Via Dolorosa English Booklet 2023

INTRODUCTION

VIA DOLOROSA

The Via Dolorosa is an ancient pathway through the streets of Jerusalem; a pathway that is believed to be the path that Jesus

walked to his crucifixion. This path holds utmost importance for all followers of Christ, as pilgrims stop at each of these stations for prayer and to contemplate the love and suffering of Jesus for humanity.

In this season of Lent, we invite you to journey with Jesus on His “way of suffering” right here in Foochow Methodist Church.

You may choose to put on your earphones and scan the QR codes in your devotionals for the audio guide as you walk through each of the five rooms, and you will be greeted with the sights and sounds of Jesus’ last journey from table to tomb.

Let us take time to consider Jesus’ final journey to the cross, tarry and pause before each painting. Meditate on the verses, allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you and rediscover anew Jesus’ love for you.

Before we embark on our journey today, let us go to the Lord in prayer: Lord Jesus, prepare my heart to encounter you anew as I accompany you on your Via Dolorosa – your way of sorrow.

As we embark on this journey together, would you open my heart and mind by the power of your Holy Spirit. As I stand before each painting, remind me afresh that the weight you bore was not only that of the cross but of my sins. May your precious word warm my spirit with the knowledge that you suffered and died out of your boundless love for all humanity.

Lord, by this journey, strengthen my faith and stir me to respond to you in word, thought, and deed.

In Jesus’ most precious name I pray. Amen.

ROOM 1

DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME

we begin our journey at the table of the Lord’s Supper. At this table, Jesus entreated his beloved disciples to break bread and

drink from the cup in remembrance of Him.

Yet after the supper, despite Jesus plea for Peter, John, and James to “stay here and keep watch with me… my soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” his disciples let him down. They fell asleep, not once, not twice, but three times.

Jesus was all alone in his anguish. He knew the suffering, sorrow and separation that lay before him. He knew that God’s will for him was to drink from the cup of unimaginable pain and grief. We can almost hear Jesus pleading in prayer:

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

As he prayed even more earnestly, we begin to see urgency of Jesus’ petition as sweat like drops of blood began flowing from his brow and falling to the ground.

The words “Do this in remembrance of me” may be very familiar to most of us. We hear them being recited every time we receive Holy Communion in church. Yet, dear friends, do we remember Jesus often? How often have we stopped, deliberately lay down everything, put our lives on hold, to contemplate Jesus’ love for us in the season of Lent thus far? Or have we too fallen asleep in our faith?

Pray: Dear Lord Jesus, I am reminded today of your call to remember you. As I look at my life, there are times when I have fallen asleep, times when I have relegated you to the outer fringes of my life. Lord, help me to turn my eyes upon you, to keep my focus on you in my journey of faith. Amen.

Act: Perhaps consider taking this time as an act of commitment to spending time with our Lord on a daily basis.

ROOM 2

THE HOUR HAS COME!

AAs Jesus concluded his prayer in anguish and returned once again to his sleeping disciples, Jesus knew that this was the moment.

“The hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners.”

Upon these words, one would imagine that the ruckus of human voices drew closer and closer. The orange glow of torches brightened the previously darkened Mount of Olives as a large crowd armed with swords and clubs approached menacingly.

In their midst, was a face so familiar to the Lord, a disciple who have followed him for the past three and half years, Judas whom the Lord regarded as friend.

Yet, Jesus’s arrest exacerbated the loneliness and abandonment Jesus just experienced with his three sleeping disciples. Now, one of the twelve disciples closest to him betrayed him in a most intimate way possible, with a kiss. As the gang of vigilantes arrested Jesus, the wound of Judas’ betrayal was further torn asunder as the rest of the disciples who moments ago vowed never to deny Christ, even when faced with death, deserted him and fled.

Furthermore, when Simon Peter was identified as a follower of Jesus, he not only denied him once, twice but thrice as he swore oaths totally disavowing himself of any relationship with Christ: “I don’t know the man!”

At the coming of the hour, Jesus not only experienced abandonment by his disciples, betrayal by Judas, condemnation by the Sanhedrin, and denials by Peter, he subsequently suffered immense physical pain and humiliation.

The flogging that Jesus received at the hands of the Roman soldiers was no ordinary caning!

You can watch what Jesus went through via this link.

WARNING: The following clip contains scenes of violence and may be uncomfortable to some.

“One physician who has studied Roman beatings said, As the flogging continued, the lacerations would tear into the underlying skeletal muscles and produce quivering ribbons of bleeding flesh… the sufferer’s veins were laid bare, and the very muscles, sinews, and bowels of the victim were open to exposure… At the least, the victim would experience tremendous pain and go into hypovolemic shock.” 1

Why did Jesus, an innocent man, the Son of God, have to go through this emotional and physical suffering? Isaiah 53:4 tells us beyond a shadow of a doubt:

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.”

Pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Mark 8:38 reminds me that “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” Forgive me for the times when I have hidden my identity as a follower of Christ and when my thoughts, words and deeds betray the trust you have placed in me. Help me to follow you faithfully even when it requires me to face hardship and persecution. Amen.

Act: Consider how we may have “fled” and ran away from being associated as a Christian in times of persecution and pain. What are some steps we can do to change this?

ROOM 3

THE WEIGHT OF SIN

After the mental anguish of betrayal and abandonment, being left all alone in the hour of His greatest need, and after tremendous

physical agony, we see Jesus taking his final steps towards his death. While the distance between Pontius Pilate’s palace and Golgotha where the crucifixion took place was believed to be about 1.5 kilometres, we do not know for sure how far Jesus actually carried the cross. Yet, Dr Alexander Metherell’s assessment was grim, Jesus was in hypovolemic shock as he staggered up the road to the execution site at Calvary, carrying the horizontal beam of the cross. Finally, Jesus collapsed, and the Roman soldier ordered Simon to carry the cross for him.

What spiritual significance does Jesus bearing the heavy burden of the cross and falling under its weight have for us? Pope Francis points us to Jesus carrying not just the cross, but falling under the immense strain of our sins and guilt.

“He who holds the lights of heaven in his divine hand and before whom the powers of heaven tremble: see him falling to the ground, without protecting himself, under the heavy yoke of the Cross… He who brought peace to the world, wounded by our sins, falls under the burden of our guilt.” 3

Let us stop here for a while and gaze at the replica cross placed in this room which Christ bore for us. Let us also consider Jesus’ exhortation to us all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Are we willing to take up our cross and follow Christ faithfully?

Pray: Lord Jesus Christ, as I see you carrying the heavy cross and falling under the weight of our sins, my heart is filled with gratitude. Lord I

know that following you is not easy. I am called to deny myself, take up my cross daily and follow you. Lord, grant me the will to deny myself, strength to carry my cross and grace to persevere when I stumble in my journey of faith. Amen

Act: Jesus had already taken up the heavy cross of our sin and shame in our place. What other burdens could you be carrying today? Lay them at the feet of Christ and thank Him for bearing them on the cross for you.

ROOM 4

PIERCED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS

AS we enter this room, we are greeted by nails each five to seven inches long, not unlike those driven into the hands and feet of our

Lord. Pick a nail up, press it against your wrist and feel how sharp it is. Imagine the excruciating pain our Lord Jesus felt as the nails pierced his flesh.

You can watch what Jesus went through via this link.

WARNING: The following clip contains scenes of violence and may be uncomfortable to some.

The scenes of our Lord Jesus crucified on the cross brings to mind two pertinent perspectives of crucifixion from the Romans and Jews.

To the Romans,

Crucifixion is probably the most cruel method of execution ever practiced, for it deliberately delayed death until maximum torture had been inflicted. The victim could suffer for days before dying. When the Romans adopted it, they reserved it for criminals convicted of murder, rebellion or armed robbery, provided they were also slaves, foreigners or other nonpersons. 4

While we often focus on the pain that our Lord experienced, we forget that Roman crucifixion quite literally stripped an individual of being “human.”

To the Jews, crucifixion would be no less of an abomination because Israel did not make a distinction between hanging from a tree and crucifixion on a cross. Deuteronomy 21:23 clearly states that “anyone who is hung on a tree is cursed by God.”

The crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Messiah would mean that Jesus not only lost his identity as human, but also had his relationship with God severed. Indeed, “he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our inequities… The Lord has laid on him the inequity of us all.” Bearing the burden of our sins upon his broken body, is it any wonder that Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Yet as we look at two of Jesus’ final sayings on the cross, we begin to comprehend his depth of love for humanity and his family.

First, as we consider Jesus’ incredible suffering, the brutal flogging, crown of thorns raking into his brow, the agony of nails being driven into his hands and feet, what response would we expect from someone who has suffered thus? Jesus’ prayer is extraordinary! “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” This, my friends, is incredible grace!

Moreover, as Jesus’ gaze fell upon his mother at the foot of the cross, weeping, heartbroken and inconsolable, his heart goes out to her despite his agony. “Woman, here is your son… Here is your mother,” Jesus gasped, entrusting the care of his mother to his beloved disciple. This shows Jesus’ love and concern for his mother even in His time of deep pain and agony.

Dear friends, it is quite unfathomable that in spite of the terrible struggle to draw breath and the unbearable pain, Jesus still demonstrated amazing love, not just for his family but for his tormentors. Even to his dying breath, Jesus thought of others.

As you move from painting to painting in this room, allow this song to speak of Jesus’ immense love to you. Think About His Love

Think About His Love – Don Moen

Reflect: From your journey thus far, which painting holds the most meaning for you? What do you think God is saying to you? Write a short prayer thanking Jesus for his love for you.

Act: In Jesus’ time of pain and agony, His love for us was not diminished. Consider your love for others, especially your own family members. How can you love them despite the pain and agony you may be going through?

As a sidenote. FMC will be having a special service on 30 Apr where we will be focusing on the theme of “family”. We invite you to join us that Sunday to recommit our love for our family.

ROOM 5

IT IS FINISHED

AS we enter this final room, let’s ask ourselves what Jesus’ death on the cross has accomplished? In John 19:28, we see that after

hanging on the cross for 6 hours, Jesus knew that everything had now been finished, so that Scripture would be fulfilled. Jesus proclaimed, “It is finished” and breathed his last on the cross.

Luke records that three miraculous things occurred. First, from noon to three in the afternoon, the sun stopped shining and darkness came over the whole land. Second, the curtain in the temple, the heavy veil that separated God’s presence from the congregation was torn in two. Third, on the third day, Jesus’ tomb stood empty. God’s messenger proclaimed to the women, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!”

Dear friends, this is the cornerstone of Christianity. When Jesus carried the burden of the sins of humanity, he was separated from God and because the sins of Man have been removed, the rending of the temple’s curtain in half meant that not only has forgiveness been extended to humanity, Man could once again directly come before God in worship.

Just as the death of Christ brought forgiveness, the resurrection of Christ brought hope! Romans 8:11 tells us:

“the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”

Christ has died; Christ has risen; Christ will come again. The good news is we serve a God who is real and alive today, Jesus Christ who loves us and who hears our prayers. We can follow him with new life that comes from him.

Jesus says in Revelation 3:20,

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”

He is waiting for us to invite Him into our lives. Jesus didn’t suffer and die on the cross so that we could have religion! No! Jesus sacrificed His life so that YOU could have a personal relationship with Him!

Are you ready to invite Him into your life? If so, we invite you to say this short prayer to Jesus.

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Please forgive me. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and my life to you. I confess You as my personal Savior and Lord. I surrender my whole life to you and I will follow you only for the rest of my life. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

If you have prayed the prayer above, congratulations on your entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven! Please do let us know and you are welcome to join us in our Church Services!

Act: As you come to the end of the Via Dolorosa, take some time to gather your reflections. On one of the “Post-it” note pads, we invite you to pen a short response to Jesus. It can be a short prayer or short letter thanking Jesus for his love. You can either stick this note to the wall as an encouragement to others or to bring it back as your own personal reminder.

On behalf of Foochow Methodist Church, we hope you have been blessed. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God our Heavenly Father and the inspiration and strength of the Holy Spirit be with you. Amen.

Notes

REFERENCES

1 Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017), 212.

2 Ibid

3 Pope Francis, Way of the Cross at the Colosseum, Vatican, accessed May 14, 2021, http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/2013/documents/ns_lit_doc_20130329_viacrucis_en.html

4 John Stott, The Cross of Christ (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 29.