Via Dolorosa: The Way Of The Cross

A SPECIAL EASTER MESSAGE

The Via Dolorosa –
The Way Of The Cross

In the Old City of Jerusalem today there is a pilgrim walk called the Via Dolorosa (the Way of Sorrows). It is said to be the route our Lord walked, carrying His cross, from His trial to His crucifixion. The Via Dolorosa starts at the Antonia Fortress, the traditional site of the Lord’s trial before Pilate, and ends at the traditional site of His crucifixion and burial, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Many tourists walk the Via Dolorosa as a highlight of their Holy Land pilgrimage, and would be extremely disappointed if they found out that the Lord’s feet never touched the twisting Jerusalem streets that form the Via Dolorosa today. The streets of the present Via Dolorosa do not date from the time of Christ, but from the 16th century AD, when the Turkish Ottoman Empire controlled Jerusalem. In fact, the route of the Via Dolorosa was not defined until hundreds of years after the crucifixion.

Furthermore, the location of the traditional site of the Lord’s trial is still in question. Was His trial held in the Antonia Fortress at the northwest corner of the Temple Mount, where the Via Dolorosa begins, or was it in the Praetorium, the palace of Herod on the west side of the city? And even if the trial was held in the Antonia Fortress, the Roman “lithostratos” – which was always thought to be the “pavement” of John 19:13 – is now dated by many scholars to the time of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who ruled about 100 years after the time of Christ.

The location of the crucifixion and burial of our Lord has been debated for years. The “traditional” sites of Calvary and the Tomb are both within the walls of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which dates from the 4th century AD. This location has substantial supporting historical and archaeological evidence. However, Gordon’s Calvary and the Garden Tomb, the alternative sites, have some valid supporting evidence as well. Here again, we cannot say for sure which is the authentic site of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Both tombs are empty!

Not Where, But As
The Holy Land pilgrims on the Via Dolorosa may not even be walking in the same direction that our Lord walked when He carried His cross to the site of Calvary, and they certainly are not walking the same streets Jesus walked. Although this is a major disappointment, it shouldn’t be, because it doesn’t really matter whether we travel, or even know, the exact path of the “way of the cross.” The Bible does not teach that we are to aspire to walk where Jesus walked, but to walk as Jesus walked!

The apostle John tells us that those who say they belong to Jesus Christ, are to “walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 Jn. 2:6 NASB). So how did Jesus walk? He walked the way of sorrow and suffering; He walked the real via dolorosa. Isaiah 53:3 says that He was a “Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” If we are to “walk” in the same manner as He walked, then we will walk the via dolorosa as well.

What does it mean to walk the via dolorosa, the way of sorrows? Does it mean that we should be sorrowful all the time, or practice asceticism, or refuse to enjoy life, or not participate in any fun activities? While this lifestyle was thought to be godly by some people down through the Church’s history, the Bible certainly doesn’t teach such a distorted idea. First Timothy 6:17, for example, says that “God ... richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.” Jesus said that He came to bring abundant life to His flock (Jn. 10:10).

And remember that while our Lord was a Man of sorrows, He was not a miserable or unhappy person. Many people were attracted to Him, and followed Him. He took children in His arms and blessed them. He enjoyed social occasions such as dinners and weddings. His critics even accused Him of too much “eating and drinking” with the sinners of the community (Lk. 7:34). So if we are to walk as Jesus walked, our lifestyle will not be dreary and unhappy, and we will not be stern, self-righteous hermits. Then what does it mean to walk as He walked, along the path of sorrows?

Denial Of Self
Philippians 2:5-11 best explains what it means to walk the via dolorosa. As our Lord denied Himself and gave up His rights to serve and save us, so we are to follow Him by denying ourselves and giving up our rights, that we may serve others and glorify God. Our Lord carried out this principle to the utmost. He laid aside His glory and became humble. He lived in humble conditions to serve the fallen creatures He had created. He allowed the human race to abuse and demean Him. And finally He gave up His life for us by dying on a cross, the most humiliating death possible. This was His via dolorosa, the way of suffering that He chose to travel for us.

Philippians 2:5 emphasizes that our Lord’s path illustrates how we are to walk – with the same attitude of Jesus! The preceding verses describe it: “Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don’t just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others and what they are doing” (Phil. 2:3-4 tlb). A walk that denies self in favor of others may involve giving up hours to help others – a struggling teenager, a single mother, an inner-city ministry. Maybe our sacrifice of time and love will involve helping people who are not easy to work with and not even thankful! If this happens, remember we are following the path Jesus walked. Some people failed to respond, and still do, to our Lord’s gracious walk of service and self-sacrifice! (Lk. 17:12-19). A lifestyle of self-denial doesn’t come naturally. It’s hard, but it pleases and glorifies God.

Several times in Ephesians our “walk” is mentioned. Ephesians 2:10 says that we should walk in “good works.” Ephesians 5:15-16 advises us, “Be careful how you walk ... as wise, making the most of your time.” And in Ephesians 4:1-2 we read, “I ... entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love.” This describes the walk of service and humility. Being humble means that we won’t expect our own needs to be met first, or our personal opinions to be accepted, or our comfort to be a priority. “With humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself ... and ... look out ... for the interest of others” (Phil. 2:2-3). This is a difficult lesson to learn. But we must learn it if we want to walk as Jesus walked.

Death To Self
Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Lk. 9:23). This is the via dolorosa the Lord calls us to follow. This is the way of the cross. Some Christians think that taking up one’s cross means bearing a certain burden, such as a physical handicap or a disabled child or a difficult mother-in-law. And some Christians think it means we should try to get persecuted for the sake of Christ. No! Trials and sufferings are sure to come if we live righteously and share the gospel (2 Tim. 3:12). And that’s certainly part of walking as our Lord walked. But when Jesus spoke those words, taking up a cross meant death, and that’s what it means today. Taking up the cross to follow Jesus means applying the “death to self” principle. It means we must put our self in the place of death to follow Christ. This is not easy, and it sounds extreme, but the Lord did use the metaphor of the cross!

Galatians 2:20 captures this “death to self” doctrinal principle: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.” When Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again for our justification, we died with Him and were raised with Him. This is our spiritual position before God (Rom. 6). However, until we leave this life, our sinful natures are still at work in our bodies, and we constantly need to put our desires for a natural, easy, materialistic, selfish lifestyle in the place of death. We recognize this truth, in a very real way, by an unselfish lifestyle not characterized by self-indulgence, but by self-denial, to the glory of God.

Daily Decisions
Every day of the Christian life there will be hard choices to make – decisions of self-denial and death to self. This is why our Lord said that following Him meant taking up the cross – daily! This may involve a daily decision to turn away from ungodly conversations at work or on campus, knowing that as a result you may lose friendships and never be part of the “in crowd.” Denying self to glorify God will daily involve small choices, like turning off immoral or crass TV shows, or deciding against activities that will undermine the spiritual health of you and your family.

A Paradox
Paradoxically, for our Lord, the way of self-denial and the cross was the path of greatest joy and reward. And it will be for us as well! We are to walk in His footsteps, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Heb. 12:2). The via dolorosa is not joyless and somber, but it is not easy and natural. It is not a bleak, ascetic way, but it is not the “prosperity gospel” way. It is not without laughter, but there will be tears.

Humility, patience and a servant’s heart are not acquired easily. Sacrificing time and pleasure in order to serve others for the sake of Christ brings joy, but it’s hard – much harder than just giving some money to a good cause when you could do more. Putting our selfish desires in the place of death involves difficult struggles and costly decisions. The via dolorosa is the way of suffering, but it is also the path of joy as we follow our Lord: “I delight to do Thy will, O my God” (Ps. 40:8).

Colossians 1:10-12 exhorts us to, “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened ... for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience, joyously giving thanks to the Father.” It’s not easy, and it will involve hard and painful decisions, but it’s the right way.

Many pilgrims who walk Jerusalem’s Via Dolorosa are unwilling to walk the way of the Lord in their daily lives. What about us? Are we willing to walk the real via dolorosa? The bottom line for growth in the Christian life is not to walk where Jesus walked, but as He walked.

By David Reid