Another man in the scenario is Simon of Cyrene, a place in North Africa (see Acts 2:10). He apparently lived in Jerusalem or else its environs. He had come to the city for the feast. But the interest of Mark’s readers would be drawn directly to the names of his sons, Alexander and Rufus. The latter name appears in Paul’s letter to the Romans (16:13) where greetings are sent to a certain Rufus. Commentators consider it very possible that this man is the same as the one mentioned