Happenstance

AM Psalm 61, 62 • PM Psalm 68:1-20(21-23)24-36
Judges 2:1-5,11-23 • Rom. 16:17-27 • Matt. 27:32-44

In biblical Gospels, Simon of Cyrene is forced by Roman soldiers to carry the heavy burden of Jesus’s cross as he is taken to his crucifixion. Simon’s task is perhaps among the most important and symbolic acts of the Bible.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I read the novel The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy. It was required reading; and though many of my classmates hated it, I found it fascinating. I remember learning of the theme of happenstance, which has been described as “a circumstance, especially one that is due to chance.” In the book, the characters are often situated in the wrong place at the wrong time, usually with dire consequences.

We know little of Simon of Cyrene from Matthew’s text. We know he was from northern Africa, and he may have been a Jew that had come to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. He is often portrayed in art as being African.

Jesus was surely severely weakened by his trial and the abuse he received from the Roman soldiers. Simon is described in Luke as “a passerby who was coming in from the country.”

And it is here that I believe happenstance occurs. God has placed Simon in this place, at this time, to relieve Jesus of some of his suffering. However, unlike in The Return of the Native, in this case it is a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

Written by Christopher Koppel

Christopher is happy to be spending his retirement in Fayetteville, with his husband, Dennis, and his pooch, Milo.