the way of suffering


-Via Dolorosa-
Down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day
The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street
But the crowd pressed in to see
A Man condemned to die on Calvary


He was bleeding from a beating, there were stripes upon His back
And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head
And He bore with every step
The scorn of those who cried out for His death


[chorus]
Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King,
And He chose to walk that road out ofHis love for you and me.
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary.


The blood that would cleanse the souls of all men
Made its way through the heart of Jerusalem.


this song never fails to make me think about the pain Christ went through for us all. another song that i love is "How deep the Father's love for us" the poignancy and words in each song really grips the heart.


they include the fact that Christ died bearing all the scorn and mockery of the world. imagine the King of the universe dying a death fit only for the worst criminal! Whenever i sing these songs, they just compell me to stop and think of the significance of the words. and the depth of love Christ had.


whats more, i was one of them who asked for the death of Christ, metaphorically speaking of course. as the words of one song goes " it was my sin that held him there..." each of us has a part in the passion of Christ. each of all our sins were placed on Him till it was accomplished. each of us has the chance to accept gift of eternal life through this divine act of love.


He knew that his ultimate purpose on this earth was to restore the broken relationship between God and man. He lived the life of a blameless, sinless human being while being subjected to all the temptations and woes of living on earth. He struggled with the mammoth task awaiting him while on the mount of olives. yet he walked down the way of suffering like a lamb, for you and me.


whenever anyone talks about the crucifying of Christ, they never fail to bring up and expound on the physical pain he went through. from the flogging, to the crown of thorns, to the nailing of his feet and hands and finally the hours of toturous hanging on the cross. all that is true and from that we have the word 'excruciating' which literally "means out of the cross". i have promised myself to never take that word lightly again


but i speculate that for Christ the worst pain was the moment when God turned his face away. the instant Christ took upon all the sin of the world, the instant he become "unholy" while he was completing his final and most important task on earth, the Father left him alone. God in all of his holiness cannot tolerate one bit sin had to look away. imagine the the terrible feeling of loss and abandonment in that moment. for all the good that he was doing for us, he was forsaken for that. and the words continue to ring even today " My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"


Christ went through so much to redeem the nations. God who is just is also loving. that is why he gave his son up for the world. what is our response to that?


would we fall on our knees and worship him till the end of time? would we accept this gift gratefully and then go our way again? would we despise this gift and refuse to take it? would we take it and accord it as a right to have? would we take it humbly and tell others about it and its wonderful goodness?


and a little thing about good friday to watch out for. it will definitely rain! since the time this little piece of trivia was told to me, i have always remembered to check if it will rain. it is like my little test of God's faithfulness. and im glad to say..he has never failed:) and for the record. its pouring even as i am blogging this.
try it out yourself:)