Cyrene has more mentions in the Bible than most people would expect (see also Acts 2:10, Acts 6:9, Acts 11:20, Acts 13:1).  Now known as Tripoli in Libya, this early Greek colony had encouraged Jewish settlement, but by Jesus' time the Jews were oppressed and restless.  Although they saw Israel as 'home' they felt like aliens everywhere - a good grounding for missionary work!  Simon was one of those Jews who had travelled to Jerusalem for the feast, as many others did at Pentecost (Acts 2:10).  His experience was to change his family too.

The dreadful figure of Jesus, staggering with the weight of His own cross-piece, slowing down the march to Calvary, demanded a change of plan.  Simon was probably just standing there, watching the macabre procession - when suddenly a Roman officer commanded him to take Jesus' place under the 45kg wooden beam.  He would not be crucified, but how was he to know?  (The Cyrenean Jews were an underclass to the Romans, and he may have feared for his life).  Despite Simon Peter's earlier protests that he would support Jesus, Simon of Cyrene was the only one to physically sample the load that Jesus carried to the cross.  Mark's mention of the sons, Alexander and Rufus, shows they were well known to the church in Rome (Romans 16:13) as believers in Jesus. Crucifixion day had transformed the family!

Golgotha, a hill with a menacing face, was the Greek translation of an Aramaic word meaning 'the place of a skull'.  It parallels with Calvary, a variation of a Latin word meaning 'skull'.  The chilling name did not refer to the skulls of executed criminals, but to the shape of the hill.  It was well known for one purpose only: death by crucifixion.  The soldiers brought Jesus to His death, but they did not kill Him – He chose to lay down His life (John 10:17-18) with the same divine authority with which He was raised from the dead (John 10:17-18).  Simon of Cyrene took it all in and passed the details to his family.

The modern Western view, that children should not be impressed by their parent's beliefs and ideas, is nonsense in the majority world.  It is a part of our parental responsibility to pass on the best that we have learned (Deuteronomy 6:4-9); and to lead our families to embrace the values we have cherished.  Simon was clearly so deeply impressed by Jesus, that he took the story home.  Let's get over our secular conditioning and be real family leaders - telling the children and grandchildren the wonderful things that the Lord has done for us; and how He took all the burden that was on our shoulders, when He died on the cross.  They need to know!