27, Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the palace, and gathered unto him the whole band. 28, And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
29, And they plaited a crown of thorns and put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
30, And they spat upon him, and took the reed and smote him on the head. 31, And when they had mocked him, they took off from him the robe, and put on him his garments, and led him away to crucify him.
32, And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, a Greek Colony, located on the northeastern coast of now Libya, Simon by name: him they compelled to go with them, that he might bear Jesus’ cross.
This would have rendered Simon, a man who had travelled about 1000 miles to get to Jerusalem for the Pesach (Passover) unclean for the holiday, but because the Roman authority was ordering it, and if Simon did not obey he could have been imprisoned or killed, who knows? he had to violate his faith and listen to the State.
In my anguish... 