Jesus on the Way to Golgotha (1)

 

 

[Luke 23:26-32]

 

Luke 23:26 says: “As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.” (Contemporary English Version: “As they led Jesus away, they grabbed Simon from Cyrene, who was coming into town from the countryside, and made him carry Jesus’ cross behind him.”)
Mark 15:21-22 says: “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. They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means ‘The Place of the Skull’).”
Here, “Golgotha” (Matthew 27:33; Mark 15:22; John 19:17) was about 700 meters from the place where Jesus was tried. It was called “The Place of the Skull” because it looked like a skull from a distance. Jesus was sentenced to death at the trial, so He was led to Golgotha to be crucified.

On the way to Golgotha, three main events occurred:

  1. Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry Jesus’ cross instead of Him (Luke 23:26).

  2. As the crowds and women followed Jesus, mourning and beating their breasts, Jesus turned to speak to them (verses 27-31).

  3. Two other criminals were led away to be executed alongside Jesus (verse 32).

In Luke 23:26, “they” refers to the Roman soldiers who were leading Jesus to be crucified. It was customary at the time for the condemned to carry their own cross to the execution site (Park Yoon-sun’s explanation). However, the Roman soldiers seized Simon of Cyrene and forced him to carry the cross instead. The name “Simon” means ‘God has heard,’ and it was a common name at the time. For example, among Jesus’ twelve apostles, there was “Simon called Peter” and “Simon the Zealot” (Matthew 10:2,4). Because there were many Simons, they were often identified by their place of origin, such as “Simon the Zealot.” Here, “Simon of Cyrene” refers to Simon’s hometown. Cyrene was a city in the region of Libya, south of Egypt (Acts 2:10), located on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa—present-day Tripoli in Libya (according to Park Yoon-sun). Simon traveled roughly 270-280 km from Libya to Jerusalem to observe the Passover, which would have taken about a month.

Luke 23:26 states that the Roman soldiers “seized” Simon as he came in from the countryside. Matthew and Mark describe this act as “forcing” him:

  • Matthew 27:32: “As they went out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon. They compelled him to carry the cross.”

  • Mark 15:21: “Simon of Cyrene was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.”

Simon did not want to carry Jesus’ cross; he was compelled by force. This raises the question: Did Simon carrying Jesus’ cross by force really help Jesus? Many commentators say that because Simon carried the cross, even if unwillingly, it helped Jesus, and as a result, Simon and his family were blessed, became believers, and were used in the church. However, Dr. Park Yoon-sun interprets differently. He says Simon’s forced carrying of the cross did not help Jesus because Jesus is God, who does not need help from humans. Furthermore, Jesus alone could accomplish the work of atonement; no sinner could add to His merit. Simon did not assist Jesus but rather unwittingly helped the executioners.

The Bible does not command us to do things “by force.” Forced actions lead to failure. God desires that we serve Him gladly, with a willing and joyful heart. Exodus 35:21,29 says: “Everyone whose heart was willing and whose spirit moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting … everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them brought the Lord’s offering to accomplish the work.”
Exodus 36:3,5 says: “They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. But the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning… so many that the craftsmen had to stop working because the materials were more than they needed.”

When doing the Lord’s work, we should not be forced but serve with a joyful and willing heart. I pray that from today on, we may resolve to serve the Lord with a cheerful and willing spirit.