Imagine being an 18 year old, Native Phoenician who finds herself living half way across the world.  (Only one time, prior to that, I had only been farther east than Kansas).   Then, imagine the same, naïve 18 year old, walking the streets of Angeles City, Pampanga, in the Philippines near (what was then) Clark Air Force Base.  I happened to be there during Lent and was encouraged to attend a reenactment depicting the suffering of Jesus from his sentencing by Pontius Pilate to his death.   When I decided to attend the street play, I didn’t really know what to expect.   In the city streets, I watched with anticipation while dozens of men carried extremely heavy wooden crosses.   Each of them were bent over struggling to carry the cross and walk the outlined procession.   While that scene was touching, it wasn’t until I saw some of them whipping and lashing themselves on their bare backs with rods and switches that I stopped… stunned in amazement.   As you can imagine, this was causing deep cuts on their skin producing bloody lines and welts.  I was deeply shaken and even shocked by what I was seeing.   Not only were they willing to reenact what Jesus had gone through, but with such vivid reality.   The streets were crowded with people watching and even walking right alongside those who were participating in this annual event.*

Many of us during the Lenten season have heard vivid stories of how Jesus was arrested, tried and then beaten.   Even though our heart aches at the thought, and we may quiver as we imagine such pain, it still may be hard to fully comprehend.   That memorable day, I certainly gained a deeper, empathetic appreciation for this sacred story.

While studying about this Holy time, I was reminded that on Palm Sunday, the crowds surrounding Jesus loved him because they thought he was going to reign as their King.  However, by the following Friday, when his power appeared to be broken, they hated him.  And in the face of the mass uprising against Jesus, his closest friends were afraid to speak up.   Ultimately, even Pilate, who had initially been unable to find fault with Jesus, became afraid.   In making no decision, Pilate made the decision to let the crowd crucify Jesus.  Although he washed his hands, the guilt remained.

When might we have said we are “washing our hands” of a tough situation?   Does stating that cancel the ensuing responsibility and guilt?  I sense that saying we are “washing our hands” only gives us a false sense of peace.

Twenty or so years later, this same girl found herself traveling abroad, but this time to Israel.  My next oldest sister and I agreed to escort our elderly mom on a trip she had wanted to do for many years.   There was much about the trip I would like to share at another time, but today, I will share that we did walk the Via Dolorosa…in the old city of Jerusalem.    Via Dolorosa has been translated as the “Way of Sorrow”  or simply “Painful Way”.   It is believed to be the path that Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion.   For me it was very humbling and surreal to walk the very same steps Jesus walked.  As we walked the winding route, I found myself thinking back to the street enactment in the Philippines that day.  The weight of the cross… the crippling pain… the excruciating suffering.

One of my most favorite contemporary Christian female artists is Sandi Patty.  She sings a very moving song, entitled Via Dolorosa^.  In the song’s lyrics it says:

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

A few weeks ago, as I walked the trail at Canaan in the Desert here in Phoenix, I was reminded again, that yes, He CHOSE to walk that road, out of His love for you and me.   We all have friends, family and even pets we love deeply and dearly.   Yet, try and imagine the unprecedented depth and breadth of the love Jesus had for each of us – to willingly fulfill this plan and walk that road… step by step, all the way – to Calvary.

*Word of Caution:  If you are interested in learning more about the Filipino tradition of reenacting the crucifixion, there is a lot to read and numerous photographs on the internet.  Please be aware though, that in some areas of the Philippines, those participating in the event go so far as to allow their hands and feet to be nailed to a cross and therefore, such photographs are there.   That was not part of the play that I attended and not something I certainly could have watched (or can I look at the pictures).

^I’ve attached the link to Sandi Patty’s official You Tube version of her singing Via Dolorosa.  For those of you who have never been to Israel, this version also shows her walking through the streets of old Jerusalem.   It is powerful.

https://youtu.be/tSvyuCaL9pc