All three Synoptic Gospels mention Simon of Cyrene [the present day Benghazi, Libya]. Simon was just passing through Jerusalem, perhaps for the feast of the Passover. When Jesus collapsed under the heavy weight of the cross He was made to carry on the way to execution at the Place of the Skull at Calvary hill after the brutal scourging He was given by Roman soldiers, Simon was conscripted or compelled by the same soldiers to carry the cross for Him, lest He should die of exhaustion and blood loss before the scheduled crucifixion.
Mark’s Gospel uniquely mentions Simon’s two sons, Alexander and Rufus, who were evidently with Simon: 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.
We can only speculate why Mark should do so. Most Bible commentators agree that Rufus and Alexander all well known fellow believers to the readers of Mark’s Gospel [This is supposed to be the Christians in Rome.] Clement, circa AD 150-215, Bishop of Alexandria, Egypt, writes this account in his writing HYPOTYPOSES: … they besought MARK, a follower of Peter, and the one whose Gospel is extant, that he would leave them a written monument of the doctrine which had been orally communicated to them. Nor did they cease until they had prevailed with the man, and had thus become the occasion of the written Gospel which bears the name of MARK. And they say that Peter when he had learned, through a revelation of the Spirit, of that which had been done, was pleased with the zeal of the men, and that the work obtained the sanction of his authority for the purpose of being used in the churches.
The Apostle Peter mentions Mark in his first epistle which is believed Peter wrote in Rome itself, as is indicated by him, when he calls the city, by a code name, Babylon, in the following words: With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. She [the church?] who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark.—1 Peter 5:12-13. And they say that this Mark was the first that was sent to Egypt, and that he proclaimed the Gospel which he had written, and first established churches in Alexandria. (Eusebius, ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 2.15.1-2, 2.16.1)
In fact, the Apostle Paul greets with tenderness a certain Rufus and his mother in his epistle to the Romans: Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. --Romans 16:13.
Richard Bauckham, author of The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony, Eerdmans, 2006, conjectures about the mention of Alexander and Rufus as an unusual detail in Mark’s Gospel: “There does not seem to be a good reason available other than that Mark is appealing to Simon’s eyewitness testimony, known in the early Christian movement not from his own firsthand account but through his sons.”
If the Rufus in Mark 15 and Romans 16 are the same individual, this indicates that Simon of Cyrene, Alexander, Rufus and Simon’s wife eventually came to a saving faith in Jesus Christ.
No one who encounters Him at anytime and by any means can ever remain the same as he or she was before. Here is a beautiful song relating the story of that encounter between Simon and Jesus!
Watch The Lamb
by Ray Boltz
Courtesy of Google Video
Walking on the road to Jerusalem,
The time had come to sacrifice again,
My two small sons,
They walk beside me on the road,
The reason that they came was to watch the lamb.
Daddy, daddy,
What will see there,
There's so much that we don't understand,
So I told them of Moses and father Abraham,
Then I said dear children watch the lamb.
There will be so many in Jerusalem today,
We must be sure the lamb doesn't run away,
And I told them of Moses and father Abraham,
Then I said dear children watch the lamb.
When we reached the city,
I knew something must be wrong,
There were no joyful worshipers,
No joyful worship songs,
I stood there with my children
in the midst of angry men,
Then I heard the crowd cry out
“Let’s Crucify Him!”
We tried to leave the city
but we could not get away,
Forced to play in this drama
a part I did not wish to play,
Why upon this day
were men condemned to die,
Why were we standing here,
Where soon they would pass by.
I looked and said, even now they come,
The first one cried for mercy,
The people gave him none,
The second one was violent,
He was arrogant and loud,
I still here his angry voice
screaming at the crowd.
Then someone said there's Jesus,
I scarce believed my eyes,
A man so badly beaten,
He barely looked alive,
Blood poured from His body,
From the thorns upon His brow,
Running down the cross,
Falling to the ground.
I watched Him as He struggled,
I watched Him as He fell,
The cross came down upon His back,
The crowd began to yell,
In that moment I felt such agony,
In that moment I felt such loss,
Till a Roman soldier grabbed my arm
and screamed, “You, carry His cross!”
At first I tried to resist him,
Then his hand reached for his sword,
So I knelt and took
the cross from the Lord,
I placed it on my shoulder,
And started down the street,
The blood that he'd been shedding
was running down my cheek.
They led us to Golgotha,
They drove nails
deep in His feet and hands,
Yet upon the cross I heard Him pray
Father, forgive them.
Oh, never have I seen such love
in any other eyes,
Into thy hands I commit my spirit
He prayed and the He died.
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,
I heard the oldest say,
Father please forgive us,
the lamb ran away.
Daddy, daddy,
What have we seen here,
There's so much
that we don't understand,
So I took them in my arms,
And we turned and faced the cross,
Then I said dear children,
WATCH THE LAMB.
- § -
Forever, Author of Salvation,
JESUS rose and conquered the grave!
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
– John 20:15-16, NIV
Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel!Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!
The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing."
-- Zephaniah 3:14, 17, NIV
Mighty To Save
by Hillsong United
Songwriters: Fielding, Ben; Morgan, Reuben
courtesy of get2pc.com
Thanks for singing!
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