"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 (NIV).
Jesus was too weak to carry the cross He was to die upon, due to a night of beatings and floggings. The soldiers pulled Simon from the crowd, an unintended participant in the Crucifixion of the Messiah. Simon was only passing by; watching the torture and death of criminals wasn't on his agenda, plus his two sons were with him. And he wasn't one of Jesus' followers either; where were those disciples anyway? Where were those who professed their love to Him earlier that evening? An unwilling stranger assisted Jesus to Golgotha that day. Simon wasn't from that area; he was from Cyrene, located in Libya in northern Africa. Since Simon didn't recognize Jesus, one can only assume he wasn't a follower of Jesus, but Simon would most certainly hear who Jesus was afterwards. Simon had helped the Son of God during the pinnacle moment of His mission: the salvation of the world.
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