The Stations of the Cross: Following Jesus to Golgotha

Every year, Christians around the world observe the season of Lent. It’s a time of intentional reflection, preparing our hearts to solemnly remember Jesus’ sacrifice and death and to joyously celebrate his resurrection on Easter. Observing Lent is not something God commands in the Bible, but for centuries of Christians have found the practice beneficial to their faith. Along the way, churches have developed a variety of traditions to assist and guide people through the Lenten season. In our Groundwork series, “The Stations of the Cross: Following Jesus to Golgotha,” we’ll use one of these traditions to guide our Bible study and follow Jesus on the road to Golgotha, and ultimately, to his death on the cross. Together, we’ll let the Holy Spirit cultivate our faith as we remember how God accomplished our salvation and redemption through the death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. 

Remember and Do Not Forget

Why would we observe Lent or create traditions like Holy Week if they aren’t commanded in the Bible? We do it out of gratitude and to regularly remind ourselves of what God has done for us. God does command us to remember and models remembrance for us in the Bible. We see it often in Deuteronomy when we read phrases like this one: “Do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live” (Deuteronomy 4:9). Moses assembled the people to read God’s law (Deuteronomy 31), so did Joshua (Joshua 4) and King Josiah (2 Kings 23), and later, when the Israelites returned from exile to rebuild Jerusalem, so did Ezra (Nehemiah 8). Even at the very end of the Bible, in Revelation 3, God’s message to the church in Sardis (and us) is “Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.”

Through the stories of kings, judges, and prophets in the Old Testament, the Bible shows us how easy it is to forget God over time or to fool ourselves into thinking we don’t need him. This is why it warns us so frequently to remember, share, and retell what God has done. That’s why Christians throughout the ages have maintained traditions to guide our remembering. 

The Stations of the Cross

These traditions look different across denominations, but one that has been around for a long time is commonly known as the Stations of the Cross. This Lenten practice has a long history in the Roman Catholic Church, but many Protestant churches have also begun to incorporate the tradition, based specifically on the revised list of stations Pope John Paul II released in 1991, basing each of the 14 stations in Scripture. (For a more detailed history, visit this article on the Stations of the Cross from The Selah Center.) 

The purpose of the Stations of the Cross is to guide a time of intentional meditation, reflection, and prayer beginning in the Garden of Gethsemane, following Jesus on the road to Golgotha, and ultimately culminating in his death on the cross. Some churches include artwork or devotions to aid believers as they reflect on the Scripture passage at each particular station. The self-guided nature of the Stations of the Cross allows individuals to move slowly, dwell with the Holy Spirit, and reflect on the meaning and significance of Jesus’ journey to the cross in reverence and holy awe. 

Follow Jesus to Golgotha

I invite you to experience Lent by reflecting on what God has done through our Groundwork series, “The Stations of the Cross: Following Jesus to Golgotha”:

• In the Garden of Gethsemane: Jesus Prays, Judas Betrays, and Jesus is Arrested - Matthew 26:31-56
• Jesus: Condemned by Religious Leaders and Denied by Peter -Luke 22:66-71 and Matthew 26:69-75
• Jesus: Judged, Beaten, and Crowned with Thorns - Mark 15:1-15 and John 19:1-3
• Carrying Jesus’ Cross on the Road to Golgotha - John 19:6-17 and Mark 15:21
• The Daughters of Jerusalem and Jesus' Crucifixion - Luke 23:26-38 and Matthew 27:39-43
• Jesus on the Cross - Luke 23:39-43 and John 19:25-27
• Jesus' Death, Burial, and Resurrection - Mark 15:33-39, Luke 23:44-49, John 19:28-42, Mark 16:1-8, and Matthew 28:1-10

Together, we’ll nurture our faith as we reflect on the powerful gift of salvation that comes to us through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.