Matthew 27

When I reflect on the man (Simon of Cyrene--North Africa) who carried the cross (actually the crossbeam) for Jesus, I think, "what an honor." I wonder what he thought? At the time he was probably worried about what the Roman soldiers might do to him.

In the book of Mark we are also given the names of Simon's two sons, Alexander and Rufus (Mark 15:21). The name Rufus again appears in Romans 16:13 as the apostle Paul sends his greetings to Rome. Tradition holds that this family became believers and were well known in the early church. There is good reason to believe that this tradition is true. Otherwise it would have been unlikely that the gospel writers would have mentioned these names. Looking back, I'm sure that Simon was honored to carry the cross. We also have the honor to carry a cross... SWC

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 (ESV)