Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross. Mark 15:21
Jesus chose two Simons, one surnamed Peter, and one known as a zealot, but then a third one is passing by while Jesus bears His cross toward Golgotha. The Roman soldiers chose this third Simon, and they didn't ask whether he wanted to come along with or not. Why did they choose this man from a city in what we know as Libya? Probably due to his appearance, given they knew nothing else about him. For all those who state their piety by desiring to touch the cross of Jesus, Simon gets to do it by the overbearing compulsion of imperial Rome. This Simon may not have seen the honor in it. The cross of Jesus, bloody and sweaty, and probably used for many executions before and after this time. Imagine being compelled to tote an electric chair up the hill to a public execution. You would need no compulsion to let everyone up there know the chair wasn't for you!
Let 'em know, Jesus is Lord!
Bucky
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