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The Stations of the Cross

The following is for meditation, contemplation, reflection and prayer. This is the moving story of Jesus and the cross. Where Jesus won the victory over sin, death and hell and where He shed His Holy Blood for our sins. Jesus died for you and suffered for you and paid your debt and mine at the cross. The Holy Spirit, is calling you now to repent, believe and welcome Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Call upon Jesus now and He will cleanse, heal and save you and make your home in Heaven with Him forever. God bless you.On Good Friday, the day we remember the death of Jesus on the cross I led a number of people, men and women as we remember Jesus and the Stations of the Cross. It was a powerful time. I want to share it with you.I had a different person carry the cross to each station of the cross. It was awesome. As the cross was carried we were silent. Then about every 100 yards (meters) we would stop and raise the cross upright. The person that carried the cross would read the scripture about that station. That person or any other person would make comments about the scripture that was just read. Then the person that just carried the cross would lead on prayer. This continued station after station till we came to the ‘place called Calvary’ where Jesus was crucified. The lady that carried the cross to that station could not speak, but she was weeping with tears pouring down her face. Then we all began to cry. From then on all we could do was weep and read scripture. It was one of the most moving times I have ever had in carrying the cross around the world. So welcome to the Stations of the Cross and let the Word of God speak to you. Now read slowly. Think of each event and ponder the implications. Be free with your emotions as you spend this quiet time in the Word. Jesus is Present so you are reading and sharing this with Him. Let Jesus speak to your heart in a special way at this time.

First Station of the Cross: “Jesus condemned to Die’

Matthew 27:11-61 Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” So Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?”
And He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly. Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.” But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes
that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!” Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!” Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!” When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.” And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”
Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

Second Station of the Cross: “Jesus beaten, scourged, Crown of Thorns’

Mark 15:15-19 So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified. Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison. And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head,
and began to salute Him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him. And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.

Third Station of the Cross: “Jesus Carries the Cross’

John 19:16-17 Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led Him away. And He,
bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,

Fourth Station of the Cross: “Jesus cross carried by Simon of Cyrene’

Mark15:21 Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.

Fifth Station of the Cross: “Jesus speaks to the Women’
Luke 23: 27-30 And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.
But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. “For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ “Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”‘

Sixth Station of the Cross: “Jesus is Stripped’

Matthew 27:33-35 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull,
they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.
Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.”
John 19:23-24 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece.
They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says:
“They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. “Therefore the soldiers did these things.

Seventh Station of the Cross: “Jesus is Nailed to the Cross’

Luke 23: 33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary,there they crucified Him

Eighth Station of the Cross: “Jesus on the Cross’

John 19:18-27 They crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”
Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
Luke23:32-45 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”And they divided His garments and cast lots.And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying,
“He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine,and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”
And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:
THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? “And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.
Matthew 27:45-49 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”

Ninth Station of the Cross: “Jesus Dies on the Cross’

John 19:18-30 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!”
And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.'” Having said this, He breathed His last.
Matthew 27:50-56 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him,
were there looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Tenth Station of the Cross: “Jesus taken down from the Cross’

John 19:31-37 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”
And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”
John 19:38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.

Eleventh Station of the Cross: “Jesus Laid in the Tomb’

Matthew 27: 57-61Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.
And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.
Mark15: 42-47 Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time.
And when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.Then he bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses observed where He was laid.
Luke 23:1-56 Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.
He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen,and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.
That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near. And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after,and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

Twelfth Station of the Cross:

Jesus is Alive! Glorious News Jesus Arose! Jesus ascended to the Father and will be With you Always!
Matthew 28:1-9 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. “He is not here; for He is risen,
as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. “And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”
So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Acts 1:5-11 “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven,
will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
Mark 16:19-20 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them,
He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere,
the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
Acts 8:4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word.

A pilgrim follower of Jesus,

Arthur and Denise Blessitt

Luke 18:1