to the place of execution, so when Jesus left Pilate's hall, He was carrying either the cross or the crossbeam (John 19:17). Apparently, He was unable to go on, for the soldiers had to "draft" Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross for Him. (This was a legal Roman procedure. See Matt. 5:41.) When you consider all that Jesus had endured since His arrest in the Garden, it is not difficult to imagine Him falling under the load. But there is something more involved: carrying the cross was a sign of guilt, and our Lord was not guilty!

Thousands of Jews came to Jerusalem from other nations to celebrate the feasts (Acts 2:5-11), and Simon was among them. He had traveled over 800 miles from Africa to celebrate Passover, and now he was being humiliated on a most holy day! What would he say to his family when he got home?  But might have looked to Simon like a catastrophe turned out to be a wonderful opportunity, for it brought him in contact with Jesus Christ.

Simon probably had come into the city of Jerusalem to attend the 9 a.m. prayer meeting in the temple, but got caught up in the crowd following Jesus to His crucifixion. But God’s providence place him in the right place at exactly the right time. It was then that the soldiers “compelled” him to carry the cross of Jesus.

We have good reason to believe that Simon was converted because of this encounter with Jesus. Mark identified him as "the father of Alexander and Rufus" (Mark 15:21), two men that Mark assumed his Roman readers would know. A Christian named Rufus was greeted by Paul in Romans 16:13, and it is possible that he was the son of Simon of Cyrene. Apparently Simon and his two sons became well-known Christians who were held in honor in the church.

Before Simon met Jesus, he had religion and devotion; but after he met Jesus, he had reality and salvation. He did both a physical and spiritual "about face" that morning, and it transformed his life. God can still use unexpected and difficult situations, even humiliating situations, to bring people to the Savior. What is your story?

God bless!