4 min. to read.
Today is the 32nd day of Lent. Today’s passage is Mark 15:21, a single verse that offers us a fascinating glimpse into the life of the early church.
Jesus was led by the Roman soldiers out of the Praetorium. He was forced to carry the crossbeam himself, even though he was already severely injured from their torture and tired from a long night of emotional trauma. The cross was heavy, and he was weak. At one point, the soldiers, perhaps frustrated by Jesus’ slowing pace, pressed a passer-by into service.
Mark’s gospel captures this moment in a single verse. “They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus.” Why would the gospel writer know this stranger’s name? Why would he know the names of his children? Why would he include them here?
All three of the Synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark & Luke) mention Simon of Cyrene, but only Mark mentions his sons. Mark’s gospel was written sometime between 64-76AD, the earliest of the Gospel accounts. Simon was a random stranger in the crowd. How would it be possible that Mark would have known his name, especially since it’s likely that Simon had died by the time the gospels were written?
I suspect the reason is simple. Mark knew Simon and his sons’ names because by the time the Gospel was written, they had become part of the early community of Christians. Simon was from Cyrene, a city in northern Africa, in the region of modern-day Libya. He was likely in Jerusalem for Passover, one of the many pilgrims who made their way there each year. At some point after that fateful day, Simon and his family became followers of Jesus and so were known in the community.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he greets a Rufus who was a leader in the church in Rome. Perhaps this is the same person. Polycarp, the disciple of John who taught and wrote a generation later, also mentions a Rufus who was known to work among the apostles. If Alexander and Rufus were active in the early church, that is likely how the gospel writers knew Simon of Cyrene’s name. It also means that Mark is pointing his readers to first-hand witnesses of the crucifixion that would still have been alive and accessible to them.
But I suspect their inclusion is more than a citation of eye-witnesses. Simon of Cyrene carried Jesus cross. If he became a follower of Jesus, imagine the significance. Remember Jesus’ words we talked about yesterday? “Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.'” (Luke 20:22-24) Simon of Cyrene was one among them who had literally taken up the cross and done so in a situation where he had little choice. He was a living parable.
“Remember what happened to Simon,” they might have said. “There are times when you will have no choice. Life will press you into service. You will be the one present and able to bear up under the burden of others. It may come at cost to you. It may be terrifying. But you will walk a ways carrying the cross of another. When you do that, you are not only serving them, but you are also joining Jesus in his passion.” Paul taught this principle when he said that we are to “bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
The early Christians did not see their faith as a way to a better life. Christianity wasn’t about personal growth. Their faith in Jesus was accepting the invitation to carry Jesus’ cross. “As I have loved you, so you should love each other,” Jesus said. Jesus’ love is most clearly defined by the cross, the epitome of other-centered, co-suffering love.
Lent invites us to bear one another’s burdens. This way is life.
Thankful for the technology that has made it possible for me to read words of wisdom like yours. Not sure why this hits me harder today, because I am sure pastors have touched on this part of Jesus’s story before. Maybe because I am reading it instead of hearing it. I tend to be a visual processor more than auditory.
Pressed into service looks a lot different in some ways, but the meaning is the same. For example, to stand against bullies and racism isn’t just about making our nation better, it’s about representing what Christ calls us to do. We tend to stand back and not confront because we don’t want the bullies picking on us; but being perceptive about how and when to intervene is important too.
Lots to chew on here. Thanks. Blessings to you and yours.
I’m so glad you’re able to read it as well. I like your examples of ways we are often pressed into service, bearing the cross of others. I think the key point is that “bearing our cross” is never about our discomfort, but about how we are standing with and for others.