The Cross for the Jews and the Greeks
By Emma Danzey
Luke 23:26 says, “And when they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, as he was coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus."
Have you ever heard of the man who carried Jesus' cross? Here in Luke 23, tucked away in verse 26 is the mention of a man who could easily get lost in the text; however, when we look at the significance of this moment, we will find ourselves in awe of what God is trying to tell us. This moment is also told in Matthew 27:32 and Mark 15:21. If just looking at these three passages, we miss that at the start, Jesus Himself was carrying His own cross. John 19:16-17 says, “So he then handed Him over to them to be crucified. They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, carrying His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which in Hebrew is called, Golgotha.”
So who is Simon of Cyrene, and why is this such an important encounter?
“And when they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene as he was coming in from the country,”
Could you imagine being a foreigner in a different country and being pulled from a crowd to carry a cross for a brutal execution? What we know of Cyrene is that it is in Shahhat, near modern-day Libya, Africa. It was one of the most major of the five Greek cities. If you were to map Cyrene to Jerusalem, where Jesus was crucified, it would be around 1124 miles away. So Simon of Cyrene was a long way from home. We do not know why; we do not know his story. We just know that this is where he was from and that he has two sons mentioned, Alexander and Rufus.
The Jews decided to pick on a foreigner and place the burden of the cross on his shoulders to carry. It can be assumed that Jesus was very worn out from being beaten and mocked to where He was not moving fast enough, and the people became impatient, so they pulled in Simon or that maybe there was some genuine pity on Christ in his struggle. Whatever the reason, Simon, a Greek (Gentile), was carrying the cross of Jesus.
“And placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus."
Can you imagine carrying the cross behind the man who was about to save the world? Think about how Simon must have felt or what thoughts were going through his mind. He was pulled into this mess of a scene of a crowd crucifying an innocent man. He was forced to carry a heavy cross up to Golgotha. He was probably thinking, “Why me?” We do not have any other context provided other than this, so we wonder did he talk with Jesus, had he heard of Him before, did he know that Jesus claimed to be God?
As I read this passage, I had a sweet realization, not only are we too called to pick up our crosses and follow Jesus (Luke 14:27), but suddenly this encounter seemed very intentional to me. As we ponder Romans 10:12, which says, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.” I became amazed thinking about how Jesus, a Jew, first carried the cross and then Simon, a Greek (Or Gentile) carried the cross. It is as if Christ was visually representing that His sacrifice was not only for the Jewish people but for the Greeks, all nations, and anyone who calls on His name to be saved.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
How does knowing that Jesus came for all people encourage you in your life today? Who does it inspire you to pray for and/or share your faith with? In what area is Christ asking you to pick up your cross and follow Him?
Further Reading:
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