Simon of Cyrene

Mark 15:16-22


      The book of Mark says that Simon was a Cyrene. This indicates he was probably born and raised on the north coast of Africa in the capital city of his province, Cyrenaica.
     Cyrenaica was originally Greek. In the fourth century b.c., it was a democracy. Unlike some Roman provinces, it was not conquered, but bequeathed to the empire in 96 b.c. It was originally declared free, but after some local problems, it became a province of Rome.
     In the first century Cyrenaica was still a wealthy area and its wealth came from agriculture. Silphium was a prominent export. It was in high demand as a spice and as a medicine.
     A large part of the population of Cyreniaca were Greek-speaking Jews. They had been sent there as settlers and they enjoyed equal rights.
     Simon could have been from this group, but that doesn’t otherwise tell us his ethnic make-up. Tradition has made much of the fact that he was a native of Africa.
     Of the personalities around the crucifixion, there are legends that some of them became Christians, those who were not already. These include Pilate, Caiaphas, Annas and Simon of Cyrene.
     There is no evidence, one way or the other, for the truth of most of these legends, except, perhaps, in Simon’s case.
     Scholars point to the fact that his name is mentioned with a feeling that the readers will recognize him, which they certainly would if he had become a disciple after the crucifixion. Just the fact that it was known that he was a Cyrene is significant. He wasn’t anonymous to the Christians.
     Mark adds the information that he was the father of Alexander and Rufus, as though these names will also be very familiar to those who read the gospel. It certainly gives a strong impression that the early church knew this family and that the sons and possibly the father had indeed become followers of Jesus.
     By the time that Jesus was dragging his cross to Golgotha, he was in poor shape. He probably fell often. At one point the soldiers decided he either couldn’t continue, or wasn’t going fast enough. So they grabbed a man out of the crowd and made him carry the cross. It was Simon of Cyrene.
     Simon the Cyrene was not an important man. He wasn’t a history-maker. If he hadn’t been there, someone else would have been pulled from the crowd. But it wasn’t someone else; it was this man from Africa. He was forced to carry the cross.


What burdens have you been forced to carry?

In what ways can we turn a burden we’ve been forced to carry into an act of discipleship?