(By : Dessy Ariadna – Stand To JESUS Writing Team)
There are accusations from people who do not know God, who say that Simon from Cyrene helped carry the cross of JESUS to the hill of Golgotha, he was crucified in place of JESUS while JESUS was released and not crucified, is that true? Listen carefully to the verses below:
1. Simon of Cyrene was only forced to carry the cross of JESUS to help JESUS
Mark 15:21-22 (IMB) They forced someone who was passing by to carry His cross, the man was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, who had just returned from outside the city. They led Him to Golgotha, a place which means Place of Skulls.
Mark 15:21-22 (ESV) At that time a man named Simon, a Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who had just arrived from outside the city, passed by, and they forced him to carry the cross of JESUS. They took JESUS to a place called Golgotha, which means: Place of the Skull.
Luke 23:26 (IMB) When they were carrying JESUS, they detained Simon, a man from Cyrene who had just come from outside the city, and they put the cross on his shoulders so that he would carry it behind JESUS.
Luke 23:26 (ESV) When they brought Jesus, they detained a man named Simon of Cyrene, who had just come from outside the city, and put the cross on his shoulders, so that he could carry it as he followed Jesus.
Simon of Cyrene was forced to help carry JESUS’ cross all the way to Golgotha. JESUS was put to death by being crucified at the insistence of the chief priests, the Pharisees and the Israelites in Jerusalem who had been incited by them. They handed Jesus over to the Roman soldiers who then crucified Him. So how could they just let Jesus go and have Simon of Cyrene crucified in Jesus’ place without first being tried? Meanwhile, there was a law in the Roman Empire that was in effect in Israel at that time where someone could not just be punished without being tried first. JESUS himself was tried first before he was crucified, how could Simon of Cyrene just be crucified in place of JESUS without being tried first before the priests in the Sanhedrin, before Pontius Pilate and before the king Herod? Very unreasonable.
Mark 14:53 (IMB) They led Jesus to the high priest; and with him were gathered all the chief priests, the elders and the scribes.
Mark 14:55-56 (IMB) The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin continued to seek testimony against JESUS to be put to death, but they did not get it. So many people gave false testimony against Him, but the testimonies did not agree with each other.
Luke 23:1-5 (IMB) Then the whole congregation rose and brought Him before Pilate. They began to accuse Him, saying, “We have found Him misleading the people, and forbidding them to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that He is the Messiah, a King. ” So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews? ” He answered, “You said it yourself. ” Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no fault in this Man. ” But they became more insistent, saying, “He stirred up this people with his teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee to here. “
Luke 23:7-11 (IMB) So when he learned that He was from Herod’s territory, Pilate sent JESUS to Herod, who at that time was in Jerusalem. When Herod saw Jesus, he rejoiced greatly, for he had long desired to see Him, for he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see Him perform a miraculous sign. Herod asked many questions, but JESUS did not answer him a word. The chief priests and scribes stood up and accused Him loudly. So Herod and his guards insulted and mocked Him by dressing Him in a regal robe, then sent Him back to Pilate.
And what’s more, the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees had long been looking for an opportunity to kill JESUS, how could they just miss this opportunity and let Him go just like that and then crucify Simon of Cyrene and let Jesus go that easily? Very unreasonable and far-fetched.
2. Eyewitnesses who saw JESUS being crucified
When JESUS Christ was crucified, all the residents of the city of Jerusalem and even outside Jerusalem witnessed the event, and it became the talk of the town throughout Israel. Then suddenly people came with their words, saying that JESUS was not crucified but rather Simon of Cyrene, even though they themselves did not witness the event and had no eyewitnesses who could confirm their words. Isn’t that the same as lies and stupidity?
John 19:18-22 (IMB) There they crucified JESUS with two other men on either side of Him, and JESUS in the middle. And Pilate wrote a plaque and placed it on the cross. The writing is: JESUS of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Many Jews read the plaque, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. The plaque is written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write: King of the Jews, but write: He said, I am the King of the Jews. ” Pilate answered, “What I have written is what I wrote. “
John 19:25-27 (IMB) Near the cross of JESUS, stood His mother and His mother’s sisters, namely Mary, the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. Then, when he saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing nearby, Jesus said to his mother, “Woman, look at your son. ” After that He said to the disciple, “Look at your mother. ” And from that time on, the disciple received him into his home.
Luke 24:18-24 (IMB) A man named Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, that You do not know what has happened there these days? ” He said to them, “What is that? ” They said to Him, “The incident concerning Jesus the Nazarene, a Prophet who was full of power, both in deed and in word, before God and before all this people. And how our chief priests and leaders had handed Him over to execution and crucified Him. At first we hoped that He would be the one who would immediately redeem Israel, but today is already the third day since what happened. However, some women among us have surprised us. They came to the tomb early in the morning, not only did they not find His body, they even came back and said they had seen angels who declared that He was alive. Then some of us went to the tomb and found just as the women said, but they did not see Him. “
3. Eyewitnesses who saw the resurrection of JESUS
Mary Magdalene and the women who came to JESUS’ tomb were witnesses of JESUS’ resurrection, then there were more than 500 witnesses of JESUS’ resurrection where JESUS appeared to all of them at once, apart from that the Apostles also saw JESUS after His resurrection, then finally He appeared to Paul who then believed in JESUS and became His apostle.
Matthew 28:1-10 (IMB) After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, a great earthquake occurred, because an angel of the LORD came down from heaven; he went over and rolled away the stone from the door of the tomb, then sat on it. The angel’s appearance was like lightning and his clothes were white as snow. The grave guards trembled with fear and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, because He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord was laid. And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead. And behold, He goes before you to Galilee, there you will see Him. Pay attention, I told you so! ” So with great fear and joy, they quickly came out of the tomb and ran to tell His disciples about this. As they continued to walk to tell His disciples, Jesus met them and said, “Shalom! ” They came near Him and embraced His feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go, tell My brothers, so that they go to Galilee, there they will see Me! “
Luke 24:9-11 (IMB) After returning from the grave, they told all these things to the eleven disciples and to everyone else. They were Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and the other women who were with them, who continued to tell all these things to the apostles. But what these women said seemed absurd to them so they did not believe them.
John 20:18 (IMB) Mary Magdalene went to the disciples to announce that she had seen the Lord, and the Lord had told her all these things.
Luke 24:33-34 (IMB) They got up and went straight back to Jerusalem. They found the eleven disciples gathered together with those who were with them, and said, “Indeed, the Lord has indeed risen and been seen by Simon. “
Luke 24:36-40 (IMB) While they were discussing these things, JESUS Himself stood in their midst and said to them, “Shalom to you! ” But they trembled and were afraid, because they thought they saw a spirit. Then He said to them, “Why are you afraid and why is there doubt in your hearts? Look at My hands and My feet, here I am! Take hold of Me and see, for the spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see that I have. ” Having said this, He showed them His hands and feet.
1 Corinthians 15:5-8 (NIV) that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve disciples , and after that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at once . Many of them are still alive today, but there are also some people who have died. After that, He appeared to James , then to all the apostles . And lastly, He appeared to me too , as to a prematurely born baby.
4. The False Book of Basilides composed by the Gnostics
The book of Basilides is a false and Gnostic book made by the Gnostics, this is an Apocryphal book created in the middle of the third century, about two hundred years after the crucifixion of JESUS Christ, and the author is Basilides, a heretic who taught the heretical teachings of that era, Basilides spread the heresy that he created in Alexandria, he was the main figure who taught that in the beginning there was no God. He himself was not born at the same time as JESUS and the apostles never even saw JESUS and the apostles, how can his writings be considered valid? He’s just spreading heresy.
5. The testimony of two or three witnesses is valid according to the Bible
Witnesses to the crucifixion of JESUS were the entire population of Jerusalem, even Mary the mother of JESUS, Mary Magdalene, and the women who had followed JESUS in His ministry, there was also the apostle John, even the Roman soldiers, scribes, chief priests , the Pharisees and people from outside the city who came to Jerusalem witnessed Jesus being crucified with their own eyes.
The Bible itself says that the testimony of two or three witnesses is valid and cannot be contested, while the testimony of only one person cannot be declared valid, because he has no other witnesses.
Deuteronomy 17:6 (IMB) The person who will be executed must be executed based on the testimony of two or three witnesses, he cannot be sentenced to death based on the testimony of just one witness.
Deuteronomy 19:15 (IMB) One witness alone cannot accuse someone regarding any matter or any sin, namely the sins he may have committed. Based on the testimony of two or three witnesses, the case can be established.
Hebrews 10:28 (IMB) People who reject the law of Moses, on the testimony of two or three witnesses, will be put to death without mercy.
Matthew 18:16 (IMB) But if he does not listen, take with you one or two more people, so that on the words of two or three witnesses, every case can be confirmed.
2 Corinthians 13:1 (IMB) This is the third time I have come to you. Through testimony from the mouths of two or three people, every case is declared valid.
1 Timothy 5:19 (IMB) Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it is supported by two or three witnesses.
So the statement of one person who states that it was not JESUS who was crucified but Simon of Cyrene is INVALID, because he has no other witnesses to support his words, only speaks from himself and he himself did not witness the event, only spreads lies and lies through his writing and words.
6. Simon of Cyrene died in 100 AD i
According to historical records, Simon of Cyrene died in 100 AD in his homeland of Cyrene, Libya. While JESUS Christ was crucified in 33 AD in Jerusalem, this is very out of sync, if it was true that Simon of Cyrene was crucified in place of JESUS Christ, how could he still live until his death in 100 AD? Crucifixion is the most terrible death penalty in history and the most inhumane in history. If it was true that Simon of Cyrene, who replaced JESUS, was crucified, how could he have lived until 100 AD after being crucified? Does not make sense. The truth is that Simon of Cyrene was never crucified in place of JESUS at all!
