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Commentary on Luke 23 verses 26–31
We have here the blessed Jesus, the Lamb of God, led as a lamb to the slaughter, to the sacrifice. It is strange with what expedition they went through his trial; how they could do so much work in such a little time, though they had so many great men to deal with, attendance on whom is usually a work of time. He was brought before the chief priests at break of day (Luk 22:66), after that to Pilate, then to Herod, then to Pilate again; and there seems to have been a long struggle between Pilate and the people about him. He was scourged, and crowned with thorns and contumeliously used, and all this was done in four or five hours' time, or six at most, for he was crucified between nine o'clock and twelve. Christ's persecutors resolve to lose no time, for fear lest his friends at the other end of the town should get notice of what they were doing, and should rise to rescue him. Never any one was so chased out of the world as Christ was, but so he himself said, Yet a little while and ye shall not see me; a very little while indeed. Now as they led him away to death we find,
I. One that was a bearer, that carried his cross, Simon by name, a Cyrenian, who probably was a friend of Christ, and was known to be so, and this was done to put a reproach upon him; they laid Christ's cross upon him, that he might bear it after Jesus (Luk 23:26), lest Jesus should faint under it and die away, and so prevent the further instances of malice they designed. It was pity, but a cruel pity, that gave him this ease.
II. Many that were mourners, true mourners, who followed him, bewailing and lamenting him. These were not only his friends and well-wishers, but the common people, that were not his enemies, and were moved with compassion towards him, because they had heard the fame of him, and what an excellent useful man he was, and had reason to think he suffered unjustly. This drew a great crowd after him, as is usual at executions, especially of those that have been persons of distinction: A great company of people followed him, especially of women (Luk 23:27), some led by pity, others by curiosity, but they also (as well as those that were his particular friends and acquaintance) bewailed and lamented him. Though there were many that reproached and reviled him, yet there were some that valued him, and pitied him, and were sorry for him, and were partakers with him in his sufferings. The dying of the Lord Jesus may perhaps move natural affections in many that are strangers to devout affections; many bewail Christ that do not believe in him, and lament him that do not love him above all. Now here we are told what Christ said to these mourners. Though one would think he should be wholly taken up with his own concern, yet he found time and heart to take cognizance of their tears. Christ died lamented, and has a bottle for the tears of those that lamented him. He turned to them, though they were strangers to him, and bade them not weep for him, but for themselves. He diverts their lamentation into another channel, Luk 23:28.
1.He gives them a general direction concerning their lamentations: Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me. Not that they were to be blamed for weeping for him, but rather commended; those hearts were hard indeed that were not affected with such sufferings of such a person; but they must not weep for him only (those were profitless tears that they shed for him), but rather let them weep for themselves and for their children, with an eye to the destruction that was coming upon Jerusalem, which some of them might live to see and share in the calamities of, or, at least, their children would, for whom they ought to be solicitous. Note, When with an eye of faith we behold Christ crucified we ought to weep, not for him, but for ourselves. We must not be affected with the death of Christ as with the death of a common person whose calamity we pity, or of a common friend whom we are likely to part with. The death of Christ was a thing peculiar; it was his victory and triumph over his enemies; it was our deliverance, and the purchase of eternal life for us. And therefore let us weep, not for him, but for our own sins, and the sins of our children, that were the cause of his death; and weep for fear (such were the tears here prescribed) of the miseries we shall bring upon ourselves, if we slight his love, and reject his grace, as the Jewish nation did, which brought upon them the ruin here foretold. When our dear relations and friends die in Christ, we have no reason to weep for them, who have put off the burden of the flesh, are made perfect in holiness, and have entered into perfect rest and joy, but for ourselves and our children, who are left behind in a world of sins, and sorrows, and snares.
2.He gives them a particular reason why they should weep for themselves and for their children: "Fore behold sad times are coming upon your city; it will be destroyed, and you will be involved in the common destruction." When Christ's own disciples sorrowed after a godly sort for his leaving them, he wiped away their tears with the promise that he would see them again, and they should rejoice, Joh 16:22. But, when these daughters of Jerusalem bewailed him only with a worldly sorrow, he turned their tears into another channel, and told them that they should have something given them to cry for. Let them be afflicted, and mourn, and weep, Jam 4:9. He had lately wept over Jerusalem himself, and now he bids them weep over it. Christ's tears should set us a weeping. Let the daughters of Zion, that own Christ for their king, rejoice in him, for he comes to save them; but let the daughters of Jerusalem, that only weep for him, but do not take him for their king, weep and tremble to think of his coming to judge them. Now the destruction of Jerusalem is here foretold by two proverbial sayings, that might then fitly be used, which both bespeak it very terrible, that what people commonly dread they would then desire, to be written childless and to be buried alive. (1.) They would wish to be written childless. Whereas commonly those that have no children envy those that have, as Rachel envied Leah, then those that have children will find them such a burden in attempting to escape, and such a grief when they see them either fainting for famine or falling by the sword, that they will envy those that have none, and say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, that have no children to be given up to the murderer, or to be snatched out of his hands. It would not only go ill with those who at that time were with child, or giving suck, as Christ had said (Mat 24:19), but it would be terrible to those who had had children, and suckled them, and had them now alive. See Hos 9:11-14. See the vanity of the creature and the uncertainty of its comforts; for such may be the changes of Providence concerning us that those very things may become the greatest burdens, cares, and griefs to us, which we have delighted in as the greatest blessings. (2.) They would wish to be buried alive: They shall begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us, and to the hills, Cover us, Luk 23:30. This also refers to a passage in the same prophecy with the former, Hos 10:8. They shall wish to be hid in the darkest caves, that they may be out of the noise of these calamities. They will be willing to be sheltered upon any terms, though with the hazard of being crushed to pieces. This would be the language especially of the great and mighty men, Rev 6:16. They that would not flee to Christ for refuge, and put themselves under his protection, will in vain call to hills and mountains to shelter them from his wrath.
2.He shows how natural it was for them to infer this desolation from his sufferings. If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry? Luk 23:31. Some think that this is borrowed from Eze 20:47 : The fire shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree. These words may be applied, (1.) More particularly to the destruction of Jerusalem, which Christ here foretold, and which the Jews by putting him to death brought upon themselves: "If they (the Jews, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem) do these things upon the green tree, if they do thus abuse an innocent and excellent person for his good works, how may they expect God to deal with them for their so doing, who have made themselves a dry tree, a corrupt and wicked generation, and good for nothing? If this be their sin, what do you think will be their punishment?" Or take it thus: "If they (the Romans, their judges, and their soldiers) abuse me thus, who have given them no provocation, who am to them as a green tree, which you seem to be as much enraged at, what will they do by Jerusalem and the Jewish nation, who will be so very provoking to them, and make themselves as a dry tree, as fuel to the fire of their resentments? If God suffer those things to be done to me, what will he appoint to be done to those barren trees of whom it had been often said that they should be hewn down and cast into the fire?" Mat 3:10; Mat 7:19. (2.) They may be applied more generally to all the revelations of God's wrath against sin and sinners: "If God deliver me up to such sufferings as these because I am made a sacrifice for sin, what will he do with sinners themselves?" Christ was a green tree, fruitful and flourishing; now, if such things were done to him, we may thence infer what would have been done to the whole race of mankind if he had not interposed, and what shall be done to those that continue dry trees, notwithstanding all that is done to make them fruitful. If God did this to the Son of his love, when he found sin but imputed to him, what shall he do to the generation of his wrath, when he finds sin reigning in them? If the Father was pleased in doing these things to the green tree, why should he be loth to do it to the dry? Note, The consideration of the bitter sufferings of our Lord Jesus should engage us to stand in awe of the justice of God, and to tremble before him. The best saints, compared with Christ, are dry tree; if he suffer, why may not they expect so suffer? And what then shall the damnation of sinners be?
Christ, moreover, he affirms to have been sent, not by this maker of the world, but by the above-named Abraxas; and to have come in a phantasm, and been destitute of the substance of flesh: that it was not He who suffered among the Jews, but that Simon was crucified in His stead: whence, again, there must be no believing on him who was crucified, lest one confess to having believed on Simon.
After he took up the wood of his cross and set out, they found and stopped a man of Cyrene, that is, from among the Gentiles, and placed the wood of the cross on him. It was only right that they should have given the wood of the cross voluntarily to the Gentiles, since in their rebellion, the Jews rejected the coming of him who was bringing all blessings. In rejecting it themselves, in their jealousy, they threw it away to the Gentiles. They rejected it in their jealousy, and the Gentiles received it, to their even greater jealousy. The Lord approved the welcoming Gentiles and thus provoked jealousy among their contemporaries through the Gentiles’ acceptance. By carrying the wood of his cross himself, Christ revealed the sign of his victory. Christ said that another person would not pressure him into death. “I have power over my life, to lay it down or to take it up again.” Why should another person have carried the cross? This showed that he, in whom no sin could be found, went up on the cross for those who rejected him.
Christ therefore bearing His cross, already as a conqueror carried His trophies. The cross is laid upon His shoulders, because, whether Simon or Himself bore it, both Christ bore it in the man, and the man in Christ. Nor do the accounts of the Evangelists differ, since the mystery reconciles them. And it is the rightful order of our advance that Christ should first Himself erect the trophy of His cross, then hand it down to be raised by His martyrs. He is not a Jew who bears the cross, but an alien and a foreigner, nor does he precede but follow, according as it is written, Let him lake up his cross, and follow me. (Matt. 16:24, Luke 9:23.)
For they thought they could add this, namely, that Jesus was worse than a robber, and so wicked, that neither for mercy's sake, or by the privilege of the feast, ought He to be let free.
(de Con. Ev. lib. iii. c. 10.) But John relates that Jesus bore His own cross, from which is understood that He was Himself carrying His cross, when He went forth to that place which is called Calvary; but as they journeyed Simon was forced into the service on the road, and the cross was given him to carry as far as that place.
When blessed Abraham went up the mountain that God showed him so that he might sacrifice Isaac according to God's command, he laid the wood on the boy. Isaac was a type of Christ carrying his own cross on his shoulders and going up to the glory of his passion. Christ taught us that his passion was his glory. He said, "Now is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified; if God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once."
This is well signified by that Simon who, found on the road, carries the Lord's cross under compulsion. For burdens belonging to another are carried under compulsion when something is done through the pursuit of vanity. Who then are designated by Simon, if not the abstinent and arrogant? They indeed afflict the flesh through abstinence, but they do not seek the fruit of abstinence within. Therefore Simon carries the Lord's cross under compulsion, because when he is not led to a good work by good will, a sinner performs the deed of a just man without fruit. Hence the same Simon carries the cross but does not die, because the abstinent and arrogant indeed afflict the body through abstinence, but through the desire for glory they live to the world.
(Mor. 12. c. 4) He has called Himself the green wood and us the dry, for He has in Himself the life and strength of the Divine nature; but we who are mere men are called the dry wood.
And as they led him away, they seized a certain Simon, a Cyrenian, coming from the countryside, and they laid on him the cross to carry it behind Jesus. The evangelist John narrates that the Lord himself carried his own cross. From this it is understood that the cross was first carried by the Lord, and then laid upon Simon whom they perhaps met coming out, in a fitting order of the mystery. Because he suffered for us, leaving us an example so that we may follow his footsteps (I Peter II). He is well described as carrying the cross behind Jesus, according to what he himself commands: And take up his cross, and follow me (Matthew XVI). And because this Simon is said to be not from Jerusalem, but a Cyrenian, for Cyrene is a city of Libya, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, it is rightly through him that the peoples of the nations are designated. Those who were once strangers and foreigners to the covenants, now, by obeying faith, are citizens and members of God's household. And, as it is said elsewhere: Heirs indeed of God, but co-heirs of Christ (Romans VIII). From which it is beautifully interpreted that Simon obediently translates Cyrene as heir. Nor should it be passed over that Simon is said to have come from the countryside. For the countryside is called πάγος in Greek, from which the term pagans is derived, because they are foreign to the city of God and almost ignorant of urban conversation. But Simon, coming out from the countryside, carries the cross behind Jesus, when the people of the nations, having abandoned pagan rites, obediently embrace the footsteps of the Lord's passion.
Simon is by interpretation "obedient," Cyrene "an heir." By this man therefore the people of the Gentiles are denoted, who formerly foreigners and aliens to the covenant, have now by obedience been made heirs of God. But Simon coming out of a village, bears the cross after Jesus, because forsaking the pagan rites, he obediently embraces the footsteps of our Lord's Passion. For a village is in Greek called πάγος, from whence Pagans derive their name.
A large multitude indeed followed the cross of Christ, but with very different feelings. For the people who had demanded His death were rejoicing that they should see Him dying, the women weeping that He was about to die. But He was followed by the weeping only of women, not because that vast crowd of men was not also sorrowful at His Passion, but because the less esteemed female sex could more freely give utterance to what they thought.
By these days He signifies the time of the siege and captivity which was coming upon them from the Romans, of which He had said before, Woe to them that are with child, and give suck in those days. It is natural, when captivity by an enemy is threatening, to seek for refuge in fastnesses or hidden places, where men may lie concealed. And so it follows, Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us. For Josephus relates, that when the Romans pressed hard upon them, the Jews sought hastily the caverns of the mountains, and the lurking places in the hills. It may be also that the words, Blessed are the barren, are to be understood of those of both sexes, who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake, and that it is said to the mountains and hills, Fall upon us, and Cover us, because all who are mindful of their own weakness, when the crisis of their temptations breaks upon them, have sought to be protected by the example, precepts, and prayers, of certain high and saintly men.
It follows, But if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?
Or as if He spake to all: If I who have done no sin being called the tree of life, do not depart from the world without suffering the fire of my Passion, what torment think ye awaits those who are barren of all fruits?
For no one else accepted to bear the cross, because the wood was counted an abomination. Accordingly upon Simon the Cyrenian they imposed as it were to his dishonour the bearing of the cross, which others refused. Here is fulfilled that prophecy of Isaiah, Whose government shall be upon his shoulder. (Isa. 9:6.) For the government of Christ is His cross; for which the Apostle says, God hath exalted him. (Phil. 2:9.) And as for a mark of dignity, some wear a belt, others a head dress, so our Lord the cross. And if thou seekest, thou wilt find that Christ does not reign in us save by hardships, whence it comes that the luxurious are the enemies of the cross of Christ.
Or he takes up the cross of Christ, who comes from the village; that is, he leaves this world and its labours, going forward to Jerusalem, that is, heavenly liberty. Hereby also we receive no slight instruction. For to be a master after the example of Christ, a man must himself first take up his cross, and in the fear of God crucify his own flesh, that he may so lay it upon those that are subject and obedient to him.
But there followed Christ a great company of people, and of women.
He bids those who weep for Him cast their eyes forward to the evils that were coming, and weep for themselves.
Seeing indeed that women shall cruelly roast their children, and the belly which had produced shall miserably again receive that which it bore.
As though He said to the Jews, If then the Romans have so raged against Me, a fruit-bearing and ever flourishing tree, what will they not attempt against you the people, who are a dry tree, destitute of every lifegiving virtue, and bearing no fruit?
But the Devil, desiring to engender an evil opinion of our Lord, caused robbers also to be crucified with Him; whence it follows, And there were two other malefactors led with him to be put to death.
(non occ.) Having related the condemnation of Christ, Luke naturally goes on to speak of His crucifixion; as it is said, And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, &c.
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SUMMARY
Luke 23:26 recounts a pivotal moment during Jesus' agonizing procession to Golgotha, where Roman soldiers, observing Jesus' extreme physical exhaustion, compelled a bystander named Simon of Cyrene to carry the crossbeam for Him. This unexpected intervention highlights the immense suffering of Christ and introduces an ordinary man into the most significant event in human history, positioning him as an unwitting participant in the unfolding drama of redemption.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Luke's brief account of Simon of Cyrene employs several powerful literary devices. The most prominent is Symbolism, where the physical act of Simon bearing the cross "after Jesus" becomes a profound symbol for the spiritual call to discipleship and sharing in Christ's suffering. Simon's cross-bearing is not merely a practical necessity but a visual metaphor for the Christian journey. There is also an element of Irony in Simon's situation: he is an ordinary man, a forced participant, yet he is granted the extraordinary, albeit burdensome, privilege of assisting the Son of God in His darkest hour. This involuntary service, according to tradition, led to his and his family's conversion, transforming a moment of Roman oppression into a point of divine encounter. Finally, the narrative serves as a subtle Foreshadowing of the Christian life, where believers are called to endure hardship and self-denial for the sake of the Gospel, following in the footsteps of their Lord.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Luke 23:26 presents a powerful theological tableau, illustrating not only the depths of Christ's physical suffering but also the unexpected ways in which God involves humanity in His redemptive plan. Simon's forced participation in carrying the cross for Jesus, though initially a burden imposed by Roman authority, becomes a profound act of solidarity with the suffering Savior. Theologically, it foreshadows the Christian's call to "take up their cross" daily, which involves self-denial, endurance of hardship, and commitment to Christ even in the face of adversity. Simon, a seemingly random individual, is drawn into the most significant event in history, demonstrating God's sovereign ability to use ordinary people in extraordinary ways to fulfill His divine purposes. His act of bearing the physical cross also stands in stark contrast to Jesus' bearing of the spiritual burden of the world's sin.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Simon of Cyrene's story is a compelling invitation to reflect on the nature of discipleship and the unexpected burdens we may be called to bear. His experience reminds us that following Jesus is not always easy or voluntary; sometimes, the "cross" we are called to carry is thrust upon us by circumstances beyond our control—illness, loss, persecution, or difficult responsibilities. Yet, in these moments, we are invited to see ourselves in Simon, walking "after Jesus," sharing in His suffering, and finding profound purpose even in pain. Simon's act, though forced, became a privilege that connected him directly to the Lord's passion. For us, bearing our cross means embracing the challenges of faith, denying self, and faithfully following Christ, trusting that even in our weakness, God's strength is made perfect. It teaches us that God can use anyone, in any circumstance, to advance His kingdom, turning what seems like a burden into a pathway for deeper communion with Him.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Who was Simon of Cyrene, and why was he chosen to carry the cross?
Answer: Simon was a man from Cyrene, a city in North Africa (modern-day Libya) with a large Jewish population. He was likely a Jewish pilgrim who had traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. He was "coming out of the country," suggesting he was entering the city from an outlying area. He was not "chosen" in a voluntary sense but was forcibly conscripted by the Roman soldiers. Jesus, severely weakened by scourging and the trials, was unable to continue carrying the crossbeam Himself. Roman soldiers had the authority (known as angareia) to compel civilians into service, and they seized Simon as a convenient bystander to alleviate Jesus' burden and ensure the procession continued.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Simon of Cyrene's reluctant act of bearing the cross "after Jesus" serves as a powerful, albeit unwitting, foreshadowing of the Christian's call to discipleship, but more profoundly, it highlights the unique and solitary burden that Christ Himself bore. Simon carried the physical wood, a temporary and imposed task; Jesus, however, voluntarily carried the infinitely heavier burden of humanity's sin and the wrath of God on that very cross. Simon's act underscores Jesus' profound physical debilitation, emphasizing the depth of suffering He endured as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. Ultimately, Simon's carrying of the cross points to the substitutionary atonement accomplished by Christ, who "himself bore our sins in his body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24). While Simon's burden was external and temporary, Jesus' burden was internal, eternal, and redemptive, culminating in His cry, "It is finished!" (John 19:30), signifying the complete payment for sin. Simon's cross-bearing is a shadow; Christ's is the substance that brings salvation and new life to all who believe.