Station I Jesus is Condemned to Die
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| Station I at Sacred Heart |
The trial of Jesus occurred in stages. Before Palm Sunday there was a meeting of the Sanhedrin (high priest, elders, scribes in the house of Caiaphas (John 11:47- 53), Mark 14:1, Matt. 26:3-4, Luke 22:1-2) where it was decided that Jesus should be put to death. Caiaphas prophetically declared, “You do not understand that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish.” (John 11:50) John adds that Caiaphas did not realize that Jesus would die “...not for the nation only, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.” (11:52) Thus we are reminded that Jesus suffered and died for all of us.
A few days after Palm Sunday, the temple authorities and the high priest Caiaphas ordered that Jesus be arrested. After His betrayal by Judas in the Garden of Gethsemene, Jesus was taken to the hight priest’s palace, where the Sanhedrin was waiting. After some cross-examination and conflicting testimony by witnesses, the Sanhedrin found Jesus guilty of blasphemy because--as our Catechism tells us--they “did not recognize God made man” but rather “saw in him only a man who made himself God.” (CCC 594) The penalty for blasphemy was death, but only Romans could inflict the death penalty so Jesus had to be taken to Pilate. (Steve Ray says it is believed that Jesus was then thrown into the cistern of Caiaphas’ palace until He could be taken to Pilate in the morning. The cistern probably had at least mud in it if not a lot of water. What a miserable, lonely time for our dear Jesus.)
It was hot in Jerusalem at this time of year, so it is thought that Jesus was probably taken to Pilate in the cooler morning hours, sometime around 7 or 8 o’clock. Because it was the day of preparation for the Passover feast, the Jewish priests wanted to retain their “purity” and so would not enter Pilate’s praetorium. (On the day of preparation the lambs brought for sacrifice were certified as spotless and ten were slaughtered in the afternoon so that they might be part of the evening meal. One historian wrote that about 250,000 lambs were killed on this day and that the Temple ran red with their blood.) At the same time that the priests were certifying that each lamb was spotless, Pilate was saying “...I find no blame in this man.” (Luke 23: 4) Still, the innocent Son of God would shed His blood for our guilt.
“Who were Jesus’ accusers?” Pope Benedict asks. He points out that the temple aristocracy-- though not all of them (Remember Nicodemus?)-- and the mob, many of whom were supporters of the robber and insurrectionist Barabbas, cried out, “His blood be on us and on our children.” Over the centuries these words have been used to justify hatred and mistreatment for Jews. But, Benedict reminds us,”...Jesus’ blood speaks a different language from the blood of Abel (Hebrews 12:24): it does not cry out for vengeance and punishment; it brings reconciliation. It is not poured out against anyone; it is poured our for many, for all...read in the light of faith, it means we all stand in need of the purifying power of love which is his blood. These words are not a curse, but rather redemption, salvation.”
To appease his accusers, Pilate ordered that Jesus be scourged. The “Roman” soldiers were actually not all Romans. Some were Egyptians and Syrians who hated Jews, so how spitefully, how cruelly they must have used the flagellum--the whips with leather thongs ending in bones and pieces of glass. 1 Peter 2:24 says, “By his wounds (or stripes) you have been healed.” Imagine what Jesus suffered so that we might be saved.
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| Crowning with Thorns 1542 Vecellio Tiziano |
After the scourging the soldiers crowned Jesus with thorns. It is believed that this crown was not so much the wreathe that is often depicted in works of art but rather more like a cap. Steve Ray points out that the scalp is tender with many blood vessels so Jesus must have experienced more great pain and bleeding from this fomr of torture.
Why is the crown/cap of thorns so significant Ray reminds us of two major references to thorns and thistles in the Old Testament. First, in Genesis God tells the disobedient Adam,, “...cursed is the ground because of you; in toil shall you eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you...” But at the same time God promised the tempter, the serpent, “ I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruised your head, and you shall bruise his heel. (3:15-18) The thorns Jesus wears reminds us that now the new Adam--obedient to God--has come to conquer evil and sin.
In Genesis 22 Isaac carries the wood that he is to be offered upon but not understanding that it is he himself that his father Abraham is about to sacrifice, Isaac asks his father “where is the lamb” to be sacrificed. Abraham says, “God will provide himself the lamb...”(22:8) This event reminds us that Jesus, the Father’s Son and the spotless, blameless Lamb, knew what was about to happen-- that He Himself was to be the sacrifice--and yet he willingly carried the wood upon which He would die.
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| Station I at Saint Brendan |
Looking back at our Station I, we might notice Pilate washing his hands before the crowd and say, “I am innocent of this righteous man’s blood.” (Matt. 27:24) Even though Pilate believed Jesus to be innocent, he lacked the courage and integrity to release Him. Now, even 2,000 ears later, he is remembered as the man who condemned Jesus to death. Perhaps Pilate’s failure to defend Jesus might make us recall Jesus’ words in Matthew “So every one who acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven: but whoever denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father who is heaven.” (10:32-33)
