Simon of Cyrene
“As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.”
Luke 23: 26, NIV
Jesus had just been whipped and beaten to the very inch of his life; there would be no skin on his back, and lumps of flesh were ripped from his body. But that didn’t deter the Roman soldiers from insisting that Jesus lift his cross and carry it to Golgotha, also known as Calvary in Latin. Golgotha, the place of the skull, the site where skulls from previous executions were scattered around, was a common location for the Roman authorities to carry out executions. The Romans would execute rebels, murderers, soldiers, and slaves who attempted to escape by crucifixion, a slow, agonising, and public death. It was here that the innocent Son of Man was executed like a criminal.
And amidst this chaos, a man from Libya, from the town of Cyrene, appeared on the scene. Why was a man from Libya in Jerusalem? Was he a trader going along the ancient trade routes, or was he a faithful Jew about to attend the Passover the following day? It is purely speculation, but Simon of Cyrene has a Hebraic name; Simon is a Hebrew name that means “hearing”. The name Simon derives from Simeon, one of the twelve founding members of the Israelite clan. This time, Simeon means “heard.” Thus, we can imagine God speaking to and encouraging Simon. Simon hears God’s call and travels approximately one hundred days to attend the Passover in Jerusalem. So, now it’s God’s timing; he was not a day early, but on time to carry Jesus’ cross.
It’s no coincidence; God is not a God of coincidences. The timing and the man’s name remind us of Moses, who heard God and returned to Egypt to lead the Jews out of slavery at the time of the first Passover. It also reminds us of Simeon, the man who took the baby Jesus into his arms and blessed him. The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that he should go to the temple. Simeon heard, and he went. At the temple, he saw Jesus and realised that Jesus wasn’t just there for the Jews but for all mankind, as prophesied by Isaiah.
Just a side note, Simon was compelled to carry the cross. He was in Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover, not to assist the Romans in executing someone. This underlines the often involuntary and unexpected burdens Christians may face in following Jesus. Whether he was forced or not, Simon’s action serves as a powerful symbol of human connection to Christ’s suffering, showing that Jesus’ crucifixion was, in part, shared by another person.
Today, with the Holy Spirit within us, we are able to hear God speaking directly to us. What will we do when God speaks to us? Do we respond obediently as Moses and Simeon did? We may need to fall on our knees until our hearts become peaceful. We may never be mentioned in the Holy Scriptures since the Bible is complete, but our names are written in the Book of Life.