The Way of the Cross

My Sunday School class is studying The Way of the Cross during Lent. I don't think I have ever studied the road to the cross quite like this. Here's a little background. In later posts I will give the readings and a related question to ponder as we approach Easter.

Stations of the Cross (or Way of the Cross; in Latin, Via Crucis; also called the Via Dolorosa or Way of Sorrows, or simply, The Way) is a series of artistic representations, very often sculptural, depicting Christ carrying the cross to his crucifixion in his final hours. The vast majority of Roman Catholic churches now contain such a series, typically placed at intervals along the side walls of the nave. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St. Francis of Assisi and extended throughout the Roman Catholic Church in the medieval period.

Originally fourteen 'stations' were adopted: 1.Jesus is condemned to death; 2.Jesus accepts the cross; 3.Jesus falls the first time; 4.Jesus meets His Mother; 5.Simon of Cyrene carries the cross; 6.Veronica wipes the face of Jesus; 7.Jesus falls the second time; 8.Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem; 9.Jesus falls the third time; 10.Jesus is stripped of His garments; 11.Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross; 12.Jesus dies on the cross; 13.Jesus' body is removed from the cross; 14.Jesus is laid in the tomb and covered in incense.

Of the fourteen traditional Stations of the Cross, only eight have clear scriptural foundation. Stations 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9 are not specifically attested to in the gospels. To provide a version of this devotion more closely aligned with the biblical accounts, Pope John Paul II introduced a new form of devotion, called the Scriptural Way of the Cross on Good Friday 1991. (Wikipedia)

These are the fourteen we are studying: 1.Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane; 2.Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested; 3.Jesus is condemned by the Sanhedrin; 4.Jesus is denied by Peter; 5.Jesus is judged by Pilate; 6.Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns; 7.Jesus takes up His cross; 8.Jesus is helped by Simon to carry His cross; 9.Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem; 10.Jesus is crucified; 11.Jesus promises His kingdom to the repentant thief; 12.Jesus entrusts Mary and John to each other; 13.Jesus dies on the cross; 14.Jesus is laid in the tomb.

I will be back soon with the readings and brief commentary.
Learn to know Christ and him crucified. Learn to sing to him, and say, "Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and given me what is yours. You have become what you were not so that I might become what I was not." Martin Luther