simon from cyrene

A certain man from Cyrene . . . was passing by . . . and they forced him to carry the cross. Mark 15:21 Jesus tells His followers, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (8:34). On the road to Golgotha, Simon literally did what Jesus figuratively asks His disciples to do: he took up the cross given to him and carried it for Jesus’ sake. artist Egbert Modderman