When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Luke 23:33-34
Question
What’s the most pain you’ve ever felt?
What pain are you carrying right now?
What have you not attempted because of the fear of pain?
Meditation
The image for this station is three nails together to make the shape of a cross. They represent the three spikes that were impaled into the body of Jesus in the process of crucifixion. Have you ever considered that it’s not the wooden planks in crucifixion that are menacing but the hardware that attaches you to the wood?
The long physical pain of crucifixion was excruciating. In fact, the word excruciating is derived from crucifixion. They created a word out of witnessing the pain found in the experience of being crucified.
Jesus partook in pain.
Maybe more intense pain than any of us ever will. I don’t know. I’ve never been tortured, so I can’t compare my pain experience to the experience of being crucified. I’ve also never birthed a baby, and I’ve been informed by many a mother that, as a man, I will never know how excruciating that experience is.
We’ve all had various kinds of pain experiences, and I want to tenderly remind ourselves that it’s not a competition. Pain is experienced by all human bodies because pain is not something outside of our body but something we experience in our body. Pain is an embodied experience, which means we can never get away from pain. Oh, we try, and we’ve created fantastical inventions to numb, diminish, or sever the pain within our bodies. But we all have experienced pain, and the possibility of pain is something we always carry around.
And His pain was on our behalf. By His stripes we are healed. And in the middle of the pain, He still felt compassion for those causing the pain. WOW. We would snap back. We might lash out. But He … He forgave.
So, no matter what we are going through, may we keep our focus on God who has us.
Closing Prayer: Lord Jesus, grant me mercy, that I may show mercy.