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26 And when they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, as he was coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus. 27 Now following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and grieving for Him. ~ Luke 23:26-27
The earthly journey of the Lord to the cross did not begin thirty-three years earlier, it began in eternity past. This was no surprise to God, it was a part of His plan to redeem mankind.
Imagine, the God of all is being led away by the very ones for whom He is about to be made sin. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
From Pilate’s residence to Golgotha was only a few hundred yards. For now, these were the final steps of the Lord Jesus on the earth. And, it was a part of the prisoner’s humiliation that He carry His cross to the place of His execution.
In v.26 we read, "And when they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, as he was coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus."
At this point the Lord Jesus was unable to carry His cross due to the beating that was levied on Him by the bloodthirsty Roman soldiers. During the beating the Lord Jesus lost a substantial amount of blood and was physically weakened to the point of utter exhaustion. And, since He was unable to carry His cross, the Roman soldiers seemed to randomly choose Simon of Cyrene to carry it for Him.
We live each day thinking our lives seem to be very random. The Roman soldiers seized what seemed to be a random man but I would beg to differ. In v.26 we read, “as he was coming in from the country.”
Simon had just arrived in Jerusalem at Passover. I wonder if he had left his country at the time he wanted or was he off schedule. These details paint a story that only Simon knew. I am sure after these events, He rehearsed them in his mind and marveled, especially since he came to faith in the Lord Jesus.
Simon didn’t live in Israel, and, the Lord Jesus had never visited his home town or his home country. He was in Jerusalem in order to observe the Passover as a devout Jew. What seemed to be a mistake turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for this worshipper from Cyrene. And, it turned out to be the greatest blessing because it brought him in contact with the Lord Jesus.
Simon was converted because of this encounter with the Lord Jesus. In Mark 15:21, Mark identified him as “the father of Alexander and Rufus.” A Christian named Rufus was greeted by Paul in Romans 16:13, and it is possible that he was the son of Simon of Cyrene. Apparently Simon and his two sons became well-known Christians who were held in honor in the early church.
Before Simon met the Lord Jesus, he had religion, but after he met the Lord Jesus, he had received real salvation. He did both a physical and spiritual “about face” that morning, and it transformed his life. God always uses unexpected and difficult situations, even humiliating situations, to bring people to the Savior.
In that day, public executions drew large crowds of spectators, and this one was no exception. Add to this the fact that Jerusalem was crowded with Passover worshippers, and it is not difficult to believe that a “large crowd” was following the condemned savior to Calvary.
In v.27 we read, "Now following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and grieving for Him."
In that crowd was a group of women who openly wept and lamented as they grieved for the Lord Jesus. This one verse underlines the truth that no woman was ever an enemy of the Lord Jesus. Nor was the Lord Jesus ever the enemy of women.
In their culture women were considered the least. God has always had a heart for the least. Aren't you glad that He has a heart for the least. I am, because I am the least.
