Mark 15:21 “Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.”
We know the names of all of these men presumably because they were converted later. Often we see that the skin color of this man is emphasised. But, the Bible makes no particular comment upon this fact. Indeed, it is an extrapolation that is needless. There is nothing in the text to indicate definitively the man’s skin color.
I am not trying to strip persons of color of their opportunity to find black people in the Bible. But, finding any skin color is a divisive tendency. For instance, those who paint Jesus having very white skin. Jesus was Jewish, and distinctly so. As such his skin was likely not that European looking. To work at identifying certain groups in Scripture as one skin color or another is not generally helpful. Quite frankly, it is a very Jewish book, even in the New Testament. So, it should not be used to substantiate the roles of white, black, Hispanic, or Asian people. Not being found in the Bible would in no way diminish the importance of any one of these groups.
Heavenly Father, I want to be used of you. Any significance we might seek should be folded up into our desire to serve you. We can trust you with our significance. You always have our best interests at heart. You love us, and we can trust you unquestionably. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.