Our next path would be a hard one to take. It was time to experience the Via Dolorosa, the path Christ took carrying the cross he would be nailed to. The Via Dolorosa is a series of 14 stations that tell the story of Christ's final moments before his crucifixion.
We walked from Bethesda to the first & second stations of the Via Dolorosa. They are right next to each other. We walked through some of the old city & saw some arches that were built in the 1st century. . . arches that actually been around during the time of Jesus' life.
The first 2 stops on the Via Dolorosa are right next to each other. The first is a beautiful courtyard where Jesus met with Pontius Pilate.
Matthew 27: 2, 11, 15, 21-24
"And when they had bound him, they led him away, & delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. And Jesus stood before the governor: & the governor asked him saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. . . Now at that feast the governor wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would. . . the governor answered & said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, & washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it."
The second station is where Jesus was handed his cross & where he was beaten by Roman soldiers. The Sanctuary of the Flagellation is located on this spot now.
Luke 22: 63-64
"And the men that held Jesus mocked him, & smote him, & when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, & asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?"
We continued through the streets that Jesus would have had to walk through carrying his cross. I was surprised to see how narrow these streets were. It would have been difficult to walk this route, especially with a large crowd pressing in on you.
Station 3 & 4 of the Via Dolorosa was next to the Armenian Church of our Lady of the Spasm & was said to be the place where Jesus fell for the first time under the heavy burden of the cross as well as the place that Mary stood & watched as her son passed carrying the cross.
The 5th station was where Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus carry the cross. There is a brick on the side of the building here where Jesus fell again & put his hand against the building to help prop himself up. People come from all over the world to put their hands in this spot to remember his suffering for them.
Luke 23: 26
"And as they led him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, & on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus."
The 6th Station is supposedly where Saint Veronica wiped Jesus' face with a cloth. It is now the Church of the Holy Face. I've personally never heard the story of Saint Veronica, so this was a new story for me, but I enjoy learning all aspects of all faiths so it was great hearing more.
The 7th station (I didn't catch a picture of #7) was a Franciscan Chapel where Jesus fell a second time. And the 8th was just on the back of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Jesus consoled the weeping & mourning women of Jerusalem.
Luke 23:27-28
"And there followed him a great company of people, & of women, which also bewailed & lamented him. But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, & for your children."
Station number 9 was a Roman pillar that marks the site of Jesus' 3rd & final fall.
Station number 10 is just outside the door of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where they stripped Jesus of his clothing before they nailed him to the cross.
#11 was where he was nailed to the cross.
We went upstairs to one of the 2 places thought to be Golgotha/Calvary where Christ was crucified. We visited the other one previously by the Garden Tomb.
Station number 12 was also on the 2nd floor of the church & is right next to station 11. This is the supposed rock that held the cross that Jesus died on.
Matthew 27:35-37
"And they crucified him, & parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, & upon my vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched him there; And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS."
Some also believe that Adam's bones (his skull - Golgotha means, place of the skull) are buried in the ground underneath this rock.
Station 13 is where Jesus was taken down from the cross & anointed on the "anointing stone." Many people come & touch this stone for strength & to feel the spirit.
Luke 23: 50, 52-53
"And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; & he was a good man, & a just: This man went unto Pilate, & begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, & wrapped it in linen, & laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid."
The last & final station of the Via Dolorosa was the Holy Sepulchre. . . the tomb some believe Jesus was laid in.
Luke 24:2-6
"And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, & found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, 2 men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, & bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen."
We did not wait in the long line to enter the Holy Sepulchre itself. We visited the garden tomb a few days before this & that was good enough for us.
A lot of people argue about which place is the TRUE place Christ was crucified & laid in the tomb, but the "where" isn't important. The "event" itself is what is important. Either way, I'm glad we got to see both places.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is such an interesting church. So many denominations want to be a part of this story. There are over 30 different religious "chapels" inside this massive church so that all these different religions can worship their Savior in their own way. It is SO diverse that there are many tensions in the church. If somebody so much as changes a light bulb, they take it as an act of "ownership" & fights break out. There have been fights where people have actually died inside over silly little things like this. In fact, there is a ladder from 1757 still remains underneath one of the windows of the church because "removing" it would be an act of "ownership" & no one religion "owns" rights to this church. The keys to the church are kept safe with a Muslim family who deals equally to all the Christian denominations. He keeps the peace in this chapel by not showing favoritism to any one denomination. SO INTERESTING.
My favorite part of this church was the Armenian Monastery & the Syriac Chapel where Joseph of Arimathea & Nicodemus were buried. This whole area was carved into the natural rock of the area (just completely enveloped by the huge church), & it was so simple & beautiful in it's own way. It was really need to actually see their tombs.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was huge. It was so interesting in so many ways. Whether Christ died & was buried here, or in the other area near the garden tomb doesn't matter. I love that we visited both & got to experience the beliefs of both areas. They both are beautiful.
After visiting the church, we made our way through the rest of the the Old City & hopped on the bus to go to Bethlehem.
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