Problem: Jesus did and didn't carry his cross
Verses: Mark 15:21, John 19:17; Status: Serious

The synoptic gospels (that is: Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are agreed that a man called Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry the cross of Jesus up to Golgotha where he was crucified. Here is Mark 15:21:

And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. (ESV)

Matthew 27:32 and Luke 23:26 are nearly identical. On the other hand, this is John 19:17:

And he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. (ESV)

Pretty much the only solution is to state that Jesus carried the cross part of the way, and Simon the rest of the way. Yet it's remarkable that the synoptics should say Simon carried it, John should say Jesus carried it, and nobody says they both carried it. More importantly, the natural and honest reading of John is that Jesus carried the cross all the way, especially since the clause "bearing his own cross" is contained in a sentence that covers the entire journey.

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