Carrying the Cross

We all know the story of the day that Jesus was made to carry His own cross, headed toward His crucifixion.  And we know about the man who was made to carry the cross of Jesus when Jesus could go no further with it.  But in this lesson we will examine this latter man a little closer and the circumstances of his involvement.

The accounts of this event are found in the first 3 gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke and can be found one chapter back from the end of each book; thus, Matthew 27,  Mark 15, and Luke 23.  Note Mark 15:21, "A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way  in from the country; and they forced him to carry the cross.  They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha....."  One can see that not a great deal is said about him in the New Testament.

So the man's name was Simon the Cyrene.  Cyrene is a city in Libya, in northern Africa, so this man was a long way from home.  We see that he just happened up on this scene and suddenly found himself carrying a heavy load.  He was "forced" to do this by the Roman soldiers.  They were in power at the time and had the right to grab a citizen and force him to do a job.

It might be significant that it says that he was the father of Alexander and Rufus.  The implication is that the writer mentioned these names because the reader might already be aware of these guys.  There is a good likelihood that these men were Christians, making the reference to the father of them meaningful to those who read the account, particularly at that time when these men were still alive.

Imagine what it must have been like to be forced into carrying a heavy load like this, leading a man to His death.  Then imagine what feelings he must have had later when he realized what a significant event this was.

And we can extend this story to ourselves.  The Bible teaches that we must carry our own crosses.  And if we sacrifice, if the load is heavy, we can remember the love of Jesus and the reward that awaits us.

Again, thanks for reading and have a great week!