The Stations of the Cross is an ancient meditative pilgrimage inviting the spiritually hungry to walk the “Way of Sorrows” with Jesus to his death on Calvary hill. Traditionally depicted in a series of fourteen visuals/images, the Stations highlight pivotal moments in Jesus’ final hours leading up to his execution.

Catholic and Orthodox Christians were the first ones to use the stations in their devotional life. In recent years however, Christians of many traditions have been re-discovering this ancient devotional practice, especially during Lent and Easter.

We invite you to use this guide to help you reflect on the fourteen stations that have been set up around the space. These interpretations of the Stations call you to contemplate the cross from both a personal and a social viewpoint. What cross do you bear, and what cross bears you? What social and economic and political structures have crucified us and others? What resurrection awaits us, personally and collectively, on the other side of the cross?

About the Paintings

Several years ago, some of the men on Tennessee’s death row embarked on an ambitious collaborative project. They decided to create original paintings of the “Stations of the Cross.” These particular images are compelling because they were painted by men who have also been condemned to die.

May these paintings open our hearts up to the profound depth of God’s love, and may they stir in us a passion for extending that love and grace to others. It is our hope that contemplating the execution of Jesus does something to us, in us.

Here is a quote from one of the men who helped create these images:

This piece of art is a commentary on the continuing battle for our collective moral worldview. It is a collaborative effort with several of my fellow artists, all of whom reside on Tennessee’s death row. Not all are Christians or even religious. Several chose to be anonymous. I asked my fellow community members to help create this project to begin a conversation about what Justice looks like.
When Jesus was executed, Justice looked different than it does today. However, Justice today has some of the same components as it did back then. The guilty, as are the innocent, are subjected to this state-sanctioned process. As we understand it, state-sanctioned means that “We the People” — collectively speaking — uphold this system of Justice. So, based upon our support, this system of Justice reflects our community’s sense of morals and values.
One of the biggest issues my sense of the “Christian” world has is dealing with the fact Jesus was not caucasian. This is also true here on death row, a microcosm of the larger “free-world” community. So we decided not to limit one another’s understanding of Jesus’ death or appearance.
During the two-plus months it took to complete this project, we accepted criticism and positive critique from other non-participating community members. Some were fellow prisoners. Some were religious and secular volunteers. Some were correctional officers. It turned into a true community project.
I do not know how many opinions we changed inside during this project, but the dialogue was open and honest, beyond what even I imagined. Safe, open dialogue is a prerequisite for the community model created on this death row. We invite dialogue from anyone on how to change the paradigms of our collective lives with those that promote healing and reconciliation within our diverse communities.
In the Spirit of Love, Mercy, and Forgiveness,
Derrick Quintero
1961-2021

1. Jesus is condemned to death.

Very early in the morning the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law—the entire high council—met to discuss their next step. They bound Jesus, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor. (Mark 15:1)

Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!” “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?” But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!” Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!” And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!” So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified. (Matthew 27:22-26)

Challenging Empire can be costly. The Romans condemned Jesus— an innocent man who committed no crime— to death on a cross as a rabble-rouser, a supposed threat to the “Pax Romana”. The cross was a symbol of Roman state terror, meant to frighten its subjects into submission. A few hundred years later, the Roman Empire was gone – but the cross still stood: no longer the symbol of Roman power, but rather as the sign of the death-defying love of Jesus the Christ.

Reflection: Have you ever been blamed or wrongly accused of something you didn’t do? How did you feel? In what ways are innocent people still condemned to a death they didn’t deserve today?

2. Jesus carries his cross.

“Here is your king” said Pilate to the Jews. But they shouted, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" Pilate said, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king except Caesar." So at that Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. They then took charge of Jesus, and carrying his own cross he went out to the Place of the Skull, or as it is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.” (John 19:14-17)

Beaten and bruised, Jesus placed the cross on His shoulders, in His hands. A journey to Golgotha, along familiar paths, but lined with new imperatives. “We each have our own cross to bear.” Suffering is the universal condition of humankind. The Christian religion makes this point by making the cross its most central image. Buddhism, too, begins with this recognition. The Buddha’s first “station” on his path to enlightenment was to recognize that all life is suffering. While the world tells us we should do anything to avoid pain and suffering today, that’s not how Jesus was. He embraced every experience of pain and suffering. We all join in his suffering in different ways—and it’s an invitation to pick up our own cross and follow him. Let’s look to Jesus and bring our suffering to him, and allow him to transform us in ways unimaginable.

Reflection: What crosses do you carry through life? When have they become too heavy for you to bear? Who or what can help you bear them?

3. Jesus falls for the first time.

Then Pilate had Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip. The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him. “Hail! King of the Jews!” they mocked, as they slapped him across the face. (John 19:1-3)

His agony in the garden has exhausted his body; he is sore with blows and wounds; his strength fails him and he falls to the ground under the cross. According to the Stations, Jesus stumbled and fell three times as he was marched to Golgotha to be crucified. Jesus said (Matthew 21:42-44) that the stone of stumbling would become the cornerstone — the most important stone in the building of the new kin-dom of heaven on earth.

Reflection: What is the “stone” that makes you stumble and fall? What is it like to be humbled? How can your stumbling stone become the foundation of a new and better life for you and others?

4. Jesus meets his mother Mary.

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, "Woman, this is your son." Then he said to the disciple, "This is your mother." And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. (John 19:25-27)

Jesus looks on his mother with love and sees and feels her pain. Mary’s heart is broken as she sees her beloved son humiliated and tortured, soon to die on the cross. The crowd mocks and taunts Jesus. She feels their cruelty and lack of humanity. She too is in agony. There is no one who will help. A mother’s pain is no different today. When her child suffers, she suffers. When her child is deprived of opportunity, she aches. When her child is beaten and abused, she nurses the wounds and when her child is murdered, she identifies the body. Today we see the sorrowful women who mourn their children taken by senseless violence, illness that could have been treated and the hopelessness of poverty, drugs and gang membership. When we embrace the full measure of a pro-life vision then we shall encounter the sorrowful mothers in our own society who refuse to be comforted because their children are no more.

Reflection: What unfinished business do you have with your parents and/or with your children? If this was your last chance to communicate, what would you say to your parent or child? How can we stand with anxious and grieving mothers and work to end the injustices that besiege them?

5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his cross.

“As they were leading him away they seized on a man, Simon from Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and made him shoulder the cross and carry it behind Jesus.” (Luke 23:26)

A man named Simon, who came to Jerusalem from his home in Cyrene, in North Africa, to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem, was picked, apparently at random, to carry Jesus’ cross. It was a common practice of Roman soldiers to press people into service to carry loads for them. In this moment, Jesus’ story becomes Simon’s story. Jesus and Simon are both victims and helpers. Good and evil play out as their lives are connected. Although Simon did not have a choice but to carry Jesus’ cross, we do. We can overlook injustice, or we can speak out against it. We can keep our distance from those who are suffering, or we can reach out to connect with someone who has been pushed to the peripheries of our society. We can stay in our own lanes, or we can work to lift society to a higher place.

Reflection: What crosses are you asked to carry for others? Do you do so willingly or grudgingly? And who carries the cross for you? What do we owe the “Simons” of our world today — the people who labor in our fields and factories, the people who empty bedpans and mop floors?

6. Jesus’ face is wiped by Veronica.

“Down in the dust I lie prostrate; true to your word, revive me. I tell you my ways and you answer me; teach me your wishes. … I am melting away for grief; true to your word, raise me up.” (Ps. 119:25-26, 28)

This station is based on a medieval-era legend not found in the New Testament. According to the tradition, Veronica was one of the women of Jerusalem who followed Jesus to the cross. She wiped his face to offer comfort, and his image remained on the cloth. The cloth became a sacred relic that had healing powers. The name “Veronica” means “true image” — the true image of the Christ, which can be found in every human being. Veronica herself became the true image of the Christ through her act of compassion for Jesus.

Reflection: When you look in the mirror, do you see the true image of the Christ? Do you see the suffering of the Christ, and also the one for whom the Christ is willing to suffer? When have you witnessed the true image of the Christ in other people? To whom can you show compassion towards?

7. Jesus falls a second time.

"Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger, and make you welcome; naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and go to see you?" And the King will answer, ''In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this for one of the least of my sisters and brothers, you did it for me." (Matthew 25: 37-40)

Exhausted and weakened from the heaviness of the cross, Jesus stumbles and falls for the second time. The Roman soldiers continue to whip and beat Jesus, while the crowd, even louder than before, deride Jesus. When we are weakened by one trauma or disaster, we are made more vulnerable to others.

Reflection: What hurts have you experienced, both physically and emotionally, that leave you more vulnerable to more hurt? Have you chosen to hide or excessively protect yourself from further suffering, or have you chosen to keep on living and loving, and risk being hurt again?

8. Jesus speaks to the women of Jerusalem.

Large numbers of people followed him, and women too, who mourned and lamented for him. But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep rather for yourselves and for your children.” (Luke 23:27-28)

Jesus looks up and sees women crying for him as he carried his cross along the road to Calvary. All they can give him are their tears of anguish and despair. As they mourn and lament, their sorrow and dismay over injustice fill their hearts. They observe first-hand the sheer brutality, the violence, the injustice...far from the message of mercy Jesus spoke everywhere he went. The women of Jerusalem were able to see beyond themselves and grieve the injustice done to Jesus. They made Jesus’ cause their own. At the same time, Jesus in his moment of suffering and agony, uses what little breathe he has left to comfort and remind them that they must care for themselves and their children. This is a powerful picture of mutual care and concern for one another, in the midst of ones own suffering. For whom shall we weep (Romans 12:15)?

Reflection: What are you currently grieving in your own life? What words of comfort might Jesus, who understands suffering, be speaking to you in this moment? What might be preventing you from seeing beyond your own challenges to also grieve the pain and suffering of others?

9. Jesus falls a third time.

“Ill-treated and afflicted, he never opened his mouth, like a lamb led to the slaughter house.” (Isaiah 53:7)

Jesus, arriving exhausted at the foot of Calvary, falls for the third time. His weakness was extreme and the cruelty of his executioners was excessive; they tried to hasten his steps when he hardly had the strength to move. He had lost his strength, his power, his reputation: many of his followers had abandoned him.

Reflection: What have you lost along life’s way? In what way are you cursed by these losses, and in what ways are you liberated? If you could have anything back that you have lost, what would it be, and what would you do with it if you had that second chance? What do you have to lose now — dignity, pride, position — and what would it be like to lose it?

10. Jesus is stripped of his garments.

“They took his clothing and divided it into four shares, one for each soldier. His undergarment was seamless, woven in one piece from neck to hem, so they said to one another, “Instead of dividing it, let’s throw dice to decide who is to have it.” (John 19:23-24)

A psychological mockery preceded Jesus being stripped of his clothes. In Jesus’ time, it was extremely humiliating to be seen naked. His robe or cloak was taken by the Roman soldiers, who further humiliated him by drawing lots to see which of them would get it. What is He thinking? What is He feeling? Does He dare to look at the jeering crowds who have turned against Him just in one week?

Reflection: What part of your life do you want to keep hidden or “under cover” from others to see? When have you been painfully exposed or humiliated, and how did it make you feel? In what ways have you made light, downplayed, or disrespected the humiliation of others?

11. Jesus is nailed to a cross.

When the soldiers came to the place called “The Skull,” they nailed Jesus to a cross. They also nailed the two criminals to crosses, one on each side of Jesus. Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people! They don't know what they're doing.”(Luke 23:33-35)

Jesus is a person of active nonviolence, yet, here he comes to know violence against his person, the same violence that is seen in our wars, and preparation for war, in the violence on our streets and in our homes, in our weapons of mass destruction, in ethnic cleansing, in genocide, in all of these countless acts of violence. This violence is sin. The structures of sin in our own society unfairly deprived some of their basic human rights. When we fail to speak out against these structures and reform them, our complicity cannot be ignored. We are all in need of Jesus’ forgiveness for our sins of commission and sins of omission.

Reflection: Sins of commission are actively doing something wrong, while sins of omission are failing to do something that is right or required of us. How have you been complicit in violence against God, others and yourself? When have you failed to speak out or do something about the sin of violence directed towards others? Take a moment to ask God to forgive you.

12. Jesus dies on a cross.

“It was now about the sixth hour and the sun’s light failed, so that darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. The veil of the Sanctuary was torn right down the middle. Jesus cried out in a loud voice saying, “Father into your hands I commend my spirit.” With these words, he breathed his last.” (Luke 23:44-46)

Power and control dominate values in our world, yet Jesus loses all of these things that the world considers important. But at the same time, in Jesus being nailed to the cross, we see a person of great freedom and compassionate love and a special awesome power—the power of the suffering God crying out for justice. Jesus’ death on a cross is the ultimate example of a selfless, self-giving radically generous and embodied love that was willing to give of oneself for the sake of others flourishing— so that all might be healed, renewed and made whole again.

Reflection: How has this radical, embodied sacrificial love of Christ changed you? What might it look like for you to love yourself and others in the same way Christ demonstrated his love for you?

13. Jesus is taken down from the cross.

Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because he was afraid of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission so they came and took it away. (John 19:38)

The gospels tell us that one of the rulers of Israel, a man named Joseph of Arimathea, secretly admired Jesus and asked to remove and bury his body after his crucifixion. This surely must have exposed him to danger from the Romans as well as from the other members of the Jewish Sanhedrin.

Reflection: When have you been served profoundly by people who have helped you in secret, with no thought of reward or even thanks? What thankless, hard tasks are you asked to do for the sake of others? Are you willing to do them without recognition or reward?

14. Jesus is placed in the tomb.

At the place where he had been crucified there was a garden and, in this garden, a new tomb in which no-one had yet been buried. Since it was the Jewish Day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. Joseph of Arimathea then rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. (John 19:41-42, Mark 15:46)

Jesus’ death was shameful, but he was buried respectfully and honorably. Joseph of Arimathea wrapped his body in a shroud and placed it in a new tomb with herbs and spices, in the traditional manner. Nonetheless, Jesus’ body laid in a dark, cold tomb was a stark reminder for onlookers of the finality of death. But as it turns out, the tomb became a cocoon, the womb, in which the story of Jesus the historical person of first—century Palestine gestated and transformed into the universal Christ— the manifestation of God, who is unconditional love. Each of the three days in the tomb, while cold and dark, was a “trimester” in that gestation period…. ending with the resurrection we celebrate at Easter.

Reflection: What part of your life is entombed — on hold, unseen? What kind of “gestation” or transformation is underway within? What new life might await you when the stone is rolled away from your tomb?

A Closing Prayer

Jesus’ friends are afraid that this is the end of Jesus. But as surely as spring follows winter and daylight follows the dark night, Jesus proves that death has no power over him, nor subsequently over us. New life always follows after death.

Jesus once said: “Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a seed.” And so it must be with us. Let us leave our fractured and broken humanity at the foot of His cross.

May we now go forward in the hope that we shall be released from these burdens; released into the freedom to love, to see others as God sees them, to craft our earthly purposes more in line with God’s purposes for us and for all creation.

We make these prayers in the name of Jesus, the beloved Son of God. Here in his torturous death as a criminal, he is still God’s beloved. And so are we.

Amen.

Common Good Church

Sunday gatherings at 3pm.

Lincoln Center Office Park | 515 116th Ave NE Bellevue