Simon of Cyrene He was a very important man in ancient times, since he was the person who helped Jesus carry the cross on the path to the sacrifice that would achieve what Christians today can enjoy “Salvation”. Could it be that he carried her by choice or by obligation? Here we show you the details of his experience and the lessons we can extract from it.
What is Cyrene?
Cyrene (pronounced sai-REE-nee) is located on the African continent in what is now Libya. Nearly 900 miles separate Cyrene and Jerusalem, a journey that would have taken several weeks in the first century. Simon was most likely a Jew coming to Jerusalem for the .
That it comes from Cyrene is not surprising because we know that there was a Jewish community in Cyrene for at least 300 years before the events of Holy Week; We also know that the Cyrenian Jews had their own synagogue in Jerusalem according to Acts 6:9.
Earlier in Acts we are told that there were Cyrenians in the crowd who heard Peter speak on the day of Pentecost (2:10). Later, in Acts (11:20), he says that the Cyrenians preach to the Greek Gentiles.
What do we know about Simon of Cyrene?
known facts given about Simon of Cyrene include the following. First, he was a worshiper of the God of the Jews. This probably meant that he was a scattered Jewish man who had returned for the Passover celebration.
Second, he was a father and had brought his two children to celebrate Easter. His names are given in Mark 15:21 like Alexander and Rufus. They were probably old enough to travel to Jerusalem from Cyrene (probably 12 or older at the time). Nothing is mentioned about his mother, so his status is unknown.
Third, however, many have connected Rufus with himself who was mentioned in Romans 16:13. Fourth, the people of Cyrene were among the first Christian believers on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:10) Perhaps Simon, Alexander and Rufus were among those who heard and believed? If so, the Rufus connection in Romans 16:13 would not be surprising.
Simon of Cyrene was the man taken from the crowd who was ordered to carry the cross of Jesus. He probably felt the blood of Jesus and even touched the broken body of Christ the day Jesus died. His unique experience probably led him to have faith in Jesus himself.
This may have taken place only a few weeks later on the Day of Pentecost. If so, it would explain why Matthew, Mark, and Luke mention his name, and why his two sons were mentioned. Furthermore, if the connection in Romans 16:13 is correct, his wife also became a Christian.
Furthermore, this would prove that all four family members were Christians and well known to Roman believers within 25 years of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. To achieve this feat would have required a strong component of faith and mission in the life of Simon of Cyrene and his family members, one that we can follow in our lives today as well.
Simon of Cyrene in the Gospels
Simon of Cyrene is mentioned only three times in the New Testament: once in Matthew (27:32), Mark (15:21) Y Luke (23:26)and everything in relation to the episode on the way to Calvary.
We know from the Gospel of John that Jesus initially carried his own cross (John 19:17), but it is commonly held that the soldiers, fearing that Jesus would not be able to reach the place of execution without help because of the beating he had already endured, sought help from the crowd. Upon recruiting Simon, they took him to the Nazarene and named him .
From what we know of Roman crucifixions, it is very likely that only the cross beam was carried by Jesus, and later by Simon of Cyrene. The vertical beam was planted at the crucifixion site. Contrary to the traditional form of the Stations of the Cross, there is no indication in the Bible that Jesus touched the cross until it was nailed to Calvary.
The impact of Jesus on Simon of Cyrene
It is quite possible that Simon of Cyrene had not heard of Jesus before his visit. As someone who has just arrived in Jerusalem from his country, it seems unlikely that he witnessed the trial of Jesus, or was part of the crowd associated with these events. (After all, as mentioned above, he is described to him as a “passerby”.)
However, after this long journey, he was forced to help this Jesus of Nazareth, a condemned man. It is not hard to imagine Simon of Cyrene’s initial reactions to being recruited into this service:
- Surprise in being singled out.
- Annoyance with this unplanned detour.
- The reluctance to associate with a man who was a criminal in the eyes of the Roman occupiers and the Jewish religious leaders.
- The shame of being the center of attention when carrying the device intended for the torture of the condemned.
Lessons from Simon of Cyrene’s experience with Jesus
There are many lessons that we can extract from the unique experience that this man had with Jesus Christ, on his way to the crucifixion. Below we explain the four most important to take into account in our lives such as:
1. We must learn to carry our cross
“Carrying our cross” is a fairly familiar concept to Christians. We tend to associate this notion with physical problems or ailments, difficulties in prayer, mental illness, emotional distress, or any of a number of unwanted events that inevitably occur in life.
Jesus tells us in all three Synoptic Gospels that carrying the cross is the calling of all his true followers, a cost of true discipleship (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34 and Luke 9:23, 14:27). that we handle our crosses, then, makes a difference to us and many people with whom we associate.
Of course, the best person to learn how to handle the crosses that come our way from is Jesus himself. But, as human beings, it is particularly instructive to consider the only man like us (in all things, including sin) who actually (not metaphorically) carried the cross of Jesus “Simon of Cyrene.”
2. The cross can come at any time
The story of Simon of Cyrene leads us to reflect on how we handle carrying our inevitable crosses. The cross was unexpected for Simon; the cross is often unexpected for us too.
This man couldn’t turn her down, and ultimately neither could we. Although we will never know what happened to Simon after his encounter with Jesus, we can change what will happen to us.
As heavy as these crosses may be, we must continually look beyond the pain, striving to stay focused on the reward that comes as a result of sticking it out.
As mentioned above, unlike Simon, whose knowledge of Jesus was very poor at the time he met him on the road to his death, at best we have no excuse for not knowing Jesus. .
Whatever our initial reactions, we can be sure that: Jesus gave us his Word.
Crosses will come our way, whether they are pressured, passively accepted, or actively welcomed, but to reach our heavenly goal, we need God’s grace.
This grace is not forced on us; we must be open to that. Are we ready and willing to accept suffering, for the rest of this earthly journey, until the death that we must all experience?
3. It is necessary to follow Christ and move forward
Look again at what we are told about Simon of Cyrene in Luke: “After the cross was laid on him, they made him carry it behind Jesus” (23:26). Intellectually, it is quite easy to understand all that has been said up to this point about what our disposition should be in times of trial.
If we’re not experiencing any particularly serious issues at present, we’re probably quite willing to say “we’ll deliver” when we face the next challenge.
But when we actually have to deal with some physical, spiritual, psychological, or emotional battle, happily uniting our sufferings with Christ is not necessarily what we would consider an easy or desirable path.
Most likely, we will wish and pray for the burden to be removed. And there is nothing wrong with asking God for help. If the Lord eases our pain, we must be quick to acknowledge it and for healing.
However, if God doesn’t take away pain, he may be using it to help us grow in faith, hope, or love (or perhaps he wants us to grow in all three). It may be his way of breaking down barriers so that we fully surrender to his will in our lives.
In the case of Simon of Cyrene, Jesus used his own way of the cross to draw Simon to himself, an encounter Simon would not otherwise have had, and possibly an encounter with Christianity he would never have committed to.
We can be sure that Jesus thanked Simon for giving him some relief along the way, but also for helping him achieve his goal of redeeming mankind (John 12:27 and Acts 2:23) with his suffering and death.
4. We are called not only to carry our cross but also that of our neighbor
In addition to dealing with our own challenges, we are also called to ease others in their difficulties by being Christ to them, which may end up being their first real and substantial encounter with the Gospel message. Our example, and our testimony, are often the best tools for evangelization.
The experience of Simon of Cyrene, among other things, teaches us that the cross that corresponds to us can come into our lives at any moment (whether we wait for it or not) and that we must accept it, learn to carry our burdens, and understand that it is necessary that let us support our neighbor to cope with theirs, because in all this there is a divine purpose.