I never thought very deeply about the
story of Simon of Cyrene helping Jesus carry His cross. Wasn't he
just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time, an insignificant,
curious passer-by, as he was referred to in the Scripture, who was
randomly picked from the crowd? All three synoptic gospel writers
recorded this event. In one of the Stations of the Cross we
commemorate it. There must be more here than meets the eye.
Where is Cyrene? I was surprised to find that it is in North Africa not far from the modern day city of Benghazi in Libya which was prominently in the news after the
terrorist attack of September 11, 2012!
I searched for more information, I
found that a condemned person was forced to bear his own instrument
of torture, in this case at least the heavy crossbeam of a cross. But
the soldiers didn't want a prisoner to die on the way up the hill to
his crucifixion because that would spare him from the planned cruel
torture of a deliberately slow and painful execution. A criminal was
crucified in a public place where it would serve as a warning and
deterent to would-be evildoers. Jesus was already staggering under
the weight of the crossbeam and falling repeatedly from extreme
weakness after his agonizing, prolonged scourging by the soldiers.
In various translations of this
biblical passage Simon was said to have been “pressed into service”
or “seized” or “compelled.” He obviously didn't volunteer; he
had no choice; he was forced to do so at the point of a spear.
Who was this Simon whom Mark so
precisely identifies that he even records the names of his sons and
that he had come to Jerusalem from “the country” or “the
fields.” Since Mark
wrote his gospel for Jewish believers, it is likely that by the time
he wrote the gospel story the inclusion of the names of his sons in Mark
15:21 may suggest that they were of some standing in the
Early Christian community. Tradition says that Simon's sons Rufus and
Alexander became missionaries; It has also been suggested that the
Rufus mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:13 is the son of Simon of
Cyrene.
Libya is separated from the Holy Land by
Egypt. Simon would have had to cross Egypt by land or come by sea. Libya was under Roman rule at that time but there was a Greek
colony in North Libya along the Mediterranean Sea with a large
settlement of Judean Jews. Most of Libya is covered by
the Sahara desert except for that long strip of Northern coastline
where eighty percent of Libya's people live. Cyrene became an early
center of Christianity in the centuries after the Church began to
spread. Some also link Simon with the "men of Cyrene" in
Acts 11:20 who preached the gospel to the Greeks—the Cyrenians would have
known how to speak Greek.
Why was Simon there in the crowd that was following Jesus to
Golgotha? Were his sons with him? Were they adults or children? Was he a laborer or a wealthy foreign businessman? Was he
a Jew from the diaspora or a dark-skinned Libyan native? Was Simon a believer in Jesus already
when he carried Jesus' cross? Was he a devout Jew who was making a
pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover according to the requirement of
Judaism? Or was he only a curious pagan caught up in the drama of a Roman execution until he became part of what was a life-changing event for himself and his sons and perhaps his heritage for generations to come?
Simon, “Were you there when
they crucified my Lord?” Did you stay at the cross after you
carried it up the hill for Jesus and watch salvation history unfold? Were your sons at the crucifixion with you? “Were you there when they laid
Him in the tomb?” Did you become a Christian as a result of
seeing Jesus die on the cross or perhaps hearing the witness of the
disciples about Jesus' resurrection? (Someone ought to write a novel about this man!)
Simon, “Were you there when the
Holy Spirit came?” Were you among the 120 in the Upper Room? In
the biblical account of the birth of the Church on Pentecost in Acts
chapter two in the list of places from which people were present at
the event, “the districts of Libya near Cyrene” was noted. Simon,
“Were you there?” We can only speculate.
What is the take-away insight for us
from this special event? In His suffering humanity and to accomplish
His mission from His Father, Jesus allowed Simon to help carry His
cross. He could have called ten thousand angels to strengthen Him to
carry the heavy cross, but He permitted and welcomed a mortal man to
help Him. In His teaching before the crucifixion Jesus spoke about
the necessity of taking up our cross and following Him.
(Matthew 16:24) On the way to Golgotha Simon didn't carry his own
cross; he carried Jesus' cross.
We can't do what Simon did. We can't
carry Jesus' cross. Jesus gave His life once for all on the cross for
the forgiveness of our sins and to obtain eternal life for us. So
then, how can we bear Jesus' cross for Him now? Jesus declared
that whatsoever we do for others or to others, we do as if we did it
unto Him. The Lord receives it as literally done to Him! (Matthew
25:35-46) In practice then, we are to bear one another's burdens
and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)
Each of us has unique personal crosses
to bear as well as burdens, afflictions, and problems. There is a
sense in which we must with courage and God's enabling accept and
bear our own cross, the cross that God has given us in His
love. By this we glorify Him and give witness to Him. However, there
is a further sense in which we should reach out in love and
compassion to help others shoulder their crosses as Simon of
Cyrene did for Jesus. By so doing, we are privileged to partake in
Jesus' suffering, “For to you it has been granted for Christ's
sake, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for His sake.”
(Philippians 1:29)
The
everlasting God has, in His wisdom,
foreseen
from eternity the cross
that
He now presents to you
as
a gift from His inmost heart.
This
cross He now sends you
He
has considered with His all-knowing eyes,
understood
with His loving mind,
tested
with His wise justice,
warmed
with His loving arms,
and
weighed with His own hands,
to
see that it be not one inch too large
and
not one ounce too heavy for you.
He
has blessed it with His holy name,
anointed
it with His grace,
perfumed
it with His consolation,
taken
one last glance at you and your courage,
and
then sent it to you from Heaven,
a
special greeting from God to you,
an
alms of the all-merciful love of God.
Saint
Francis de Sales
1567-1622
