I’m not sure there’s much for me to say in this case that I have not already said elsewhere. Simon, for all that his mention in Scripture is so brief a notice, may well have played a pivotal role in the unfolding history of the church. To be sure, he became a believer, if he was not one at the time. And, as seems to have been commonly the case in that period, his belief led to faith for all his family. His wife and his children are apparently in Rome when Mark composes his account, and still there when Paul writes to the church in that city. Yet, no mention of Simon in that case.

There is so very little to be known with certainty about Simon. In fact, it is limited to the bare facts stated in this verse. He was from Cyrene. He had two sons. He bore the cross for Jesus. That’s about all we have on him. But, there is that which we can infer. He was not in Rome. That he was not in Rome would seem to indicate that he was not anywhere anymore. That he was a believer, I think is sufficiently attested to. He is known to the Apostles. He is sufficiently well-known that Luke still hears his name during his research. Yes, that could simply be because it had been preserved by Matthew and Mark, but I suspect Luke may have sought backing testimony on a lot of the details he includes. Add to his being familiar to the Apostles that his sons and his wife were there in the church of Rome, and prominent enough in that congregation that they were mentioned by Mark as a means of validating this particular part of the testimony, that Paul had known such support from his wife as to commend her has being a mother to himself!

If I consider Simon in light of the texts that speak to the qualifications for elders, he certainly seems to have met them. Of course, no man meets those qualifications except God be with him. No man brings about his family’s salvation of his own accord. It is God or it is not happening. Still, he has what ought to be seen as the greatest accolade to his account: His family is among the elect alongside him, not only among the elect, but actively serving the King. What better testimony could any man ask?

As for Simon, it’s not difficult to see how he would have come to this faith. He, who for a brief time was required to walk behind a battered and torn Jesus, bearing a cross already marked by His blood, and that on so symbolic a day! He, who stood in that crowd around the cross, was witness to the passing of this Man, heard the words He spoke as He was dying, heard that most amazing prayer of forgiveness! Who could imagine such an act! There He was, nailed to the cross, broken, bleeding, in an agony of body whose equal could only be found in His agony of soul, and yet, in spite of this great wrong done to Him, His prayer is not for vengeance, as even David His forebear would likely have prayed. No! His prayer is for forgiveness. You think that makes an impact?

He witnesses the testimony of that soldier who came to speed the process. “Surely this was the Son of God.” He witnesses the darkened sky, the quaking earth, the torn veil in the temple. He maybe witnesses those who were coming out of the grave. He witnesses, most amazing, the empty tomb! Yes, these things are enough to give a man pause, to make him question his beliefs and consider whether they might need some adjustment.

Then, if my suppositions are not too far off, he hears that outburst from the upper room, hears them proclaimed as the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy, hears Peter’s explanation as to what had really happened there on the cross. That’s it. That’s the breaking point. Whatever resistance there may have been in him, it is now swept aside. Somewhere in those first few thousand converts, I feel reasonably confident we will find Simon. One might think Luke would have made mention of this, were it the case. But, I am mindful that the Evangelists are primarily concerned with establishing Jesus, and in the book of Acts, establishing the veracity and validity of the Apostles. Simon served his purpose by being known to those who first read these Gospels. He established the truth of Jesus’ death. As to the Apostles, his presence or absence proves nothing, so there is no particular need to introduce him into the record of their deeds.

But, I remain caught up in the magnitude of this nearly nameless man’s contributions to the Church. I stress yet again that this must necessarily involve a high degree of conjecture, but for a God by Whom we understand that there is no such thing as coincidence, this is a pretty long string of coincidences! Simon happens to be at the gate, happens to be pressed into service. Men of Cyrene happen to be there to hear Peter, to be among those first converts. Men of Cyrene are again present at the attempt to debate Stephen, and for all their philosophical skills learned from the Greeks, and for all their theology learned from their own culture, they are incapable of countering the words the Holy Spirit Himself is speaking through Stephen. These things make an impression.

Eventually, it is time for Simon to return to his home. We are not certain whether this was some farm in the region or whether home was still in Cyrene, but home he goes, and tells his adventures to his family. No, he tells of something for more than an adventure. He speaks of Messiah. He speaks of meeting Messiah, watching Him die, hearing of Him alive again, perhaps even of seeing Him again. Enough people did. Could he not have been in that number? At any rate, so compelling is his tale, and so Spirit-filled his words, that his whole family comes to faith.

Let us follow them back home to Cyrene, that city where Jew and Gentile had come together. They bring this new faith with them, and it finds a welcome. They needn’t have been alone in this, but I suspect they played an integral part. That faith is also spreading back into the Synagogue of the Freedmen back in Jerusalem. And, this is also something that could be attributable to Simon’s personal testimony. And from there, as things progressed, went forth teachers to Antioch, uniquely prepared to deliver the Gospel not only to the Jews, but also to the Greeks. The first international church of Christ finds its roots in their efforts! Indeed, Christianity is given its name in that church rooted in their efforts.

History unfolds, and that home port of Cyrene has become a major factor in Christianity’s spread into northern Africa. From there, we might suppose, it moves eastward to Alexandria. From there, it moves westward to Carthage, to Hippo. And some centuries later, a young man named Augustine, a pagan of the worst order, discovers the risen Christ, finds an elder willing to disciple him through this period of conversion out of false religious pursuit into the glorious light of heaven, and because of this, one of the most critical authors in the history of the Church is brought into service. Because there is an Augustine in the history of the Church, there is a foundation already laid for that great Reformation which would unfold in the next Millennium. Because there was a Reformation, we encounter the Pilgrims and the Puritans who came to the shores of America. Because there was a Reformation, it can be strongly argued, America opted for freedom from British rule. Because there was a Reformation, and because Augustine had played such a critical role in its birth, his writings are preserved to this day. Because one of his writings happened to be ‘On the Trinity’, and I had, at one point, some curiosity on that topic, I was drawn to read what he had written. Because his writing was too deep for casual scanning, I was reminded of the need to actually study, and that has led to this morning habit of spending time with Scripture, seeking to know it more fully, seeking to absorb it in all its implications and power. I can, then, count myself amongst the fruit borne of that brief intersection between the life of Jesus and the life of Simon of Cyrene.

Thank You, Lord God of all Providence, that You saw fit to start this cascade of faith! Thank You that You have never yet seen fit to stop that flow. Thank You that because You brought Life, because by You Simon found that Life, I, too, was brought to Life, and having been granted that most precious gift by the One Eternal, All-Powerful God of all creation, Lord of hosts, King of king, I have no fear but that You shall indeed preserve that Life in me, bringing me home in Your due time to dwell in Your house for all eternity. My soul hungers and thirsts for that time, as the Psalmist writes. My heart and my flesh sing out for joy at the thought! Even so, Lord, even so! May Your work in me be ever so much nearer to completion when that day comes. May I be found ready. And Lord? May there be, should You so please, as great a bounty of harvest from my own meager contributions to Your work as have flowed down through the ages from Simon. All to Your glory, Lord, and for nothing else. But, yes, I would rejoice to come home to You finding that You have done great things through this poor man.