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.
-Mark 15:21
Simon was from a North African city called Cyrene which is in modern day Libya. When Simon was a little boy, his parents became aware of a rumor circulating around the Roman Empire that the long-awaited Jewish Messiah had apparently been born in a tiny village close to Jerusalem called Bethlehem. Apparently, some Eastern pagan priests from modern day Iran had divined the birth after reading the ancient book of Isaiah and witnessing the birth of new star in the heavens. The rumors of this story was confirmed by a decree that King Herod put out to have all newborns executed in that region.
Simon didn’t remember exactly when his family converted to Judaism but as long as he could remember, he grew up listening to and memorizing the Hebrew scriptures. The rumors of the Messiah was the likely reason his parents were drawn to the faith. They were just as over the brutal Roman occupation in North Africa, as the Jews were in Palestine. As Simon grew older, he realized that if the promised Messiah had in fact survived Herod’s massacre, that he would be preparing to save Israel from their Roman rule pretty soon. In fact, the Messiah was probably his same age based on the timing of the rumor his parents heard.
But there was one problem. Ever since the rumors started spreading that the Messiah had been born, not three decades ago, several potential saviors were beginning to appear regularly on the scene. And every time a rumor would begin to circulate that a new likely Messiah was beginning to gain popularity, he would inevitably fall into the hands of the brutal Roman conquerors who kept crucifying every would-be savior. But Simon never lost faith.
Despite living in Africa, Simon began to spend a small fortune each year to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem in time for the Passover festival, in case the actual Messiah would make his grand appearance. It was worth it. But year after year, Simon went home disappointed, yet hopeful. Hopeful that God’s word does not return void. He was confident that the real Messiah would make his appearance soon, but he just didn’t know the details of when or how it would happen. And this year was turning out to be another disappointment.
The Potential Messiah of the month this month, was a fellow named Barabbas. Barabbas had promise, but like the other Christs, he too was recently arrested and was awaiting sentencing. Another long boat ride across the Mediterranean awaited Simon. But something happened that Friday morning after Passover that changed everything. As Simon was purchasing his supplies for his return home to Cyrene after Sabbath, he heard a rumor in the marketplace that Pilot had released Barabbas. “Nothing like this had ever happened before! Could it be?” Simon thought as he felt hope and faith begin to surge through his veins as adrenaline pumped into his bloodstream.
Many more thoughts began to race through Simon’s mind that morning. “Perhaps Barabbas is the Messiah after all! Maybe he struck a deal with Pilot? Maybe the she-wolf of Rome, who gave birth to the eternal city’s founder, Romulus, and the lamb of God, Israel, would finally live together in Peace just like Isaiah prophesied?!” Dropping his supplies, Simon immediately headed towards the direction of the temple on Mt. Zion. As he got closer and closer, the crowds grew larger and denser. “It’s happening, something is definitely happening!” Simon told himself.
As Simon was pushing his way through the crowds, at some point he accidentally tripped over someone and fell directly in front of a clearing which was caused by non-other than a procession of Roman soldiers. This band of Pilot’s guards were parading a prisoner of war who had apparently collapsed under the weight of his cross. Simon found himself on all fours staring directly at this prisoner who stared back at him. Simon quickly detected that this prisoner had already been brutalized. His raw flesh was hanging off his back and sides like pieces of flank steak. He had a crown of thorns pressed deeply into his head. His face and eyes were so bloodshot and puffy that this stranger could barely see through them and yet as Simon stared into this man’s face, he was overcome by tremendous love.
Simon didn’t realize it at that moment, but he found himself face-to-face with the actual Messiah that he had been longing for since boyhood, not Barabbas, but rather Yeshua of Nazareth. The same boy who was born in Bethlehem. The Son of God who was present at the beginning of time when his Father spoke the world into existence. Who knew every detail of Simon’s life, including his ambitions, fears, hopes and dreams.
The next thing Simon heard was one of the Roman soldiers barking at him to pick up the cross and help this brute carry it down the road to a hill called Golgotha or “The Skull” not too far from Gehenna. Without hesitation, partly due to fear of disobeying a Roman soldier’s order and partly due to a strange draw he felt towards this man, Simon quickly assisted Jesus in carrying his cross down the Via Dolorosa and up Calvary. And as he did, that wooden, big and bulky, tool of torture and death, the Roman cross, was transformed into a wooden, big and bulky tool of life, a yoke which has since brought forth life to billions of people.
The only thing we know for certain about Simon was that he was from Cyrene (a city in Northern Africa as stated previously) and that he was the father of two sons named Alexander and Rufus according to Mark 15:21. Scholars believe that the Gospel of Mark was primarily written to the underground church in the city of Rome roughly 30 years after Jesus’ crucifixion. As such, it makes no sense for Mark to mention the names of Simon’s sons “Alexander and Rufus” unless they meant something to the church in Rome. In fact, the name Rufus only appears in the Bible two times, once in Mark but also in St. Paul’s letter to the Romans in Romans 16:13 in which Paul instructs the Romans to “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.”
Could these individuals in Paul’s letter be the son and wife of Simon of Cyrene who carried Jesus’ cross? Is it possible that after carrying the cross of Jesus to Golgotha and witnessing the events that transpired thereafter, including the resurrection, the ascension, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday, that Simon became a disciple? Did he go back and spread the gospel to his whole family in Africa? Did his family, in turn, become not just disciples but missionaries to Rome? Did they eventually become friends with St. Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles so much so that Paul loved Rufus’ mom as his own?
I think there’s a high likelihood given the evidence. What I know for certain, is one encounter with Jesus can change the entire trajectory of your life, like it did for me, like it did for so many people since, and like it could do for you. God bless you!