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. – Matthew 15:21

Who was Simon the Cyrene?

Legend has it that Simon the Cyrene was black, and that the Romans may have singled him out to carry Jesus’ cross. Others believe he was Jewish. But whatever the truth, Simon was forced to carry a cross that wasn’t his, and it is quite certain he had no idea whose cross it was.

This verse tells us he didn’t have an option. We want to see him as a sympathetic and caring figure who stepped in because Jesus was so badly beaten and unable to carry the cross himself, but there’s just nothing that tells us that.

However, what it does tell us, is that he is the father of Alexander and Rufus.

We know that the book of Mark is supposed to be Peter’s words dictated to Mark, and you may or may not know that Peter founded the Roman church (and was later martyred by the Roman emperor Nero). Some early texts mention a man named Rufus in the Roman church, and it is believed that Rufus and Alexander became disciples of Christ.

We don’t know how old they would have been, and we don’t know if they were there that day. Ray Boltz has a great song (80s contemporary Christian) called “Watch the Lamb.” It tells the story as if Simon’s sons were with him on that trip through Jerusalem that day with a lamb to sacrifice. He keeps telling the children “watch the lamb.”

Of course, he’s recruited into carrying the cross, and the song describes picking it up and Jesus’ blood running down his cheek.

“I stood for what seemed like years, I’d lost all sense of time, until I felt two tiny hands holding tight to mine. The children stood there weeping, and I heard the oldest say, ‘Father please forgive us, the lamb ran away.”

Simon ends the song by pointing his children to the cross and saying, “Dear children, watch the lamb.”

What I take from the story of Simon of Cyrene is that in our lives we will be asked to carry many crosses for the sake of our Savior, and oftentimes we will have no choice. It will be difficult and ugly and inconvenient, and we will want to be anywhere but there.

But you never know who’s watching, and whose lives will be changed down the line because of how you handle that burden. People are always watching you.

Point them toward the cross, and watch the lamb. ❤️