The Way of the Cross – History (Thoene)

Jesus has said to us, "I AM, the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE!  No one comes to the Father but by me."  (John 14:6)

In our blogs about defeating the Father of Lies, we have looked at Jesus as absolute TRUTH.  There is no deceit in Him.

Now we begin to consider what Jesus meant when He called Himself, THE WAY and THE LIFE.

How do we follow after Him as he marks  THE WAY  to eternal LIFE for us?

The goal of our spiritual enemy is to hide and block The Way to Life!   He throws up road blocks at every opportunity.  But Jesus says there are no alternate routes to salvation there is only ONE WAY!  

We have asked ourselves in the preceding weeks, 'How can I have victory over the spiritual battles I face every day?"

The ultimate proof of our victory over the Father of Lies, is the TRUTH of God's Word which is proven in the Way of the Cross.   

To truly find and follow The Way, travel now with us now to Jerusalem.  You will experience firsthand what it meant to walk with Jesus as he carried the cross to Golgotha.

Memory is powerful thing.  Like the rudder of a ship it can direct our lives.  Over the months, as Lori and others from the Zion Covenant have shared their personal memories, they have walked again along roads of memory to events which shaped and changed them forever.

I often walk into a store or restaurant and remember being there with my parents, both of whom are gone now.   I think of our conversations, our laughter, sometimes our prayers and I am comforted.

The first Christians did the same thing after Jesus died on the cross, was buried and then rose from dead.   From earliest days in Christianity, those who were present on the day He died, walked the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Sorrows, the Way of the Cross...the path to Calvary and then to the empty tomb.    Perhaps they stopped and remembered each incident along that path which led to their redemption and to our eternal salvation. 

As centuries passed, pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem would walk the steps that Jesus walked.   The Way of the Cross became a part of every pilgrimage. 

It wasn't always easy to get to Jerusalem, so pilgrims who had made the journey, brought back home the memories of their journey on the Via Dolorosa.  Soon every large Cathedral and tiny village church had pictures of the 14 significant events of the crucifixion lining the walls.   Christians who could not read and had no printed Bibles, would stand before those pictures and remember that  Jesus  carried the cross for them,  endured mockery and whipping for them,  was crucified for their personal sins.

Today we begin a journey along The Way of the Cross in Jerusalem.  In preparation for Palm Sunday, Passover week and the Resurrection, we will over the next 14 days stop and pray with you  at each of the  significant  places  where Jesus  walked on the day  He died for You.

Come join us each day in our journey to Jerusalem.  You will never be the same.

From your fellow pilgrims, Blessings in the Name of Jesus, our Savior!

Brock and Bodie and the Thoene family   
www.familyaudiolibrary.com