Lessons from Matthew 27: Condemnation

After the so-called trial, and a false conviction, Jesus was condemned to die on a cross as a criminal.

In Matthew 27:31 we are told Jesus was walking, carrying His own cross on which He would meet His death. As was the practice of that day by the Roman executioners, they would parade their prisoners or convicted criminals through the town, on the way to the execution site, in the longest route possible.

This was an attempt to warn others about committing such crimes. And while they walked, usually on the main highway, there hung a sign, stating the crime or offense that the prisoner was guilty of, around their neck for all to see.

As Jesus and the other criminals walked the streets, making their way to the execution site, called Golgotha or the place of the skull (also known to us by its Latin equivalent “Calvary”), Jesus became so physically weak that He could not carry His own cross.

Remember, Jesus had been up several nights, so He was extremely fatigued. And in fact, He had prayed so hard the night before that His sweat had turned to drops of blood from the strain. After rising from His place of prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, He had been immediately confronted, arrested, and rushed to trial. That took most of the night. And He had been beaten and flogged just short of death.

Jesus had suffered much at the hands of these men, not to mention His lack of food. All of that would have made Jesus physically unable to carry His cross any further.

Because the time of Passover was quickly approaching, the religious leaders were in a hurry to carry out Jesus’s execution.

So it appears that just at that moment, we are told in Matthew 27:32 and Mark 15:21, a man by the name of Simon from Cyrene (from North Africa) happened to be walking by. Simon had probably just traveled the distance to join in the Passover Feast. As he arrived, the soldiers must have grabbed him, and forced him to carry Jesus’s cross.

It is interesting to consider Simon and what he thought about what happened. It must have affected him in quite an amazing way. Not only are we told his name but also the names of his sons. These names are believed to be mentioned later on in the early church. Alexander is thought to be the same one mentioned in Acts 19:33 and Rufus and his mother greeted by Paul in Romans 16:13.

And knowing that nothing is this world is left to chance, it appears that God Himself allowed Simon to be the one chosen to carry Jesus’s cross.

Had Simon heard the shouts of the people as they were walking and witnessed the words, Jesus, the King of the Jews? And did he believe these words to be true?

Had Jesus been walking close enough to Simon that Simon heard words of truth about Him and His kingdom?

We aren’t told exactly what happened, but I believe that day and that event changed the life of Simon from Cyrene forever and that of his family too!

Terri Hamman

Faith & Fitness Coach