Dare to Be Simon of Cyrene

Dare to Be Simon of Cyrene

Daily Scripture Threshing for Today, Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Today’s Text: Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26

Key Verse: Matthew 27:32 (KJV) — “And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.”

On the road to Calvary, amid the cruelty of soldiers and the gathering crowd, an ordinary passerby was drawn into an extraordinary moment. His name was Simon of Cyrene. He was not introduced as an apostle, a preacher, or a man seeking a place in history. He was passing by when the soldiers compelled him to carry the cross of Jesus. Scripture does not tell us that Jesus collapsed or explicitly explained why Simon was pressed into service; it tells us that this man was made to carry the cross behind Him. What an unforgettable picture of a burden shared along the road of suffering! Some people watch another person struggle and remain spectators; others find themselves close enough to feel the weight. God calls us beyond the comfort of observing pain into the costly ministry of helping to bear it. Dare to be Simon of Cyrene: dare to let another person’s burden interrupt your journey, engage your strength, and move your faith from words into service.

Simon’s encounter reminds us that significant service does not always arrive by invitation or at a convenient hour. Mark describes him as one who “passed by, coming out of the country,” and identifies him as the father of Alexander and Rufus (Mark 15:21). He was compelled, not recorded as volunteering; we must not give him a speech of willingness that Scripture does not preserve. Nevertheless, the burden placed upon his shoulders gives us a searching picture for our own discipleship. We often want opportunities to serve that fit neatly within our plans, preserve our comfort, and require little rearrangement. But what happens when someone’s need crosses our carefully arranged day? A weary parent needs relief, a grieving neighbor needs company, or a struggling believer needs someone to walk beside them. Dare to be available when compassion becomes inconvenient. The interruption you would rather avoid may become the very place where you are called to practice the love you profess.

Luke adds a detail that deserves to stay with us: they laid the cross upon Simon “to carry it behind Jesus” (Luke 23:26). Behind Jesus—not ahead of Him, not in His place, and not as the savior of the suffering Savior. Simon carried the wooden burden, but Christ alone accomplished the saving work. We must keep that distinction clear: helping someone does not make us their redeemer, and serving Christ does not make us the source of His power. Yet there is a beautiful lesson in Simon’s position. True service follows the Lord rather than using another person’s suffering as a stage for self-importance. Can you help without taking control, give without demanding recognition, and remain faithful when nobody announces your contribution? Dare to carry what love places within your reach without trying to occupy the place that belongs to Jesus.

Simon’s part in the journey was brief in the telling, but it was not insignificant. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all preserve his involvement, although none of these accounts records his feelings or tells us what became of him afterward. We do not need to invent his later story to recognize the challenge his recorded act places before us. Not every meaningful contribution requires a lifetime in public view; sometimes, another person needs your strength for one difficult stretch of road. You may not remove the diagnosis, reverse the bereavement, or resolve every hardship, but you can prepare a meal, provide transportation, sit through an anxious appointment, or listen without rushing the wounded toward easy answers. Encouragement becomes tangible when it has hands, feet, time, and patience. Dare to be Simon of Cyrene: dare to move from feeling sorry for the burdened to doing something that helps them carry the weight.

There is also a searching difference between admiring the cross and accepting the demands of following the One who bore it. Simon’s outward position—carrying a cross behind Jesus—offers a vivid picture alongside the Lord’s call to take up our cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). The accounts do not establish Simon’s inward response, but they can still challenge ours. We can not claim devotion to the suffering Christ while making indifference to suffering people our settled habit. Neither should we confuse burden-bearing with the need to become indispensable or to carry every responsibility alone. Faithful love asks what help is needed, offers what it can responsibly give, and remembers that the person being helped has dignity beyond their distress. Dare to lend your strength without diminishing another person. Dare to walk beside the weary without making their weakness the subject of your conversation. Let your presence say, “You do not have to walk this difficult stretch without help.”

Action Steps: Identify one person whose present burden calls for practical help rather than another expression of sympathy. Ask what would genuinely ease the weight, and choose one specific act you can responsibly carry out: deliver a meal, offer a ride, help with an essential task, or give unhurried companionship. As you gather with God’s people or connect with someone in your community today, look beyond familiar greetings and notice who may be struggling quietly. Serve without seeking attention, protect the person’s dignity, and follow through on what you promise. Ask God to make you more than a witness to another person’s weariness; ask Him to make you a faithful companion along the way.

Quote for the Day: “You may not be able to shorten another person’s road of suffering, but you can lend your strength so they do not carry every burden alone.” — (Simon Olatunji #quotablequotes)

Let Us Pray: Heavenly Father, deliver me from the comfort of watching when You are calling me to help. Give me eyes to notice the weary, compassion that moves beyond words, and strength that is willing to serve without applause. When another person’s need interrupts my plans, teach me to respond with wisdom, humility, and love. Keep me from making myself the center of someone else’s suffering, and remind me that Jesus alone is Savior. Show me what I can faithfully carry, what I must entrust to You, and how to walk beside others without taking away their dignity. As I worship You among Your people, let my devotion become practical kindness. Make my hands useful, my presence reassuring, and my heart obedient, that someone may find strength to continue because I walked a little of the road with them—in Jesus’ most glorious name. Amen.

__________________

Thank you for threshing the Word with me today. For further study on this topic, please read: Matthew 27:27–32; Mark 15:15–22; Luke 23:26–31; John 19:16–18; Luke 9:23–25; Galatians 6:2–5; Hebrews 6:10.

With all my love and prayers,

Simon Wale Olatunji, Ph.D.

Your Darling Bishop (DaBishop)

Send | Share | Subscribe | Support