Simon the Cyrene - Creative Writing

 Who is Simon the Cyrenian?

He is mentioned in the Bible only once in the gospels (in all the gospels except the gospel of John). I should take you back to that dreadful morning of the day Jesus was about to be crucified. He had just come out of the Praetorium where he had been scourged and stripped and tied to a whipping post, beaten to nothingness back and front, fragments of flesh hanging from his body. Now they put a cross on him to carry. According to customs, the victim was required to carry his own cross to the place of execution. However, Jesus was too weak to do that for the whole journey out of the city walls to the place called Calvary which was found outside the city walls (notes on Mark 15 v 21 in New Spirit-Filled Life Bible NKJV). That is when Simon of Cyrene came onto the scene.

So here we go: He is only mentioned in one verse. He was compelled Matthew, Mark and Luke write. The Webster Bible Dictionary defines the word compel as 1. To drive or urge with force, or irresistibly; to constrain; to oblige; to necessitate, either by physical or moral force. The Roman soldiers saw Simon and took him and forced him to take the cross from Jesus. Mel Gibson also chose to show this Simon the Cyrenian. Reading up on this location I learned that Cyrene is found in the Northeast part of modern day Libya. This was quite a long way from Jerusalem where the Roman soldiers spotted Simon. He must have been one of the few Jews from Cyrene (Cyrene was a colony of Greeks coming from the island of Santorini due to overpopulation. The Libyans welcomed them openly. Among those Greeks also lived some Jews – Topical Bible Online: Cyrene) Since it was the morning after Passover and Jews had made their way to Jerusalem to observe this special time, Simon must have travelled there to observe Passover. He must have stood by as the Romans came past with Jesus trying to carry his cross. We do get a vivid demonstration of the scene ion Mel Gibson’s The Passion Of The Christ with the soldiers to spur on Jesus while mocking him and all the people watching from the sidelines.

Getting into the character:

What did go through Simon’s mind when the solders picked him out of the crowed to take up Jesus’ cross? First of all, he saw Jesus like that who must have been full of blood and very very weak. Had Simon of Cyrene heard of this man called Jesus before? He had come from far away (roughly 1000km away). After knowing the fact that it was the duty of the one committed the crime to carry his own cross, it must have made Simon feel sorry for Jesus. The fact that Jesus was not able to carry his own cross made him look even weaker than he was. It was considered a shame not to be able to fulfil that last duty. This is quite a dynamic to ponder on.

Then the moment came when Simon took over and somehow his eyes must have met the eyes of Jesus. I love that scene in Mel Gibson’s movie. What a moment. There are no words to describe it. It was a moment with Jesus Christ the Messiah- it was a very vulnerable moment. This is what could have gone on in Simon’s mind:

“Why did they choose me? I cannot carry this cross. Look at this man…oh my he is full of blood. They are torturing him. Let me help him then. “  And as Simon takes the cross from Jesus: “This is not just an ordinary man. He…He…He is the lamb of God. His eyes…..I understand…I understand Lord. I will carry your cross. I help you, you are not alone”.

See , it has always been so comforting to know that even Jesus came to the place of accepting help. God the Father did not want Him to carry this alone. HE chose men to be at HIS side. This is very remarkable. It is also the decisive factor for many to not understand the God made himself so weak..even let His own son die on the cross.

Yet this is the most decisive moment in History because that is where He redeemed mankind once and for all.

What was this moment like? What was the rest of the journey to Calvary like for Simon as he was so close to Jesus the Messiah? I do believe it changed Simon’s life. This was an encounter with the LAMB of God. This was an encounter he probably never forgot. In the gospel of Mark is says that Simon was there with his two sons Rufus and Alexander. They probably also never forgot how their father was forced to carry the cross of a man who changed history that day. The fact that Mark mentioned those two by name means that they were apparently known my Mark’s readers. In Wesley’s commentary we read that Rufus and Alexander were afterward two eminent Christians, and must have been well known when Mark wrote (Wesley).

Maybe that encounter brought Jesus’ light right into their lives.

I know this is all speculation but it does intrigue me to think about it. It intrigues me to think how amazing and mesmerizing this journey of carrying Jesus’ cross must have been.