Sermon Tone Analysis

! Introductions

In Jerusalem there is a road called the Via Dolorosa, which is a Latin phrase that means the way of suffering.

It begins at the place where Pilate sentenced Jesus to be crucified and it ends at Golgotha.

The Catholic Church, for many years, has identified 14 different events which happened to Jesus at various locations along His journey to the cross.

Some of them are not recorded in Scripture, but come out of tradition.

At each of these 14 stations there are markers on the walls of buildings, or in some cases there are even churches built to commemorate these different occasions of Jesus’ path of suffering.

People come from all over the world on pilgrimage to walk the Stations of the Cross.

They begin at the Ecce Homo convent and walk along the streets of Jerusalem stopping at each of the locations and reflecting on the suffering of Jesus on his way to the cross.

Eight of these stations are recorded in Scripture and this morning, I would like to lead you along that path.

As we walk the Stations of the Cross, we will not do so as an intellectual exercise in which we analyze what is happening.

Rather we will walk along Jesus’ way of suffering and try to enter into the experience.

It will be less of an exercise of the mind and more an exercise of the heart.

I would like to invite you to meditate, to feel what was going on, to experience what God was doing in this profound journey.

I would like to invite you to walk where Jesus walked.

As we journey the Via Dolorosa, I hope that we will experience the presence of God, the love of God and the grace of Jesus in His journey to the cross.

At each station, I will read the text that relates to it and then reflect on what happened.

I would like to ask that the lights be turned off.

As we walk along the path of Jesus’ suffering, we will extinguish one candle at each station until they are all extinguished.

At the end of the service, I would like to ask you to walk out of the church quietly meditating on what you have experienced.

!

I.                   Station 1: Pilate Condemns Jesus to Die

The beginning of Jesus’ journey occurred in the palace of Pilate who was the Roman governor over Jerusalem at the time.

Read John 19:5-16.

“When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify!

Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him.

As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”

The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid,  and he went back inside the palace.

“Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.

“Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said.

“Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.

Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar.

Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”

When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha).

It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour.

“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.

But they shouted, “Take him away!

Take him away!

Crucify him!”

“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.”

Look around the crowd at the scene at this moment.

At the fringes of the people who were witnesses to this statement of condemnation there may have been some who were uninvolved spectators.

What would it have been like to witness this travesty of justice?

If they knew enough to realize that the trial was a sham, that Pilate was spineless and that Jesus was innocent would they have been angry at the evil being done?

Or, on the other hand would they have been caught up with the shouting mob which forced the hand of Pilate to make the condemnation?

Physically uninvolved, but emotionally deeply invested were those who were followers of Jesus.

Knowing Jesus was innocent and pure and loving and wonderful would have made this a deeply disturbing experience.

Peter may still have been watching from a distance.

Mary and some of the other women likely heard the condemnation.

What anguish, what fear, what loss would have assaulted their hearts as they heard that Jesus, their friend had been condemned to be crucified.

For the Jewish leaders this was a day of victory.

After the weeks of determined pursuit and vigorous attempts at entrapment, they finally had achieved their purpose.

The words of condemnation to a cruel death on a cross would have been sweet.

They did not want stoning, which was their right.

They wanted crucifixion, which was much more cruel and according to Jewish thought indicated that God had condemned the one crucified.

How sweet, how perfect was the condemnation because in this statement they had what they wanted.

How their hateful hearts must have rejoiced!

Pilate was not so sure.

He knew full well that there was no cause for Jesus to be crucified.

But he was the final authority and even though he tried to wiggle out of it and desperately did not want to make this decision, he had no choice.

He was in charge and as much as he hated to do it, he feared crowd violence more and reluctantly spoke the condemning words – “take Him to be crucified.”

One wonders how long it would have taken for him to get over it.

Did he think about this decision for weeks, for months?

Did he think about it when he heard that Jesus had been raised?

As we circle around this difficult scene and look into the soul of the crowd and the followers and the Jewish leaders and Pilate himself we come finally to Jesus.

How does it feel to know that you have been condemned to death?

Although he knew all His life that this would be His end, reality was now presented to Him.

What was going on in His mind as he processed the sentence, as he anticipated the pain, as He realized what the death of the innocent one meant?

Even though the Bible tells us that he went through this with the joy set before Him, at this moment, I doubt if joy was all he felt and experienced.

This is what was happening as Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified.

!

II.

Station 2: Jesus Accepts His Cross

As we read on, we pause at the next stop on this journey to the cross.

We pause as we read in John 19:17,” Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).”

Although we just read that “Pilate handed him over…” it is interesting that the very next line is “Carrying His own cross…” It makes us reflect on what was actually going on here.

Jesus had said to Pilate, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above…” Although we might say in legal jargon that Pilate had responsibility for the death of Jesus, it is powerful to understand that this did not happen because the Jewish leaders shouted or because Pilate failed to pursue justice.

Jesus accepted His cross because that was the purpose for which he came.

Yet we need to pause to think about what it meant that He took up this cross.

Already bruised and weakened from the beating He had just received, he accepted the weight of the cross and willingly carried it.

It was heavy, but he carried not only the weight of the wood, but the weight of knowing what it meant.

And so the journey to Golgotha began.

!

III.

Station 3:  Simon Helps Carry the Cross

We follow along as Jesus begins to take one step after another along the cobblestone streets of Jerusalem.

We watch as Jesus steps haltingly along the smooth stones of the pavement, as he carries the heavy cross on his shoulders, as he is goaded by the powerful soldiers making sure that progress is made and as he sees the angry crowd staring, mocking and shouting.

But the weight was too much and Jesus fell and we take a third stop on the way of suffering.

As the soldiers were making sure that progress was made, it was evident that Jesus would not be able to make it all the way.

And so we read in Mark 15:21, “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.”

The soldiers looked about and saw Simon.

He looked strong and was made to be willing.

Was he really willing?

Did he gladly help Jesus?

Can you imagine what the followers of Jesus might have felt?

Perhaps some of them had already hoped that someone would have the courage to help Jesus, but their fear prevented them from offering their help.

I suspect that they were glad that someone was helping.