Via Dolorosa

And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; then they sat down there and kept watch over him. Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." Matt 27:33-37 NRSV

Today was the day we walked the Via Dolorosa (The Way of Suffering). The traditional path that Jesus took on his way from Pilate’s headquarters, the Antonia Fortress, to Golgotha to be crucified. I’ve heard about the distance and the uneven path.  I can imagine the difficulty Christ had making all the way to Golgotha and really am surprised he made it all that way after all of the torture he received at the hands of the Roman soldiers.

The one feeling I had while walking the Via Dolorosa and visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, is that this journey was all about Christ death.  Even though we spent time around the empty sepulcher I walked away from the church thinking more about the cross than the empty tomb.  Wednesday afternoon before we start our journey back home, we will have a chance to visit Gordon’s Calvary (the second site of the Crucifixion) and the Garden Tomb, I’m looking forward to the contrast I hear so much about.

Tomorrow is an open free day with an optional trip to Masada and the Dead Sea.  Even though I have originally planned on going on this expedition I’ve decided to hang back in Jerusalem.  There are so many churches that I would like to see and while the Dead Sea and King Herod’s Masada palace is something to see, I feel like my pilgrimage must continue in the city, to soak up all I can of the rich church history in Jerusalem.

Thanks for reading… 3 more days.