As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. Simon of Cyrene — the North African city where a large Jewish diaspora community lived — is compelled to carry Jesus' cross. The compulsion communicates the involuntary nature of the service; Mark 15:21 notes that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus, suggesting that the family later became known in the early church.

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