What are the stations of the cross?
Many will say they’re a Catholic tradition during Lent.
Christians walk along a fixed path commemorating Jesus carrying the cross along the Via Dolorosa to Gethsemene.
The stations commemorate specific moments in the story. “Pilgrims” travel from station to station to pray specific prayers.
Generally associated with the Catholic church–every Catholic church I’ve visited displays them–the stations of the cross also can inform a Protestant’s reflection during Holy Week.
Should Protestants pay attention or even consider praying the stations of the cross themselves?
As always, it depends.
Where do the Stations of the Cross come from?
All the traditional stops are based on scenes described in the New Testament or imagined as likely to have happened when Jesus hauled his cross up the hill to his crucifixion.
The number of stops can vary depending on which Bible passages you use.
Too often Protestants have shrugged off the Stations of the Cross because not all the traditional stations were based on Scripture.
No one can fault that argument.
That included the late Catholic Pope John Paul II.
In 1991, he requested another version called the Spiritual Way of the Cross using the Bible as the only source.
Here’s a list of the fourteen stations with linked Bible passages:
- Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane.
- Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested.
- The Sanhedrin condemn Jesus.
- Peter denies Jesus.
- Pontius Pilate condemns Jesus to death.
- The Romans scrouge and crown Jesus with thorns.
- Jesus carries the cross.
- Simon of Cyrene helps carry the cross.
- Jerusalem women lament Jesus’ condemnation
- Jesus is crucified.
- The thief on the cross asks and receives paradise that night.
- Jesus assigns his mother’s care to John.
- Death.
- Joseph of Arimathea places Jesus in his tomb.
How do these stations help Believers remember Jesus?
By spending time walking from station to station describing a specific event of Good Friday, folks can recall what Jesus endured to save the world.
It doesn’t hurt to take time to remember what Jesus did on our behalf.
When Christianity becomes merely a cerebral exercise or another “club,” we can forget what the Son of God endured.
Too much of the world sees Christianity as just a simple story on a page.
But Good Friday was a hard day.
Jesus was fully man.
He knew pain, thirst, love, joy, hunger, agony–just like everyone else.
Worse, Jesus was God. He chose to live on earth and suffer.
To avoid thinking about His fully human suffering devalues His sacrifice.
We don’t have to wallow in it, but it doesn’t hurt to stop Selah and contemplate what He did.
Holy Week is the perfect time to do that.
A physical Stations of the Cross
I’ve never walked the Stations of the Cross, albeit I’ve seen them countless times.
While in Tucson, Arizona recently, we encountered a version in the desert not far from our Lady of the Desert Church.
We walked among the stations, pausing to examine the sculpture at the base of each cross marking a station, and to read the explanation.
Here are photos of some of the stations.
Contemplating Holy Week
Some Protestant churches incorporate Stations of the Cross in their Holy Week activities.
My Lutheran church does not, but in 2021, we put together a Holy Week Walk to share with our community.
We shared six significant scenes featuring family groups of actors.
My family group involved Peter (my husband) cutting off the servant’s ear (my ear) to protect Jesus (our son), while a group of guards came to take Jesus away (another family group).
During the rehearsal, we walked through each scene together, watching what would be acted while we performed at our station.
The Roman guard talked about events of the day when Jesus died.
A woman gasped when he mentioned the earthquake. “There was an earthquake and the sky went dark?”
I listened with awe, marveling at what he recounted of Jesus’ last moments.
At the end of the scene, the Roman guard turned to me.
“How’d I do?”
Startled, I shook my head. “What?”
“You’re the author. Did I play the part right?”
Caught up in the moment, I’d forgotten I wrote the script.
“Perfect. Use your instincts.” What else could I say?
But the final scene is the one that caused even me, the playwright, to gasp every time.
I watched that scene four different times, and tears filled my eyes each time.
When the angels rolled back the stone before the tomb, Jesus stepped out.
He is risen.
Hallelujah.
Death has no sting.
A blessed Holy Week, whatever year you read this.
Update
I read all the comments as promptly as possible, and you can see Michala Biondi’s comment, which is totally germane and something I didn’t find while researching.
She wrote:
I’ve read that the Stations developed in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, people would visit Jerusalem and walk the Via Delarosa – remembering the walk Jesus took to his death.
During the Middle Ages there were Crusades/wars to gain control of Jerusalem, so it wasn’t safe to travel there. Artists’ depictions of the various points in the walk became the Stations.
History is always fascinating and turning up something new! Thanks, Michala
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I’ve read that the Stations developed in the Middle Ages. Prior to this, people would visit Jerusalem and walk the Via Delarosa – remembering the walk Jesus took to his death. During the Middle Ages there were Crusades/wars to gain control of Jerusalem, so it wasn’t safe to travel there, so artists’ depictions of the various points in the walk became the Stations.
I did not see that when I did my research. Fascinating! I think I’ll update your information in the post! Thanks.
A Catholic friend was surprised that we follow this tradition saying, “I thought it was mostly Catholic.” I told her Lutherans are mostly Catholic 😊.
Makes me glad to be Reformed!
When our children were, well, children, we’d take them to the nearby town of Mt. Angel, OR and proceed up the winding path past the Stations of the Cross below Mt. Angel Abbey. It was always thought-provoking to consider Christ’s journey to Golgotha. An inspiring walk for one-time Baptists, something we often still do for Easter.
The traditions of the church have their place, and Holy Week often gets short shift for many Protestants. See my post tomorrow!