Trail Of Tears

Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified.  So they took Jesus and led Him away.  And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the place of the skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.  Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross.  And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, KING  OF THE JEWS.
John 19: 16-19 NKJV

Somewhere in Jerusalem in a monument which is importannt in Judaism today.  This place holds some pretty big significance for christians as well.  For it is here, on the Via Delarosa "Trail of tears" that Jesus was to have taken His final journey to Calvary to be crucified on a Roman cross.  We are fortunate enough today that history has recorded these events for those of us who were not there to bear witness.  How a innocent man, convicted of no crime by the authorities of His day, was handed over to a group of religious zealots to be killed nonetheless.  We today know that our Lord Jesus needed to feel the very pain of scourging and His crucifiction for our sakes.  For had we ourselves been brought before our Lord, we would have been found guilty!   However, it is only through the love and grace of our Lord that Jesus bore our sins in our place.  This man who knew no sin, became sin that it might finally be put to death.  And so he made His way to Golgotha, followed by both His mourners and His Roman and  Jewish persecutors.  For in the minds of the Jewish authorities of the day, the blasphemy of Jesus was worthy of his death.

And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.  But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and your children.  "For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!"
Luke 23: 27-29 NKJV

Our own history tells us that this man Jesus was found guilty of nothing more than upsetting a group of Jewish authorities.  For this He was condemned to die.  The words that Jesus spoke during His ministry, the words these Jewish leaders found so blasphemous, were the spoken words of God.  For even to this day, there are sects of Judaism who continue to await the arrival of the promised messiah!  Somewhere, the message of our Lord has been lost through the years.  It wasn't as if the coming of Jesus had been unnoticed, for the prophet Isaiah foretold of His coming generations before.

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder.  And His name will be called Wonderful, Councelor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 NKJV

However, the Jews of Jesus' time were expecting a warrior messiah.  One who would break the shackles of their Roman occupiers.  It is here that they missed Gods true message of love and forgiveeness for His people.  For our Lord meant not to destroy His creation, but to redeem it through the blood of His son.  And so Jesus made His way to Calvary and the cross.  If it were up to me, the tears shed along the Via Delarosa would be tears of joy at our Lords love for us.

~Scott~