Being Condemned

walking through the stations of the cross

“But this is your hour - when darkness reigns.” Luke 22:53

---

Have you ever pondered at how many Biblical characters spent time in jail in the Bible?

Paul and Silas, Jeremiah, Joseph, John the Baptist, the Apostles, and Daniel to name a few.

And what were the reasons for being arrested?

Were these imprisonments justified?

Were these cut throat criminals? Or were they pushing up against something else… something with power… that felt threatened by their message?

No matter how much we want to believe that our justice system is just, we’ve all heard stories of how it’s failed. False witnesses. Tampered evidence. Biased conclusions. We’ve all seen the stories of someone let out of jail decades later because of new DNA evidence that proved they didn’t do it. We’ve all seen the political fugitive emerge half a life later because the political power they spoke against has changed hands. We all know that in even in our best attempts at justice, their can emerge an unjust sentencing.

Jesus partook in the consequences of injustice.

He was condemned in an unjust system.

He was put on trial by a religious establishment that felt threatened by his message.

He had false witnesses testify against him.

Even when they brought Him to Pontius Pilate and asked for Him to be executed, Pilate asked “What has he done?”

You know... when they shouted “crucify him!”... that meant in a few hours they all got to watch him die right in front of them.

Not on screens.

Not from stadium stands.

Just on the side of the road as they ran some errands.

I believe in our capacity for kindness and goodness. But I also know that hiding in the shadows is our immense capacity for cold bloody murder.

Here’s a quick summary of some of Jesus’ crimes:

Restoring justice.

Expanding human dignity.

Disarming oneself.

An upheaval of status quo.

A reshuffling of resources.

Expansive belovedness.

These are just a few things that compel humans to destroy the Gift of God.

---

Stations in the Street is a downloadable contemplative Stations of the Cross show meant to serve all kinds of communities during the season of Lent. You can find out more information here.

---