In Defense of Simon of Cyrene
For many years I have had an overwhelming desire to come to the defense of Simon of Cyrene. You may recall that the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke relate that Simon was compelled to help Jesus carry the cross on the way to Calvary.
I’m not sure just what I want to defend him against. There is very little data in the biblical account of this moment in the passion of Christ. In the New American Bible-Revised Edition, the first two gospels say that he was “pressed into service…” while Luke actually records the crucifixion cronies taking hold of Simon and “laying the cross on him…”
Although the text expresses no obvious judgment concerning the actions of this innocent by-passer, it is clear that he wasn’t volunteering to help our wounded and exhausted Lord tote the cross to the hill. Maybe it’s just a little spiritual paranoia, but I frequently sense a subtle negative attitude toward the Cyrenian for this assumed reluctance to help out.
Not ever having been in the position of having my country conquered by a brutal and violent empire, I really can’t say how I would comport myself in such a situation. Suffice it to say, I would be disinclined to engage in any kind of encounter with an authority or their lackeys who prefer brute force over thoughtful and compassionate justice. So if our visitor from the country (as Mark and Luke refer to him) was reluctant to jump in and aid a convicted prisoner of this dictatorial regime, I think we can all sympathize with that sentiment.
But what’s the big deal? Why should I have this concern for a passing reference to a minor incident inside an event that is so monumental that one person’s hesitation to get involved pales in comparison? Maybe it is a certain lack of male involvement on the side of Jesus at his most crucial hour that I am particularly sensitive to.
We men don’t exactly shine in the Passion of Christ narrative. Judas kissed Him off into the hands of His captors. The rest of the apostles ran for their lives and hid. And though he did follow Jesus to the gate of the courtyard of the High Priest (and eventually inside), Peter did the big three denials, while an unnamed disciple, an acquaintance of the HP slipped inside the gate, never to be heard from again. [John 18:15 18,25 27 NABRE]
In contrast, Luke relates that some women (whom Jesus refers to as “daughters of Jerusalem”) had the audacity to meet him on the way to his execution, as well as St. Veronica and his mother (in the Catholic Stations of the Cross account). There also seems to be a notable absence of the male gender in the vicinity of the crucifixion, though there are, of course, women. In fact, only the gospel of St. John, which doesn’t even mention the Cyrenian, places John himself at the foot of the cross. He was, however, with Jesus’ mother, and one can’t help but speculate whether or not he would have been there without her.
So, in the search for someone of the male persuasion who did not run, hide, deny, or stick close to the Lord’s Mama during this ordeal, I’d like to put forward Simon of Cyrene as the male hero of the day. Granted, he was forcibly “persuaded” to take part, but he was there, he did help carry the cross, and thereby supported this victim of Roman injustice whom he possibly knew little of, being an out-of-towner.
It may be that some think “hero” a strong word for the compulsory service offered by the man from Cyrene. But what is the cross to Christians—besides the gibbet on which the Nazarene was executed? By helping Jesus bear the burden of the cross, is not Simon also playing a role in the divine atonement for our sins (and of course for his as well)?
We know little more of Simon. We can posit that he was big enough to be of effective help, or he wouldn’t have been drafted into service by the guards. But instead of further speculation, let’s meditate on the fact that God chose him for this task, and give Simon of Cyrene the credit for being part of those who helped rather than harassed or abandoned our dear Savior.
