THE VIA DOLOROSA
GOSPEL PASSAGES
#NBCCEASTER2017
INTRODUCTION… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Dolorosa
The Via Dolorosa is a sacred destination and a street in Jerusalem. The words “Via Dolorosa” are Latin words which mean “Way of Grief" or "Way of Sorrow" or "Way of Suffering.” It is a street within the Old City of Jerusalem, believed to be the path that Jesus Christ walked and carried His cross on the way to His crucifixion. There have been many versions in the streets of Jerusalem and many Christians take a trip to Jerusalem and want to walk where Jesus walked.
The Bible does not specifically mention the Via Dolorosa in any passage in any book. All we know from the Scriptures is that Jesus Christ carried His cross from the Praetorium where the soldiers mistreated Him to the site on Mount Calvary (or Golgotha) where He was crucified. The locations of these two sites are not known for certain, but wherever they were, the route between them was definitely a sorrowful pathway. The scourging and pain Jesus suffered was minor in comparison to the pain caused by the real burden He was bearing… He bore our sins to the cross where He paid the penalty.
The Easter Season is coming fast upon us. Next week is Palm Sunday. The week after that is Easter. This morning as we begin to prepare our hearts for Easter, I would like us to focus on the trudging walk that Jesus took for us to the place where He was killed. To do that, we are going to look briefly in all 4 Gospels and talk about some important Truths about Jesus Christ.
READ MATTHEW 27:27-33
“Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. 32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).”
SACRIFICE
What is the Via Dolorosa about?
The Via Dolorosa is about sacrifice.
When we think about Easter and what Jesus Christ did for us, we should definitely think about the word sacrifice. We should think about sacrifice because only through sacrifice can a way be made for forgiveness of sins. After Adam and Even sinned in the Garden of Eden, a sacrifice was made to cover over their sins. This was literal and figurative. Genesis 3:21 says, “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” Where did the skin come from? An animal had to die as a direct result of the sin of Adam and Eve in order to cover their sinful nakedness. Hebrews 9:22 says clearly, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
The truth is that in God’s Spiritual Economy, sin has to be paid for. Sin is any wrong against God. Sin creates a debt. Debts have to be paid. Spiritual debts have to be paid by physical blood. We find in Jesus Christ the sacrifice for our sins. God loved us so much that He sacrificially paid for our sins Himself that you and I might have a right relationship with Him. 1 John 4:10 reminds us even more, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
What is the Via Dolorosa about?
The Via Dolorosa is about sacrifice.
READ MARK 15:20-22
“And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. 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. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).”
SUFFERING
What is the Via Dolorosa about?
The Via Dolorosa is about suffering.
This word is a bit more obvious because the word “suffering” is actually in the name Via Dolorosa. Suffering is very much the focus of remembering this walk of Jesus. How did Jesus suffer? Everything I am about to mention is suffering before He even got to the cross:
His closest friends abandoned Him.
He was falsely imprisoned.
He endured false testimony, lies, and several illegal trials.
People spit in His face and punched him.
He was slapped.
He was whipped so that the skin on His back came off.
He was naked.
He had a crown of sharp thorns pressed onto His head.
He was struck in the head with a staff.
People were shouting and cursing at Him and cursing Him.
Please keep in mind that Jesus knew all of this suffering was coming. Many prophecies in the Old Testament told us about the suffering of the Messiah. Isaiah 53:3-5 says, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Not only that, but Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 16:21, 17:12; Mark 8:31, 9:12; and Luke 9:22, 17:25, 22:15 that He would suffer. Jesus was not surprised at the suffering He would endure. The disciples should not have been surprised either.
Suffering was part of the plan. Suffering is part of the plan because sin is a big deal. Sin has to be paid for. Sin is the recipient of God’s Holy Wrath and this is no small thing!
What is the Via Dolorosa about?
The Via Dolorosa is about suffering.
READ LUKE 23:24-31
“So Pilate decided to grant their demand. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will. 26 As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' 30 Then "'they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!"' 31 For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
SHAME
What is the Via Dolorosa about?
The Via Dolorosa is about shame.
There are two areas of shame that Jesus was facing during the time of His crucifixion. The first was nakedness. The picture we get is that Jesus was most likely naked while being beaten by the guards and he was definitely naked while on the cross. That is just the way it was done. On the actual Via Dolorosa He would have had come kind of tunic, but crucifixion was done without clothing. In the Bible, nakedness was the first signal that sin had come into the world. Genesis 3:7 says, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” Understanding nakedness and feeling shame were the first consequence of sinful behavior for Adam and Eve. The fact that Jesus was naked is uncomfortable for us, but it also shows us that He is bearing the shame of sins. He is taking on even that first consequence of sin for us.
Just so you know, the Book of Genesis chapter 3 is not the only place nakedness is associated with shame. We find that same meaning and emphasis in Genesis 9:22-23; Isaiah 47:3; Lamentations 1:8; Ezekiel 16; Hosea 2:9, 15; Micah 1:11; Nahum 3:5; and Revelation 3:18, 16:15. In the Bible, nakedness is a mark of shame.
The second area of shame was the type of death Jesus was going to be subjected to. The Bible depicts hanging from a tree a horrible, cursed, and shameful way to die. Deuteronomy 21:22-23 says, “If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, 23 you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse. You must not desecrate the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.” Not only do we have this passage in the Old Testament, but we also have Galatians 3:13 which directly ties Jesus’ death on the cross with shame and forgiveness for us. Galatians 3:13 says, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."
So, Jesus endured the shame of being naked and the shame of being hung on a tree all to redeem us because you and I do what we want, when we want, and how we want. You and I sin and as a result, we should be subject to shameful death, but Jesus Christ takes our place instead and takes on a shameful death for us.
What is the Via Dolorosa about?
The Via Dolorosa is about shame.
READ JOHN 19:16-18
“Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 Here they crucified him, and with him two others-- one on each side and Jesus in the middle.”
SELFLESSNESS
What is the Via Dolorosa about?
The Via Dolorosa is about selflessness.
One of the greatest truths that the cross of Jesus teaches us is that Jesus of Nazareth did not have to die. Jesus of Nazareth was not a robot who was forced to death. Jesus of Nazareth was not tricked into dying. Jesus Christ the Son of God willingly put Himself in a situation where His death would be the result so that He could pay for our sins. The death of Jesus was a selfless willing death.
How do we know that? Even if we just look in the Gospel of John we get the picture that Jesus was not thinking about Himself, but rather He was driven by selflessness to die. In John 10:11 Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Even before His arrest, Jesus explains that He would need to be selfless. In John 10:17-18, Jesus also says, “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-- only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." Even before His arrest, Jesus explains that He would need to be selfless in order for His death to mean something for us.
The selflessness of Jesus is also seen at the time of Jesus’ arrest. John 18:4-8 tells us, “Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, "Who is it you want?" 5 "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied. "I am he," Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, "I am he," they drew back and fell to the ground. 7 Again he asked them, "Who is it you want?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth." 8 "I told you that I am he," Jesus answered. "If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” Every step that Jesus took on the Via Dolorosa towards the cross was a selfless one in which He was thinking about the sins that needed to be forgiven. He thought of me. He thought of you.
What is the Via Dolorosa about?
The Via Dolorosa is about selflessness.
SUMMARY AND APPLICATION
What is the Via Dolorosa about?
Sacrifice
Shame
Suffering
Selflessness
As we prepare our hearts this Easter Season, those for truths about Jesus need to remain central in what we think about Easter, why Easter is so important, and why Jesus Christ is important to each of us. Easter is about remembering the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for our sins. Easter is about the shame that Jesus endured for us to save us. Easter is about the tremendous suffering that happened to Jesus so that you and I might receive forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus. Easter is about the selflessness of the Son of God who came to seek and save the lost.
What is Jesus about?
Sacrifice
Shame
Suffering
Selflessness
CONCLUDING ILLUSTRATION… https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandi_Patty, http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=13739
The song that you heard earlier, Via Dolorosa, was originally sung by Sandi Patty in 1984. It was also listed by CCM magazine as one of the top 100 greatest songs in Christian music. The song does a wonderful job of pointing us to Jesus and keeping in mind Sacrifice, Shame, Suffering, and Selflessness.
Here are the words again for us:
Down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day
The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street
But the crowd pressed in to see
A Man condemned to die on Calvary
He was bleeding
from a beating, there were stripes upon His back
And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head
And He bore with every step
The scorn of those who cried out for His death
Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King,
But He chose to walk that road out of His love
For you and me.
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.
The blood that would cleanse the souls of all men
Made its way to the heart of Jerusalem.
Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King
But He chose to walk that road out of His love
For you and me
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.
CONCLUSION IN PRAYER
INVITATION
