31 “And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. 32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.” Matthew 27:31–34 (ESV)
20 “And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. 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. 22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.” (Mark 15:20–23 (ESV)
26 And as they led him 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. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. 28 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” 32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.” (Luke 23:26–33 (ESV)
16 “So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus, 17 and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.” (John 19:16–17 (ESV)
In our study of the Gospel of Matthew’s record of the Passion Week of the Lord Jesus Christ, it has been necessary, and insightful, to examine all four Gospel accounts. This discipline provides us understanding of all the events and encounters which took place during those hours and days.
All four Gospels describe the prophetic fulfillment by the Prophet Isaiah several centuries earlier. “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7 (ESV)
Condemned criminals about to face crucifixion were compelled to carry their own cross to the place of execution. They would walk with the horizontal cross beam attached to their shoulders. As they did so, the curious onlookers would gaze at the public spectacle. Such a procession would inflict fear into the hearts of even the most casual observer providing a stark and stern deterrent to anyone considering ever violating Roman law.
“When Pilate turned the responsibility over to the Jews (Matt. 27:24), however, they readily accepted it. They said, Let His blood be on us and on our children! Their words sadly came to pass as the judgment of God came on many of them and their children in a.d. 70 when the Romans destroyed the nation and the temple. In spite of Pilate’s four declarations of Jesus’ innocence (Luke 23:14, 20, 22; John 19:4), he fulfilled his commitment to the Jews by releasing Barabbas and turning Jesus over for crucifixion after He had been flogged,” explains commentator Louis A. Barbieri Jr.in the Bible Knowledge Commentary.
Due to exhaustion and apparent loss of blood from the scouring, Jesus is physically unable to carry the crossbeam any longer. Therefore, the soldiers compelled an apparent onlooker, Simon of Cyrene, to carry Jesus’ crossbeam.
“Having finished their scourging and mockery of Jesus in the governor’s headquarters (Matt. 27:26–31), the Roman soldiers take our Lord and begin His march toward the cross. Evidently, the physical beating Christ has suffered at the hands of the centurions has taken its toll, for He is not able to carry His cross on His own,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“Thus, the soldiers compel a man named Simon to bear the weight of the wooden crosspiece the condemned man would have to carry (Matt. 27:32), that is, the part to which Jesus’ arms will be nailed. The vertical beam of the cross is already put in the ground before the condemned arrives. 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. 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. Still, it could be that Simon later came to faith, for how could he carry the cross of Christ and then not be open to the gospel message? Mark 15:21 tells us Simon has two sons, Alexander and Rufus, and the latter man may be mentioned in Romans 16:13.”
“Simon was compelled to carry Christ’s cross, but we who live subsequent to His death and resurrection are called to take up His cross willingly (Luke 9:23). As followers of Jesus, we are to bear the scorn that comes our way for living after His pattern and not the pattern of the world. Let us remember that Christ endured far worse as we suffer for the gospel, and let us look to Him to make us able to stand in the day of trial,” concludes Dr. Sproul.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 