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Author: Stephen Weller
609 words, 3 minutes read time

Simon Helps Jesus with the Cross

Scripture: Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26-27; John 19:16-17

With the previous lesson we finished covering the process of seeing Jesus, who had lived a perfect life under the law, condemned to death by crucifixion. With this lesson we will cover the way to the cross.

^{Jn 19:16b} So they took Jesus, ^{Jn 19:17} bearing his own cross, ^{Lk 23:26} and as they led him away. ^{Mk 15:21} [The soldiers] compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross, ^{Lk 23:26} to carry it behind Jesus.

Pilate had Jesus flogged before being sentenced for his supposed lesser sins and then he was scourged after being sentenced and before he was led off to be crucified. By this time Jesus was pretty much drained of his strength and struggled to carry the burden of the cross and finally collapsed. Jesus could not be allowed to die here on the street for there was work to be done as he hung on the cross, so God arranged for Simon of Cyrene to be at the right place and at the right time and had the soldiers compel him to carry the cross behind Jesus.

Simon was described as coming from Cyrene, a region in North Africa where there was a large Jewish population. It is most likely that Simon was a Jew who had traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Simon may have had his two sons Alexander and Rufus with him at the time. It is speculated that they became believers in the early church at the time Mark wrote his Gospel. Rufus is mentioned in Romans 16:13 and may be the same person mentioned in Mark 15:21.

As I write this I think of various images from the movie “The Passion of the Christ” and remember the scene when Simon was selected to carry the cross and I remember they showed him with a son. I can imagine the influence Jesus must have made on Simon and his sons at this time. Imagine the impact on you if you were Alexander or Rufus and your dad was compelled to carry the cross for Jesus.

^{Lk 23:27} And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him.

The mourning and lamenting were prophesied by Zechariah in Zechariah 12:10-14. Those who were sympathetic mourn and lament as they follow behind Jesus on his way to the cross. The mention of “people and of woman” puts the emphasis on the woman who Jesus separated out in his ministry as people of great value. The culture at the time placed woman under the control of men to serve them, but Jesus points out that they are more than salves of men but children of God and people that have value in him.

Conclusion

As we journey along the gospel path, we have come to the place where we have seen Jesus flogged and then scourged and now being helped by Simon on his way to the cross. The Jews are finally getting their wish of soon seeing him dead and out of their lives, but God is seeing his will being carried out as Jesus goes to the cross to purchase our salvation with his blood. It is not the Jews that will have the victory but God who is providing the means of salvation and replacing Jesus on earth with a multitude of believers empowered with the Holy Spirit to continue his work.