Simon of Cyrene is conspicuously absent from the Gospel of John, the last of the Gospels to come into written form and the one most imbued with highly developed theological reflection. It’s an unexpected detour from his plan for the day. I think we might be able to figure out what happened without look-ing at scripture. Moreover, Jesus assumed the form of Simon, and stood by laughing at them. Simon prefers his open fields. There are no exact figures on the weight of the cross. And they led Him out to crucify Him. Simon of Cyrene (Hebrew: שמעון‎, Standard Hebrew Šimʿon, Tiberian Hebrew Šimʿôn; Greek: Σίμων Κυρηναῖος, Simōn Kyrēnaios; died 100) was the man compelled by the Romans to carry the cross of Jesus of Nazareth as Jesus was taken to his crucifixion, according to all three Synoptic Gospels. Reading through the story of the crucifixion this week, something caught my attention that I had read over many times. Do you have a Bucket List. He serves a man in the hour of His greatest need. 32 And as they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into service to bear His cross.”, Mark 15:20-21, “And after they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, and put His garments on Him. Weakened from the flogging, Jesus could no longer carry his cross by himself. 3. His patience is as scarce as space on the Jerusalem streets. Yet he has no choice but to obey the orders of the centurions, and to make his bearing of Christ’s cross a sign of Simon’s devotion goes a bit too far. He’d hoped for a peaceful Passover. This is precisely what Simon did and precisely what we must do too. SIMON OF CYRENE: THE CROSS OF OBEDIENCE (Matt 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26) ... hill & made to carry his cross while being guard-ed by soldiers & surrounded by a large crowd. [15], Poet Ridgely Torrence wrote a play about him titled Simon the Cyrenian. Each of the three gospels contributes an important piece of information. Simon is from Cyrene, a Greek settlement in North Africa, and later church traditions depict him as a model of piety for carrying our Lord’s cross. Mark just casually states that he was the father of Alexander and Rufus. Did they make an exception for Jesus and force Him to carry the whole cross? p. 168. [4] On the other hand, Simon's name alone does not prove he was Jewish, and Alexander and Rufus were both common names and may have referred to others. OUP. [10] This is part of a belief held by some Gnostics that Jesus was not of flesh, but only took on the appearance of flesh (see also Basilides, and Swoon hypothesis). He has gone and is going to where we cannot. Our encounter with Jesus does not happen in the same way, but we must not rely on the power of Simon’s to transform our lives – we cannot cling to our nth degree of separation from Rufus or Alexander to make this story personal to us. According to legend, in 326 AD, Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine of Rome made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to find the location of Christ's cross. "Et gentibus ipsorum autem apparuisse eum in terra hominem, et virtutes perfecisse. Frank Leslie Cross, Elizabeth A. Livingstone (1997). He likely felt the blood of Jesus and even touched the broken body of Christ on the day Jesus died. 21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. [citation needed] He was martyred by crucifixion in 100. For some reason, along the way, Simon was made to carry … According to some Gnostic traditions, Simon of Cyrene, by mistaken identity, suffered the events leading up to the crucifixion, and died on the cross instead of Jesus. and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. Oxford University Press. "[2] He was also the father of Rufus and Alexander. Simon of Cyrene was the man pulled from the crowd who was commanded to carry the cross of Jesus. Ehrman, Bart (2005). Mark and Luke tell us he was coming back from the country. Catholic Online; Prayers; Jesus, the soldiers are becoming impatient. The liturgy for the fifth Station of the Cross, http://www.jesus-passion.com/THE_PASSION_3.5.htm#CHAPTER, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Simon_of_Cyrene&oldid=1018320213, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2021, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Wikipedia articles with multiple identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Carrying God's Cross before His Crucifixion, This page was last edited on 17 April 2021, at 12:30. - And they compel one passing by Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with them, that he might bear his cross. The Romans recognized he was not a Jew by his clothes and then chose him to oblige him to help Jesus carry the cross. [11][12] Irenaeus quotes Basiledes: He appeared on earth as a man and performed miracles. HUMANIST ACCUSATION: In describing Jesus being led to his execution, John 19:17 recounts that he carried his own cross. Saint Matthew’s Gospel emphasizes simply that Simon of Cyrene was compelled by the Romans to carry the Cross. Thus the unwelcome necessity becomes a cheerful grace. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. As St. Paul wrote, we do this so that we may know Jesus “and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10). In Luke 23:26, amid the crucifixion event, we read, ‘And as they led [Jesus] 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.’ I know that God is sovereign, and therefore this was not an accident or a random detail added into the story. Eventually, he was consecrated as the first bishop of the current Archdiocese of Avignon Rather, a certain Simon of Cyrene was compelled to carry his cross for him. There is no evidence in the scriptures to tell us if Simon was sympathetic towards Christ or whether he was unwilling to help but was just following orders from the Romans. Verse 21. Quapropter neque passsum eum, sed Simonem quendam Cyrenæum angariatum portasse crucem ejus pro eo: et hunc secundum ignorantiam et errorem crucifixum, transfiguratum ab eo, uti putaretur ipse esse Jesus: et ipsum autem Jesum Simonis accepisse formam, et stantem irrisisse eos.". But Mark 15:21-23 disagrees by saying a man called Simon carried the cross. In accepting the cross of Christ on his shoulders, Simon fulfills that law. A Greek city in the province of Cyrenaica, it had a Jewish community where 100,000 Judean Jews had been forced to settle during the reign of Ptolemy Soter (323–285 BC) and was an early center of Christianity. Sidney Poitier was cast as Simon of Cyrene in The Greatest Story Ever Told that was directed by George Stevens and released in 1965. The film The Passion of the Christ portrays Simon as a Jew who, having been forced by the Romans to carry the cross, is initially unwilling but comes to show compassion to Jesus and helps him. Matthew 27:31-32, “And after they had mocked Him, they took His robe off and put His garments on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him. (Lk. Cyrene was located in northern Africa in eastern Libya. 32 And as they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they pressed into … [7] Some also link Simon himself with the "men of Cyrene" who preached the Gospel to the Greeks in Acts 11:20. That man’s name was Simon and he was from Cyrene, the main city of the Roman colony of Libya, in North Africa. Tradition states that they became missionaries; the inclusion of their names may suggest that they were of some standing in the Early Christian community at Rome. 23:26) Clearly, the biblical record provides us little with which to assess Simon’s character, This person was the unsuspecting Simon of Cyrene. Simon of Cyrene (Hebrew: שמעון‎ "Hearkening; listening", Standard Hebrew Šimʿon, Tiberian Hebrew Šimʿôn; Greek: Σίμων Κυρηναῖος, Simōn Kyrēnaios; died 100) was the man compelled by the Romans to carry the cross of Jesus of Nazareth as Jesus was taken to his crucifixion, according to all three Synoptic Gospels. Jesus Carried the Cross. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device. Did Jesus or Simon of Cyrene carry the cross? He states the teaching that Christ in Jesus, as a wholly divine being, could not suffer bodily pain and did not die on the cross; but that the person crucified was, in fact, Simon of Cyrene. [4], Simon's act of carrying the cross, patibulum (crossbeam in Latin), for Jesus is the fifth or seventh of the Stations of the Cross. Simon’s absence there also tells us something. 21 And they pressed into service a passer-by coming from the country, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear His cross.”, Luke 23:26, “And when they led Him away, they laid hold of one Simon of Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.”, John 19:17, “They took Jesus therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.”. We do not know, but what we do know is that he did help Yahshua with this demonizing task. Whether out of curiosity or just being stuck in foot traffic, Simon ends up being a bystander to Jesus making his way to Golgotha. This is the story presented in the Second Treatise of the Great Seth, although it is unclear whether Simon or another actually died on the cross. Simon’s actions teach Christians to join Christ in his … A 1920 YWCA production of this play was directed by Dora Cole, sister of composer Bob Cole, and starred Paul Robeson.[16]. She couldn't determine which cross belonging to Jesus, so a terminally ill woman touched each cross until she laid her hand on the one … Actually, both did. Still, we follow in his steps, bearing the cross … Whether Simon felt any sympathy for Jesus or not, Roman soldiers forced him to help Jesus bear the weight of the cross … Why was Simon asked to help Yahshua carry his cross? Simon of Cyrene. “Hello, Pastor John! March 24, 2020. [17] On the other hand, the contemporaneous King of Kings has had a black soldier in the scene of Jesus’ flagellation. The vertical beam of the cross is already put in the ground before the condemned arrives. He had not eaten nor slept for many hours – His spirit was afflicted by the agony in garden – His tortured body was weakened by loss of blood. [8][9], Eventually, he was consecrated as the first bishop of the current Archdiocese of Avignon. By Sister Lisa Mary McCartney. Lost Christianities. The Roman soldiers forced Simon to carry Jesus’ cross and he did not resist, most likely in fear of the Roman soldiers. What many of us do not know is that Simon’s partnership with Yahshua did not end with the crucifixion. Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon. Mk 15:21 Scripture doesn’t tell us why he is appointed for the task or how he reacts. Our praying the Stations of the Cross … Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross. [5] Some interpret the passage as indicating that Simon was chosen because he may have shown sympathy with Jesus. "And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross." Jesus starts to carry the cross. John 19:17 Simon of Cyrene Carried the Cross. Saint John’s Gospel presents a well defined … Simon of Cyrene is not included in the Old and Revised Roman Martyrology of the Catholic Church. Chapell Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2004, p. 232. by Dr. R. L. Hymers, Jr. A sermon preached at the Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles Lord’s Day Morning, February 21, 2010 “And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross” (Mark 15:21). It was he who was ignorantly and erroneously crucified, being transfigured by him, so that he might be thought to be Jesus. This is taking longer than they wanted it to. Both the Simon Community, and the Cyrenian movement (which provides services to homeless and other disadvantaged groups in the UK)[18] take their name from Simon of Cyrene. [6], Mark 15:21 identifies Simon as "the father of Alexander and Rufus". Simon’s encounter with Jesus was face-to-face, and it clearly transformed his life if his sons were members of the earliest Christian communities. The Cyrenian Jews had a synagogue in Jerusalem, where many went for annual feasts. Scriptures – Did Jesus or Simon of Cyrene Carry the Cross? The fifth Station of the Cross, showing Simon of Cyrene helping Jesus carry his cross. A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.
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