The Bible mentions Rufus in two places, and we can assume they both speak of the same man (Mark 15:21; Romans 16:13). The first mention of Rufus is in the context of events on the day Jesus was crucified. Due to the horrific abuse Jesus had already undergone, He was unable to carry the heavy wooden cross the Roman soldiers laid upon His back. So the soldiers grabbed a passing man and made him carry the cross for Jesus. Mark 15:21 says, “A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.”