Lent - Pt 39

And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. (Luke 23:26 ESV).

Continuing our journey through Lent takes us through the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. So much has been written about these days that it is often difficult to notice some of the more obscure moments. Today, our reading takes us to one of those moments. It is given just a passing nod by Luke; however, it was much more important than we would not today. It was the conscription of Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross of Jesus. All of the Synoptic Gospels mention this part of the story. Specifically they recall the name of this man and record it. That alone is significant. However, there are some other things we ought to note that impact this part of the passion. Since Cyrene was located in modern day Libya; and, many have suggested that Simon was a dark-skinned African man who had come to Jerusalem to worship during the Passover. However, since only his hometown was specified and many Jews lived in Cyrene during this time, his ethnicity is unknown for certain. The known facts given about Simon of Cyrene include the following. First, he was a worshiper of the God of the Jews. This likely meant he was a dispersed Jewish man who had returned for the Passover celebration. Second, he was a father and had brought his two sons, Alexander and Rufus, to celebrate the Passover (cf. Mark 15:21). They were likely old enough to travel to Jerusalem from Cyrene, likely 12 or older at the time. Nothing is mentioned of their mother so her status is unknown. It should also be noted that people from Cyrene were among the first Christian believers at the Day of Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:10). Perhaps Simon, Alexander, and Rufus were among those who heard and believed. In addition, some believers from Cyrene fled Jerusalem following the death of Stephen (cf. Acts 7) and began sharing their faith in Antioch. Do you see how this event almost seems insignificant or coincidental? He was just a nameless face in a sea of faces to those soldiers. Yet, they picked him. As a result of this one moment he likely saw the blood of Jesus and perhaps touched the broken body of Christ on the day he died. He would have been still in Jerusalem at the time of Pentecost. He would have heard Peter’s sermon, likely becoming a part of those first thousands to believe. It is not a stretch to then understand the further mention of Rufus later in the Book of Acts. They must have took their message back to their home and become the first of many to embrace the missionary task of introducing the Gospel to others in their circles of influence. This is God’s methodology. I wonder how you may have been touched by the sacrifice of Jesus? I wonder who you are called to tell your story to this year of Lent?