People often ask me what my favorite place is in the Holy Land. I always tell them there are too many special places to choose from. Then, I will usually add that one of the most emotional places for me is the Via Dolorosa. While the full path that Jesus carried the cross in is not known, there is a portion of it that, without question, is authentic. Upon being condemned by Pilate, Jesus left the Praetorium and began the journey to Golgotha. In John 19:13, it is referred to as “the pavement.” A portion of that stone path still exists today. There are etchings in the stones where the soldiers would play games to occupy their time when they had nothing else to do.

I always make time to slip aside for just a few moments and remember. The weight of the cross is literally upon the back of Jesus as He struggles to carry it. I would suggest that the weight was more than the wood upon His back; it was the weight of the sins of the world that forced Him to His knees. Somewhere in that blood-stained path, the DNA of God was spilled for a sinful world. I pray that each of us will find a time and a place over these next few days to pause and remember the terrible price Jesus paid so we could have life.