Luke 23:26 - Printer Friendly

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.

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.

NASB: And when they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, as he was coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

CSB: As they led him away, they seized Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, and laid the cross on him to carry behind Jesus.

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.

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.

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.

The blood-thirsty crowd has prevailed. For fear of unleashing a riot (Matthew 27:24), Pilate has signed the death order for an innocent man. He releases a known insurrectionist and murderer and delivers Jesus to the will of the crowd (Luke 23:25).

Luke's description is somewhat mild; Matthew adds more details. First, Pilate symbolically washes his hands attempting to absolve himself of Jesus' murder; the crowd readily takes responsibility (Matthew 27:24–25). Then Pilate has Jesus scourged, a vicious torture that rips Jesus' flesh and probably accelerates His death (Matthew 27:26).

Finally, Pilate gives Jesus to his soldiers. They take Him from the judgment seat to Pilate's headquarters, strip Him, and put a robe over His open wounds. They mock Him as king with a crown of thorns, beat Him on the head, and return His clothes to Him for His crucifixion (Matthew 27:27–31).

Matthew 27:32 also mentions Simon of Cyrene and Mark 15:21 includes the names of Simon's sons, inferring that the apostles later knew them. Simon is a passerby, evidently from Libya, but he may work in the fields in Judea.

John 19:17 only mentions that Jesus carried His own cross—the crossbeam to which His hands are later nailed. That's not a contradiction. Apparently, Jesus starts out carrying the beam but the repeated beatings and scourgings have made Him too weak to continue, so the soldiers force Simon to take His place, a practice Jesus mentioned before (Matthew 5:41).

Luke 23:26–31 describes Jesus' journey to the cross. Along the way, Simon of Cyrene is conscripted to carry the cross beam. In a section unique to Luke, a large crowd follows Jesus, mourning; Jesus tells the women that their own great hardships are yet to come. Matthew 27:27–32, Mark 15:16–21, and John 19:16–17 add other details like the crown of thorns and the Roman soldiers mocking Jesus.

Luke 23 records the remaining trials, death, and burial of Jesus Christ. He is examined by the Roman governor and the local appointed King, neither of whom are interested in passing a death sentence. Local religious leaders incite the crowd, pressuring the governor, Pilate, to authorize crucifixion. Jesus accepts the faith of another condemned man and dies. Joseph of Arimathea asks for Jesus body and buries it in a tomb cut from rock.

Luke 23 records Jesus' civil trials, crucifixion, and burial. The members of the Sanhedrin have put Jesus through three trials in their attempt to convince Pilate He's a threat (Luke 22:47–71). Their case is weak, but their political influence is powerful enough to force Pilate's hand. Jesus is executed. Three days after Joseph of Arimathea buries Jesus, Jesus reappears on the road to Emmaus where He explains Messianic prophecies in Jewish Scriptures. After spending time with His followers, Jesus ascends into heaven (Luke 24) and the disciples build the church (Acts).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.