A Liturgy: Experience Christ ( Stations of the Cross VII and VIII)

Station # 7: Jesus Falls the Second Time

For many of us, falling down is all too familiar on our road to destiny. Take heart; Jesus has fallen again in the midst of a screaming, mocking crowd. It certainly feels that way to those of us that have fallen, the mocking of those around us drown out all other noise. Jesus knows what we are feeling,

“For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” {Hebrews 4:15 NASB}.

Be encouraged, when we fall, Jesus is there with His Grace and Mercy to pick us back up again, to wipe our face from all the trials and tribulations; nothing matters in the light of His love.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory: While we look not at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal {2 Cor. 4: 17-18 NASB).

We cannot always see why we suffer certain circumstances; we can be encouraged knowing that as we abide in Jesus we can do all things. We just have to keep getting up no matter how many times we fall. The only perfect person in the Bible is Jesus. We do not need to be perfect; we just need to be obedient.

Station# 8: Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem


But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?” {Luke 23: 28-31 NASB}.

The Daughters of Jerusalem are a band of anonymous women that follow Jesus on the Via Dolorosa; Veronica may have been with these women. They follow Him from Pilate’s decree all the way to the Golgotha. They are weeping because of the torture, and the injustice of Jesus’ death sentence.

It is amazing that Jesus, in everything He was suffering, stopped to minister to these women. In God’s divine purpose, Jesus was able to stop to talk with these faithful women. They feel helpless; they can do nothing. Though they are faithful to Him, He admonishes them. He tells them not to mourn for Him; He is securing their salvation. By the end of the day, eternity is sealed; mourn for those who will not believe. There will come a day when things are going to get ugly for those who will not accept Christ; pray for them.
These women wept for Christ because they loved Him. Not only did they follow Him from Pilate’s to Golgotha, they had been traveling with Jesus and the disciples for some time. Have we really wept for what Jesus suffered on our behalf? Not because we do not have hope, as the Daughters of Jerusalem, but in worship. Have we meditated on what Jesus endured? As we read in Veronica, Jesus endured horrific physical abuse. He also felt the sting of personal betrayal. Though I mentioned these verses in Veronica, they bear repeating:

Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops; They have laid siege against us; With a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek {Micah 5:1 NASB}.

I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting {Isaiah 50:6 NASB}.

Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men {Isaiah 52:14}.

These are just a few Old Testament Scriptures detailing His physical abuse, and then the betrayal:

Even my close friend in whom I trusted, Who ate my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me {Psalm 41:9 NASB}.

For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend; We who had sweet fellowship together
Walked in the house of God in the throng {Psalm 55:12-14 NASB}.

I said to them, “If it is good in your sight, give me my wages; but if not, never mind!” So they weighed out thirty shekels of silver as my wages. Then the LORD said to me, “Throw it to the potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the LORD {Zechariah 11:12-13 NASB}.

Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, And against the man, My Associate,” Declares the LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones {Zechariah 13:7 NASB}.

For they have opened the wicked and deceitful mouth against me; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue {Psalm 109:2 NASB}.

Is it any wonder that we have a great High Priest who is familiar with our sufferings (see Hebrews 4:15)? How can we not be moved by what Jesus suffered? I never quite understood how many Christians I know would not watch The Passion of the Christ. The whipping post scene was hard to watch, but I think everyone should have a picture of what Christ really suffered. Gibson’s portrayal was graphic, though it still did not covey the depth of the physical abuse Christ suffered. Through those brutal wounds—we were healed {Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24}.

The Daughters of Jerusalem were weeping for Jesus when few cared. They were overtaken with grief at the brutality being inflicted on the Lord. It is hard for us to imagine this side of the cross, the helplessness they must have felt. They did not have the full revelation of why Christ had to die, so in their minds, they were weeping for the seemingly unjust punishment of Jesus. They knew that He would die, and thought they would never see Him again.

Their sense of loss was immense, for they did not realize He would be alive again in three days. We have the gift of being on this side of the cross, knowing full what Jesus did for us, and realizing He had to die, and because of that knowledge, we have hope. These women did not have a shred of hope.

I love the Lord, I love how He always took notice of hurting people, and this occasion was no different. Jesus, in the midst of all the chaos, people shouting and hurling insults at Him from every side, marred and beaten—unrecognizable and probably blinded by the beatings to His face, stopped to minister to these weeping women.

A great and terrible day is on the horizon for the earth, the day when the Lord returns. Jesus is going to the cross to save anyone that will accept Him. For those that do not, that day will be frightening to say the least.

Jesus is saying to these women, not to mourn for Him, for He is going to the cross to redeem them and the world. He is going to secure the future of all who believe in Him. Though he accepts their weeping as worship, He encourages them to shift their prayers from Him, to those who will be left on earth during that horrible time. He is calling them to pray for the nations.

They weep for Him and His suffering, but He calls their attention to those who do not accept Him, and for the destruction that will come on the earth. Somehow, in God’s divine purpose Jesus was able to stop long enough to talk with these faithful women. They had followed Him from Pilate’s fatal decree, to the cross. Following Jesus, no matter what comes, until the very end; a powerful example for us.

Pilate’s decree rings loud, we cannot believe what’s heard;
This is His judgment? We hoped and prayed, this is what we feared.
This Holy Man who saved many, can’t He save Himself from death?
Why must He suffer so, we can hardly catch our breath.
We will follow Him until the end, and pray God intervenes;

Such brutal torture unlike anything we have seen.
What can we do, the Lord is on His way to die?
We cannot stop this injustice, though we weep, wail, and cry.
How can He ask us not to weep? We are filled with awe.
To pray for those that don’t believe, they will one day crawl,
To the feet of the Lord for mercy wishing they had heard;
The decree from Zion, the awesome power of His Word.

©2012 Piper Green
Poem Originally posted in A Life That Sings; Finding Your Song In The Midst Of Brokenness

A Liturgy: Experience Christ ( Stations of the Cross V and VI)

Station # 5: Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross
It has been a long journey, a tiresome, dusty excursion to bring a sacrifice for the Passover. As they travel, he teaches his children about the importance of the sacrifice for Passover. He is not aware the event that awaits him in Jerusalem. of the event that awaits him in Jerusalem. As Simon and his family enter the city, the noise and commotion of a criminal about to be crucified commands everyone’s attention. The criminal—Jesus has fallen; struggling beneath the cross. Before Simon realizes what is happening, a Roman soldier commands him to help a criminal carry the heavy burden that has sapped all his strength; his body has given into exhaustion. Simon did not want to carry the cross of a condemned man, a criminal; He who hangs on a tree is cursed. 

His corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance {Deut. 21:23 }.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us-- for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” {Gal. 3:13}.

Simon’s pilgrimage is interrupted. He came to worship God and bring a sacrifice to atone for his sin, but that is the old way of worship according to the Law. God stops Simon in the midst of his “worship” to show him a new and better way. Jesus is now the Passover Lamb, slain before the foundation of world; the only sacrifice needed for sin.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it {Matthew 16: 24 NASB}.

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death {Philippians 3:10 NASB}.

Jesus and Simon bonded and grew close during that grueling journey to Golgotha.  Simon had but a taste of the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings.

For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings {Hebrews 2: 10 NASB}.

Jesus had to suffer for our salvation and He was obedient even to death; the King of Glory by whom and for whom all things were made, suffered for us. Simon’s experience illustrates for the believer what it means to partake of Christ’s suffering.

But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.  If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you {1 Peter 4: 13-14 NASB}.

Scripture admonishes believers to rejoice in suffering.  The very thing Simon thought was going to be a reproach on his life, carrying the cross of a criminal, became the very glory of God on his life; Simon knew this by the end of his journey with the Lord. 

This scene also illustrates for believers a picture of ministering to the Lord. We are to take up our cross every day and follow Christ; setting aside our own desires to fulfill the Lord’s will. As we submit ourselves to His dreams, His dreams become our dreams; it is a joy not a burden.

Have you picked up your cross today? Have you totally surrendered to His Lordship?  He wants us to be in relationship with Him. That is why He died, to reconcile us to God so that we can walk with Him and know Him deeper. In the Tabernacle in the wilderness, the priest had to wash in the brazen laver before he could minister to God. The basin was polished brass, a mirror like surface, so the priests were able to see their reflection. 

Lent serves as a time for us to look in the brass mirror, wash in the water of the Word, and set aside anything that would keep us from carrying our cross and walking ahead into the Holy Place to commune with Him.

Just as Simon carried the Cross, pick up your cross and follow Him. 

Station # 6: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
(Adapted from A Life That Sings: Finding Your Song In The Midst Of Brokenness)

Veronica has intrigued me for some time. Movies and pictures have depicted her; history and tradition have attempted to shape who she was, to no avail. Veronica of course is widely celebrated in the Catholic Church. Catholic traditions vary according to different countries, but most facts concerning her are similar. I love the story of Veronica and what she represents.

Tradition tells us that she wiped the face of Jesus on the Via Dolorosa; in fact, she is the sixth station in the Stations of the Cross.  Veronica offered Jesus a cloth to wipe His face. Tradition holds that when He did, the image of His face miraculously became impressed upon it. History has named the veil, the Sudarium (Latin for sweat-cloth), often called simply "The Veronica" and known in Italian as the Volto Santo or Holy Face. A Biblical account of Veronica does not exist, however, historically she is widely accepted.

Many scholars, some protestant, suggest that she may have been the woman with the issue of blood, whom Jesus healed.  Over many years, many alleged likenesses of our Lord have been presented, but because the one on the cloth was widely received as authentic, it was given the name vera icon, or the true image. This eventually evolved into Veronica and that is how she received her name. Veronica was not her real name, it is more accurately the name of the cloth. She could have been anyone, so it’s not reasonable to discount the story—historically. The story of Veronica claims that she (the woman) took the cloth to Tiberius and he was healed. We do have a biblical example of cloths carrying healing:

“God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out” {Acts 19: 10-12 NASB}.

 If cloths that touched Paul could heal the sick, how much more would a cloth that touched Christ. However, it is important to note, if such a cloth exists, there is no power in that cloth, the power came from Jesus Christ, just as in the account with Paul, it was the power of Christ working through points of contact of the faith of the people.  

Who Veronica was we might not know for sure; what she did is of far greater worth.

I can see a picture in my mind of that day; Jesus has been beaten and spit on. He is dripping blood from the wounds of the crown of thorns mercilessly embedded into His brow. The cross He is carrying is heavy and He is tired and weary. He is beaten so horrifically, He is unrecognizable. Though Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, was hailed as too graphic, it did not do justice to how Jesus appeared after the torture He suffered:

Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops; They have laid siege against us; With a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek {Micah 5:1 NASB}.

I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting {Isaiah 50:6 NASB}.

Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men {Isaiah 52:14}.

Jesus was beaten so badly that He could not even be recognized as a man. Can you imagine the grotesque figure that walked the streets of Jerusalem that day? This woman knows Him and feels helpless to fight against the injustice served on this Holy Man. He is hurting and tired, and as the Stations of the Cross tradition explains, He falls down, one of many times.

Frantically thoughts start swimming through her mind as to what to do for Him. If this woman was the woman healed from the issue of blood, can you imagine what she is suffering at this moment? Just a short time ago, their roles are switched; she had fallen on the ground, grasping for the hem of His garment. Now He is grasping for His cross so that He would conquer death. She doesn’t have a revelation of this yet, but her heart is broken for Him. As she gazes on His bruised and bleeding face, she removes her veil, walks slowly toward Him—her love for Him drowns out the shouting and the hate, and she offers Him a cloth to wipe the sweat, blood, and the spit of scorn from off His face.

I try to imagine what Jesus must have been going through at this moment. Many of the faces Jesus sees, He looked upon with compassion and love, offering healing and grace, they have now turned against Him, screaming and hurling vileness and hate at Him. Then one woman, longing to give what little she had, back to Him in worship, because of what He delivered her from, came with an offering. One act of kindness in the midst of the chaos, and few friendly faces in sight, the disciples had abandoned Him, and with the exception of a few weeping women, He was alone. If she was not the woman healed from the issue of blood, her one act of kindness toward Jesus is no less powerful.

What does Veronica, a historical figure, represent for us? How does her life sing, when she possibly may not have existed? I believe this story is so beautiful, and her life should be a song for us, and an example of how we can minister to the Lord.

This woman was moved by compassion for Jesus in His suffering. She held no power to stop the events of that day. She did not know it was the will of God, she moved in faith in what she knew. She had to do something—anything to help Jesus. The small act of removing her veil, and wiping the face of Jesus, is a perfect picture, a beautiful example of how we can minister to others in the Lord’s name.

For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?  And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me’ {Matthew 25:35-40 NASB}.

The smallest acts of kindness do not go unnoticed by the Lord. Maybe you feel as though you have nothing to offer anyone, but the smallest act performed in the name of Jesus, ministers to Jesus. We minister to Jesus when we give of ourselves to others. Veronica is a wonderful example of a servant.

I heard the call to give up all and follow Christ into the slums to serve Him among the poorest of the poor. It was an order. I was to leave the convent and help the poor while living among them. Mother Teresa

What has Jesus called you to do? Whatever is your hand—give; if it seems too small, it is big to Jesus if it ministers to one of His.

A Liturgy: Experience Christ ( Stations of the Cross III and IV)

Station III: Jesus Falls For The First Time:

The third station memorializes the first fall for Jesus on His long, painful climb to Golgotha; this station is based upon tradition.  The Gospels recite many details concerning the arrest, trial, and death of Jesus, yet these sacred books do not contain an account of Jesus falling. I must contend though, there is no reason to argue that He did not. Jesus carried a heavy burden that day, a heavy cross. In Jesus’ grueling walk, He suffered not only the heavy burden of the old rugged cross etching its image into His shoulder and back; He endured mocking, beating, and whipping. Few could endure that torture without falling once or twice. It is probable that He fell several times; this may explain why the soldiers force Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross for Him; He most likely needed help to make it the rest of the way. 

Jesus suffered not only physical pain; He suffered emotional pain as well. He spent the night of His arrest agonizing in prayer—so much that the capillaries in His head imploded and oozed from His pores. He agonized knowing a friend would betrayed Him, and the pain and torture He would soon endure. 

Orazio Borgianni

As we reflect on this third station, we should remember the pain and suffering Jesus bore on our behalf and tolerated in obedience to the Father. Many times we suffer hurt and betrayal at the hands of those close to us, and the sting of that pain is paralyzing. Jesus remained obedient regardless of the betrayal and the torture He suffered. He pressed through to the place of the skull in spite of the pain.

Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a  high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin. Let us therefore come and boldly enter the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need {Hebrews 4: 14-16}.

Pain and suffering were all too familiar to Jesus; He was tempted but without sin. Tempted to be bitter, tempted to let the anguish of the betrayal harden His heart and rob Him of His joy; tempted to be fed up with the beatings and the mocking and call down legions of angels to annihilate the people abusing Him. When we have been hurt, we feel tired and worn out from the circumstances and are tempted to give up. Jesus knew that feeling well; He was tempted yet without sin. He was exhausted from the burden of the cross. However, love empowered Him to provide salvation for mankind. He had to be the perfect sacrifice for sin; if He walks away from His purpose—He extinguishes ours. He knows what we are going through and what we are feeling. We may go boldly to God through Jesus Christ and obtain the strength we need to persevere despite the hurt, despite the pain.

The Bible accounts two specific occasions that Jesus sought the strengthening of the Father. The first was in the wilderness after the devil tempted Jesus; an angel ministered and strengthened Him. The second, was in the Garden of Gethsemane; He anguished in prayer to let the cup of crucifixion pass.

Have you had a garden experience? Have you anguished in prayer to God—scared and anxious? Jesus experienced it and we will drink of His cup. However, we can learn from Jesus and remain faithful through our trial. Allow the trials to cause you to seek strengthening from God; He is who Jesus sought, relied on, and trusted. He promises that through Jesus Christ we have access to the throne of grace to obtain all we need. Let us reflect on the faithfulness of Christ through this season and tap into the refreshing well of the Father.

Station IV: Jesus meets His Mother

I love Mel Gibson’s portrayal of Mary in The Passion of the Christ. He painted her as a mother beautifully. I love the relationship Gibson created between the two (more creative license I know!). Gibson demonstrated Jesus’ humanity and love for His mother, that I think we overlook when reading the Gospels. 

Mary was a woman and a mother; just like you and me. What torture she must have endured witnessing her son’s trail to the cross. I don’t know of any mother who can watch her child—no matter how young or old—be whipped, tortured, spit on, mocked and beaten without being heartbroken, and left without breath. I imagine pictures of Jesus as a boy flooding her mind as she watched him suffer:

At times it must have been hard for her to even watch Him as He suffered:

She struggled just like the rest of  us. 

In the Passion, several scenes show Jesus very weak, and then Mary would arrive on the scene, and He was strengthened to go on. I believe Jesus loved His mother.  I believe He respected her. I think when Jesus saw her he did draw strength from her, but only as His mother. She was one of the few friendly faces left in a million faces of a hateful, brutal, and mocking mob. He loved her enough to make sure she was taken care of before He left the earth; leaving her in the care of John the beloved disciple. In the Passion, when she mustered the strength to run to Him to comfort Him when He fell, His words reminded her of His mission—God ordained, from the foundation of the world:

Look mother, I make all things new....

When He returns, He will not be the same—He is not coming back as her son, but her Messiah-King.

Mary was a very godly woman and highly favored of God; the Scripture is clear on her character and virtue. But it is from God that Jesus drew His strength to see Calvary through.  Mary should be honored, but not worshiped. Our worship belongs to God the Father, Jesus Christ His only Begotten Son, and the Holy Spirit; the Godhead. The Bible does not deify Mary. Mary, as blessed as she is is not to be praised or worshiped. 

This season is a time to reflect on Jesus Christ and Him alone. It is a time to focus on the sacrifice that Jesus gave for us. It is a time to reflect on Christ and His redemptive love. God does not share His glory with anyone.

I Am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another {Isaiah 42: 8}.

And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was {John 17: 5}.

When we give glory to Mary or any other saint, this is idol worship. It takes our eyes of Jesus and puts in another.  Make Jesus the center of your focus. No one else deserves your praise. The Bible says that Jesus is our mediator—the only mediator between us and the Father; the only acceptable sacrifice. He alone deserves our praise. Christ paid a costly price to bring you into fellowship with the Father—why would we want anyone else? Jesus is inviting us to fellowship with Him and to experience Him in all His fullness. Accept His invitation and experience His abundant life. He is your Redemption. He is your High Priest. His spilt blood cries out to God continually on your behalf (Heb.12:24). He is your Savior and King. His love for you cannot be measured. This is a liturgy worth practicing. 

A Liturgy: Experience Christ ( Stations of the Cross I and II)

Lent is a season to reflect on Jesus and to remember His trail to the cross. I feel like I have neglected this season; my inbox is filled with articles and posts about Lent and Easter, but I feel indifferent this year. I feel like something is missing.

I grew up in a tradition that celebrated the liturgy of the church; it’s a part of my spiritual DNA. The church that I attend now does not follow the ecclesiastical liturgy of my past. Of course we celebrate Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter. I love my church, but I long for liturgy, not as a religious ritual, but as a nudging to worship. I don’t want to view the life of Jesus as a monument of the past, but rather as a worshipful invitation to experience His fullness in my life now. I desire to see the richness of Christ in the mundane of my life and in the miraculous.

Now as we enter Holy Week, I am more purposeful to focus on Him and to deepen my fellowship with Him. If it were not for the grace of God, I don’t believe I would be inhaling or exhaling in this life; I am not sure I would be alive. But for His grace.

Because I feel a little distracted this week, a little indifferent, I searched for something to inspire me to really focus my attention on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We are all sinners in need of a Savior and it is good for us to reflect on what Jesus suffered in order to free us from the bondage of sin. I wrote this little devotional about ten years ago; I have revised it a few times, but it has sat idle for many years. I decided to dust it off this week and to share it with you, and hope it moves your heart to a place of worship. It is a journey through A Protestant’s View of the Stations of the Cross © 2006.  Though I am not Catholic, I believe they are a beautiful and thought provoking way of worshipping Jesus, and a way to remember what He suffered on our behalf.

In order to get through them all this Holy Week, I will include two-three stations in one post, and one on Easter Sunday; I pray you enjoy them.

Christ Jesus was the perfect sin offering

Christ is beautifully prophesied in the Old Testament; the Old Testament describes the story that Jesus completes in the New Testament.  We would not have the New Testament without the Old.

“This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed, the sin offering shall be killed before the Lord. It is most holy” {Leviticus 6:25 NASB}.

Leviticus chapter four, details the requirements for the sin offering, it is a holy offering.

Station # 1: Christ condemned to death.

Christ condemned to die is the first station. It is important for us to see why Jesus is the perfect sacrifice.

The sacrifice for the sin offering offered at the Tabernacle had to be a male, firstborn, without spot or blemish. The sacrifice was required to be inspected by the priests to assure the sacrifice satisfied God’s requirements. In the New Testament, Jesus fulfilled this requirement; He was inspected seven times and found to be without fault.

1. Pilate; John 19:4; Pilate came out again and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you so that you may know that I find no guilt in Him” {NASB}.

2. Herod: Luke 23: 14-15; and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. No, nor has Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him {NASB}.

3. The High Priest; John 18 says after Annas sent Jesus to Caiphas; he could find no fault with Jesus.

4. Caiphas: Could not get the witnesses to agree on any wrong doing by Jesus.

5. Judas: Matt 27:4; I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood.

6. The Centurion: Matt 27: 54; Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” {NASB}.

7. The thief on the cross; Luke 23:40-41; But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong” {NASB}.

Seven times Jesus was examined, judged, and found to be without sin. God is a detail-oriented God. Everything in the law in Israel was observed, in Christ, they are fulfilled, in the church (believers) they are applied. Christ fulfilled every Old Testament Scripture concerning Him.

I want to make note that I believe the first station should have been the Garden of Gethsemane. This is where Jesus had a spiritual battle with the devil, and through His struggle remained obedient to God, and submitted Himself to the will of the Father. He agonized as He pondered what was to come and prayed for the cup to pass. Through His love for us, He remained obedient; He saw beyond the cross to those that He loved and desired to redeem. He chose to obey the will of the Father and to endure His impending suffering. Once Jesus chose the way of obedience, the Lord sent an angel to minister to Him.

And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. Jesus received His strength from the Lord. When the Lord sent the angel unto Him, the Father strengthened Him and enabled Him to remain obedient until death {Luke 22: 41-43 NASB}.

In station one, there is a beautiful prayer to Jesus our Redeemer, other prayers are there as well, however, Jesus is our only mediator and the only one in which we need to pray. Mary was a blessed woman who deserves to be highly honored. The Lord saw something spectacular in her to allow her the honor of giving birth to Jesus. However, she was a sinner in need of a Savior, just as we are. The only way to the Father is to believe that Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead for our sin; to attempt any other passageway is to negate the cross. In the Tabernacle there was only one door; 

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me {John 14:6 NASB}.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.  In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.  The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it… And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth {John 1: 1-5, 14 NASB}.

Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.  For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement  {1 John 5:5-8 NASB}.

And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament. They which are called might receive the promises of eternal inheritance {Hebrews 9: 15 NASB}.


The book of Hebrews is a wondrous book for studying the work and person of Jesus Christ. Throughout this poetic book, is instruction concerning Jesus. He is better than Moses, Aaron, the Tabernacle, and is forever ordained after the order of Melchizedec (King James Spelling). Jesus is above Moses and Aaron therefore He is above everyone.

Dear Jesus, thank you for being the perfect sacrifice for sin. Thank you for loving the world so much that you died to redeem it. Father I thank you for the many that you used to bring forth the birth of your Son. I honor them today for obedience to you. I acknowledge Jesus Christ as my only mediator and propitiation for my sin and I give you all the glory, honor and praise. Amen!

Station # 2: Jesus carries His Cross:

In the Movie The Passion, Jesus takes a fall carrying the heavy burden of the cross; He is able, through the pain of the soldier’s beatings, and the mocking of the crowd to struggle to his feet. Jesus does something remarkable. The cross which He knows will be so painful, He will hang on for the sins of those mocking and beating him. He takes that cross in His hands, and draws it to His face, and places on it the very thing that betrayed our precious Lord; a kiss.

Though Mel Gibson may have indulged in creative license here, I believe it illustrates beautifully Christ’s heart and attitude as He took upon Him all of our sin. I believe Jesus was full with love for people, and though it was a painful journey, He was driven by the will of God and His love for humanity. Many times, we as mere earthen vessels, base our attitudes of servanthood on whether we feel good or whether people are treating us well. But here is Jesus, embracing His cross in the face of hatred, ridicule, and mockery. I know that as sinful creatures we would not be able to stand up under this torment. God’s grace would have to intervene.

This is a beautiful picture; one that should encourage each of us to reflect on the events of that first Good Friday. It is important for us to remember that as He was carrying His cross, Jesus endured a brutal, torturous beating; He was not recognizable.

Though Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ, was hailed as too graphic and violent, it didn’t portray the depth of His torture:

Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops; they have laid siege against us; with a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek {Micah 5:1 NASB}.

I gave My back to those who strike Me, and My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting {Isaiah 50:6 NASB}.

Just as many were astonished at you, My people, so His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men {Isaiah 52:14 NASB}.

Jesus is beaten so badly that He cannot be recognized as a man. Can you imagine the grotesque figure that walked the streets of Jerusalem that day? I gave My back to those who strike Me, and My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting {Isaiah 50:6 NASB}.

Jesus’ scourging was a pivotal part of the work of the cross. We read in Isaiah:

He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed {Isaiah 53: 3-5 NASB}.

The scourging Christ endured prior to the crucifixion, provided our healing and deliverance. The whipping post must not be forgotten; it is vital to our redemption. Though this was the form of punishment for many criminals, He suffered a beating far more brutal than any criminal before or after Him. Why? Why did he suffer more than any other? Why was He marred to the point He could not be recognized? Sin is ugly. He took on Himself the physical manifestation of sin; it is cancer to the soul of man. Before we were saved, sin controlled us. His scourging paints a sobering picture of the effects sin has on the inside of man before Christ died. He bore that suffering as a part of the cross. But our sin was crucified with Him and buried forever! Amen! Let us not forget what He endured on our behalf.

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come {1 Corinthians 11:26 NASB}.