When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe, and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led Him away to be crucified. Along the way, they came across a man named Simon who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Matthew 27:31–32)
Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha). (John 19:16–17)
When I think of the cross of Jesus, I think of him enduring the torturous pain of being nailed to it, bleeding, suffocating, and enduring the mockery around him. If you choose your words carefullly and ask me to “picture Jesus and the cross”, my mind will produce a picture of him on it. I confess I rarely think about him having to carry his own cross to the spot of the crucifixion. And wherever that Place of the Skull was located, it was a pretty serious hike from the place of judgment. From what we know of the layout of Jerusalem, the distance between the Praetorium and a place outside the city where a crucifixion would be held was not in close proximity.
As I read the two passages above, I notice that Jesus carried it, and a man named Simon also carried it. I don’t see a discrepancy; sounds like Jesus was bearing his own cross at different stages, or sharing the heavy load at different times. Sometimes on his own, or other times with Simon. Simon, by the way, didn’t volunteer, but was forced to do it.
I wonder: did a soldier pick Simon out of the crowd because it looked like “he had muscles”, and muscle man would make sure it got there without further delay? It would require muscles because the soldiers knew how heavy it was? The guy who’s just been tried and found guilty and forced to carry his cross doesn’t look like he’s going to make it, and we really need to get on with the program, so let’s make sure there’s a hefty guy who can at least get us there without further delay.
Jesus was no doubt exhausted after being beaten. He had hardly any strength left. His body was in shock. Looks like they forced prisoners to carry their own crosses after the “warm up exercises” of torture. We see Jesus under a heavy load. Trying his best to bear it up. Looking for any remaining strength. We don’t hear him complaining! He’s now in the final stage of the crucifixion triathlon: judgment mockery, incessant beatings, cross carrying.
The cross of Jesus had to be excruciatingly heavy. And the wood was rough, full of splinters. Wearing out Jesus’ shoulders, bouncing against his head and neck as he dragged it along a rough street (not to mention up the hill; and I doubt it was paved?)
Simon the Substitute helped lessen the burden, but I wonder how much he helped overall? After dragging, maneuvering, carrying, and hauling that heavy cross up Crucifixion Hill, could Jesus have had any strength left for what was ahead?
“Father, we are moved yet again in our spirits by the events of the crucifixion—mindful that Jesus did not just die on that heavy cross, but had to carry it to the site of his execution.”
Freddy Boswell 