And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus. — Luke 23:26
Whenever I reflect on the story of the crucifixion of Jesus, I often read across the verses in Luke 23:26. I am amazed at how Luke records his gospel, with such a detailed account of the birth of our Savior, with such important detail. Each gospel gives a unique account, but I love the detail that Luke shares here in verse 26.
We are introduced to Simon, a Cyrenian, who Matthew said was “compelled” to bear the cross of Jesus. Luke’s description gives a little more clear explanation when he says that on Simon they laid the cross of Jesus so he would help bear the load.
By this point, our Savior had been mocked, whipped, had a crown of thorns placed upon His head, was stripped of His clothes, had His beard plucked, and so much more torture. Just considering all that Jesus had been through it makes perfect sense that Jesus physically needed help carrying the cross.
We have no knowledge of any comments that Simon made. Based on Matthew’s story, we can assume that Simon was not asking to carry the cross that Jesus bore, yet he was “compelled” to do so. I have often thought about what may have gone through Simon’s mind during this time.
He was helping bear the cross of our Savior. I certainly do not know how heavy the cross of Jesus was. Some have estimated that it was around 200 pounds. There has been much speculation as to whether Jesus bore the entire cross himself, or did Simon simply help carry a part of it, but I think there is a bigger thought here that we must consider.
Many may look at the story of Simon as someone who played a small part in the story of Jesus’ crucifixion. I would argue a different perspective. Simon’s actions that day had a direct effect on my life. You see, he bore the physical weight of the cross so that Jesus could finish the work of bearing the sin weight of the world.
Little did Simon realize that it was a cross that would bear the sins of the world. So while we may think that the little things we do may not matter, those little things could change someone’s eternity. It looked like Simon was simply carrying a wooden cross to those people that day. To the Christian, he helped make sure the redemption story was completed.