Simon is in multiple Gospels. That lends to the idea that he became someone that people would/could recognize or at least someone that stuck out in the minds of the writers. Cyrene- Northern Africa. They also had a synagogue in Jerusalem. Simon either already was or became a follower of Jesus and a missionary. He later became an early church leader and was martyred for his faith in 100 AD by crucifixion.  His sons Rufus and Alexander also became missionaries and there is some evidence that Rufus was mentioned by Paul in Romans 16.  Christian skeptics tried to use the lack of information about these three men as a way to discredit the crucifixion until 1941 when a burial cave was discovered in the Kidron Valley by EL Sukenick. It belonged to Cyrenian Jews dating before 70AD and one of the graves found had the Greek inscription “Alexander, son of Simon.” Food for Thought: Can you imagine how this moment effected Simon? Imagine he was already a follower of Jesus. He was able to be close to Him during this moment. Had he heard Jesus prophecy His death and resurrection? I wonder if they talked. I wonder how Simon explained the blood all over his clothes when people asked about it later. I wonder if Jesus leaned over a whispered, “This is how much I love you.” * * * <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_of_Cyrene>