Luke 23:26 kjv
And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.
Luke 23:26 nkjv
Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.
Luke 23:26 niv
As the soldiers led him away, they 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.
Luke 23:26 esv
And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.
Luke 23:26 nlt
As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.
Luke 23 26 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Matt 27:32 | As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name... him they compelled to carry His cross. | Synoptic parallel, notes "found" and "compelled." |
| Mark 15:21 | And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene... to carry His cross. He was the father of Alexander and Rufus. | Synoptic parallel, emphasizes compulsion, adds sons' names (known in early church). |
| Luke 9:23 | If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. | Theological link to Christ's teaching on discipleship and cross-bearing. |
| Matt 16:24 | Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” | Parallel teaching on cost of discipleship, foreshadows Simon's action. |
| Mark 8:34 | He called the crowd with His disciples... “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” | Another parallel, emphasizes the universality of the call. |
| Luke 14:27 | Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. | Reinforces the necessity of cross-bearing for true discipleship. |
| Matt 10:38 | And whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. | Highlights the radical commitment required. |
| Isa 53:4 | Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. | Prophetic foreshadowing of Christ's suffering and burden-bearing. |
| John 19:17 | And He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. | Shows Jesus initially bore His cross before Simon took over. |
| Rom 16:13 | Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me also. | Possible link to Simon's son, Rufus, suggesting the family became believers. |
| Phil 3:10 | That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death. | Apostolic desire to share in Christ's suffering, mirroring Simon's act. |
| 2 Tim 2:12 | If we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He will also deny us. | Emphasizes enduring hardship for Christ, even involuntarily at first. |
| 1 Pet 2:21 | For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps. | Calls believers to follow Christ's example of suffering, fitting Simon's experience. | Gal 6:2 | Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. | Although forced, Simon literally bears Jesus' burden, illustrating the principle. |
| Matt 5:41 | And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. | Jesus' teaching on forced service; Simon's forced carrying aligns with Roman practice. |
| Heb 12:3 | Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. | Jesus' endurance under duress before needing help. |
| Acts 11:20 | But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. | Illustrates Cyreneans' role in early Christian evangelism, reinforcing potential conversion. |
| Acts 13:1 | Now there were in Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger... | Some scholars propose "Simeon who was called Niger" might be Simon of Cyrene, though speculative. |
| Gal 6:14 | But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. | Paul's embrace of the cross as central to faith, drawing a thematic link. |
Luke 23 verses
Luke 23 26 Meaning
Luke 23:26 details an event during Jesus' journey to Golgotha, where a man named Simon, from Cyrene, was compelled by Roman soldiers to carry Jesus' cross. As Jesus was weakened from scourging and the ordeal, He could no longer bear the full weight. Simon, an outsider simply coming into Jerusalem from the countryside, was seized and made to carry the instrument of execution, following behind Jesus. This moment is pivotal, depicting the literal burden of Christ's suffering being temporarily shared, albeit forcibly, by an ordinary man, thereby visually representing the call to follow Jesus by bearing a cross.
Luke 23 26 Context
Luke 23:26 is situated within Luke's detailed account of Jesus' crucifixion narrative. Immediately prior, Jesus has been condemned by Pilate despite the governor's recognition of His innocence (Luke 23:22-25). Jesus is handed over to be crucified. The procession to Golgotha begins, and this verse marks a crucial point where Jesus' physical weakness becomes evident, necessitating external intervention. The specific mention of Simon of Cyrene highlights a historical detail of Roman crucifixion practice, where a condemned man was often made to carry his own crossbeam (patibulum). Jesus, however, had been brutally scourged and endured a sleepless night of trials, making Him too weak to complete this arduous task. The Romans, needing the execution to proceed efficiently, pressed a bystander into service. Luke's account, along with Matthew's and Mark's, indicates the swift, impersonal, and authoritative nature of Roman law enforcement. This incident not only reveals Jesus' extreme suffering but also introduces an unexpected character, a foreigner, into the narrative of Christ's passion, linking an ordinary person's life directly with the central act of salvation.
Luke 23 26 Word analysis
- And as they led him away (ὡς ἀπῆγον αὐτόν):
- ὡς (hōs): "As" or "when," indicating concurrent action.
- ἀπῆγον (apēgon): Imperfect active indicative of apago, "to lead away, carry off." Denotes continuous or repeated action, emphasizing the ongoing forced procession of Jesus. It highlights Jesus' vulnerability and the control exercised by the Roman soldiers.
- they seized (ἐπιλαβόμενοι - epilabomenoi):
- Participle of epilambanomai, meaning "to take hold of, seize, grasp, apprehend."
- Implies an act of force or compulsion. Simon was not a volunteer. It indicates the arbitrary power of the Roman authorities.
- one Simon (Σίμωνά τινα - Simona tina):
- τινα (tina): "Certain," "someone," emphasizing his anonymous and accidental role at that moment, an ordinary individual caught up in extraordinary events.
- Σίμων (Simōn): A common Jewish name.
- a Cyrenian (Κυρηναῖον - Kyrenaiō):
- Identifies Simon as from Cyrene, a city in North Africa (modern Libya) with a significant Jewish diaspora. Many Jews from Cyrene traveled to Jerusalem for Passover.
- Significance: He was a non-local, likely a pilgrim, suggesting an outsider unexpectedly drawn into the center of God's redemptive plan. His origin may suggest he was not initially a disciple.
- who was coming in from the country (ἐρχόμενον ἀπ' ἀγροῦ - erchomenon ap’ agrou):
- ἐρχόμενον (erchomenon): Participle, "coming."
- ἀπ' ἀγροῦ (ap' agrou): "From the field/countryside." Implies he was a regular person returning from work or daily activities outside the city walls. This reinforces his portrayal as an innocent bystander, suddenly conscripted.
- and laid on him (ἐπέθηκαν αὐτῷ - epethēkan autō):
- Aorist active indicative of epithēmi, "to put upon, lay upon." Direct and definitive action.
- It was an imposed burden, not an option.
- the cross (τὸν σταυρόν - ton stauron):
- τὸν (ton): Definite article "the," implying the very cross intended for Jesus.
- σταυρόν (stauron): "Cross," referring to the full instrument of execution or at least the heavy crossbeam (patibulum).
- Significance: Simon takes Jesus' specific burden, not just a cross.
- to carry it after Jesus (φέρειν ὄπισθεν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ - pherein opisthen tou Iēsou):
- φέρειν (pherein): Infinitive "to carry," indicates purpose.
- ὄπισθεν (opisthen): "Behind, after." This phrase is critically important.
- τοῦ Ἰησοῦ (tou Iēsou): "Jesus."
- Significance: Simon literally does what Jesus calls His disciples to do: "take up their cross and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). This forced physical act carries profound spiritual resonance.
- Word-groups analysis:
- "As they led him away, they seized one Simon, a Cyrenian...": This phrase vividly portrays the unexpected and forceful conscription. Jesus' weakness is implicitly shown, as Roman soldiers wouldn't arbitrarily press a stranger into service if the condemned could bear their own cross. It underscores the Romans' arbitrary authority and efficient, brutal procedures.
- "who was coming in from the country...": This detail emphasizes Simon's outsider status and accidental involvement. He was not part of the hostile Jerusalem crowd or an active disciple. His mundane daily activity was interrupted by a divine purpose, making him a reluctant participant in redemptive history.
- "and laid on him the cross, to carry it after Jesus.": This climactic phrase unites the literal and the spiritual. Simon's physical act of carrying the cross for Jesus immediately echoes Jesus' consistent teaching about discipleship. "To carry it after Jesus" provides a direct visual sermon on what it means to be a follower of Christ—to share in His suffering and walk His path, even when it is a burden. This moment illustrates Christ's burden-bearing love extending even to those around Him.
Luke 23 26 Bonus section
Simon of Cyrene's story is one of serendipity and providential interception. Though forcibly compelled, his interaction with the physical instrument of Jesus' suffering is a singular historical event for any human apart from Jesus Himself. Some early Church traditions, fueled partly by Mark's mention of his sons Alexander and Rufus (Mark 15:21) – Rufus likely being the same person commended by Paul in Rom 16:13 – suggest that Simon and his family might have become notable members of the early Christian community, perhaps influenced by this profound, albeit harsh, encounter. This transformation from forced helper to potential disciple would beautifully underscore the theme that God uses all circumstances, even hardship and unwilling service, to draw people into His redemptive story. His action literally manifests the sharing of the Christ's burden, a motif central to Christian life (Gal 6:2). Simon, a foreign Jew or a Jewish convert from the Diaspora, became a living example for all believers: the cross of Christ must be embraced and carried, and often, it is through trials and suffering that true discipleship is realized.
Luke 23 26 Commentary
Luke 23:26 succinctly narrates the forced enlistment of Simon of Cyrene to carry Jesus' cross, a scene also found in the other synoptic Gospels. This moment is brief yet profoundly significant. It highlights Jesus' utter physical debilitation from the scourging and suffering, indicating His complete expenditure of strength even before reaching Golgotha. The Roman soldiers, aiming for efficiency, show no compassion but merely practical resolve in pressing a passerby into service, revealing the brutal realities of Roman power. Simon, an ordinary pilgrim or laborer returning from the countryside, is thrust into an unwilling, yet ultimately momentous, role. His act of physically bearing the cross behind Jesus embodies, albeit involuntarily at first, the very teaching Jesus repeatedly issued to His disciples: "take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). Thus, an anonymous stranger, seized by Roman authority, literally fulfills the posture of discipleship, foreshadowing how sharing in Christ's suffering, often unexpectedly, is integral to His path. The narrative doesn't confirm Simon's later conversion, but the precise detailing, including the mention of his sons in Mark's Gospel, suggests he became known among the early believers, demonstrating how divine purpose can intersect with even the most incidental moments of human life.