Good Friday and the enforced burden of Simon Of Cyrene

Friday morning was bright and beautiful as Simon of Cyrene left his home in Jerusalem. The season was in the early spring, in the days after the winter rains had ceased. As the sun rose, this man of Cyrene looked at his long list of appointments and tasks which had to be completed. It was the day of Preparation for the Sabbath, and as such, all work needed to cease by mid-afternoon for this businessman of the Diaspora.

Simon of Cyrene

Simon was a Jewish member of the Diaspora who had grown up in the Greek community of Cyrene on the northern coast of Africa. The community is at the point of the continent closest to Greece.

Tradition states that in 630 BCE, a colony of Greeks settled on this land to ease the overpopulation of the Aegean Island of Thera. The city was built near an oasis with an abundance of water from a source known as the “Fountain of Apollo.” Aristoteles the Stammerer was made the ruler of this city-state. Strabo records that Cyrene is a beautiful land where the dolphins swim just off shore.

The city of Cyrene is very beautiful and historic. In the first century about 100,000 people lived in the city. Today there is a UNESCO historic site that is working to protect the ruins of the acropolis. If you want to take a look, click on the video tab at this link.

Herodotus wrote, “The country of Cyrene, which is the highest part of that Libya which the nomads inhabit, has the marvellous boon of three harvest seasons. First on the sea‑coast the fruits of the earth are ripe for reaping and plucking: when these are gathered, the middle region above the coast, that which they call the Hills, is ripe for gathering: and no sooner is this yield of the middle country gathered than the highest-lying crops are mellow and ripe, so that the latest fruits of the earth are coming in when the earliest are already spent by way of food and drink. Thus the Cyrenaeans have a harvest lasting eight months.” (4.199)

One of the agricultural products of Cyrene was silphium which had medical properties. The herb contained a milky, resinous juice (laserpicium) that could be extracted from either the root or the stem. This substance was a cure against throat diseases, cough, and almost any other illness. The root was bitter and used as a spice. Pliny the Elder says the plant was “being sold at the same rate as silver.” (19.86) The plant was actually a weed, and is now extinct.

The Country of Cyrenaica

Simon was a member of the Sephardic Jewish community in Cyrene. This enclave within the larger metropolis dates from at least the time of Ptolemy I. (Ptolemy Soter was an insider and general for Alexander the Great, who became ruler of Egypt and Northern Africa upon the death of the Greek General and Ptolemy’s close friend.)  He was a merchant, who possibly exported Silphium to Judea.

Several people of notable fame came from the country of Cyrenaica. Jason of Cyrene was a historian who wrote the source material for 2 Maccabees. Also two Messiahs Jonathan the Weaver  (70 CE – Josephus War 7.437ff) and Lukuas or Andreas (115 CE Cassius Dio, Roman History, 68.32,) made it into the history books. 

Good Friday

Simon’s business connections brought him to Jerusalem on a regular basis. As was common among businessmen, Simon of Cyrene owned a home in the Holy City that he visited on a regular basis. His visits always included the three Jewish harvest festivals of Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Pentecost), and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) because of religious obligations and business opportunities.

Simon of Cyrene’s brush with historic fame came on that infamous Friday when a condemned Messiah was sent to the cross. The Gospel of Luke tells us, “the soldiers ,,, seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.” (Lk 23:26) At the site of the cross, the wooden crossbar was lifted from Simon’s shoulders, and he watched as a convicted man, Jesus of Nazareth was nailed to the cross.

The Aftermath

It is not known whether Simon of Cyrene knew Jesus, or if he had even heard of him, but on that Friday, which is today called Good Friday, Simon’s life changed. As he left the circle of Roman soldiers, he asked the crowd what was happening, and one of the women who was with Jesus probably stepped up, and through her tears, told Simon the full story of his arrest, the last supper, and his full ministry. The Historian Josephus says Jesus “was a doer of wonderful works; a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure.” (Ant 18.3.3)

Simon of Cyrene heard the story, and took it to heart. The writer of Mark said, “the father of Alexander and Rufus.” (Mark 15:21) The fact that we have this information means that Simon became a believer and participated in the church in Jerusalem. In 1941, this information was confirmed as a tomb was uncovered that contained the tomb of Alexander, the son of Simon of Cyrene.

If you would like to know more about the story of Simon of Cyrene, Good Friday, the Resurrection, or the life of Jesus, many resources are available online. Four books I would like to recommend are The Case of the Missing Body (A dramatic rendering of Easter Morning with added details), Israel: Stories for Your Journey (A book of stories about many sites around Jerusalem and Israel connected with the Easter Story. This is a fantastic travel guide for anyone going on a tour of the Holy Land),.

Spring: Connecting with God (A book that gives a unique view of the A Christian Passover in the Jewish Tradition and the Last Supper of Jesus), or if you would like to know more about the Last Supper, Passover. These books are available on Kindle e-reader, paperback books, or can be read online.