The Via Dolorosa

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: