Station 10: Jesus is lifted up

It is nine in the morning, another six hours to go. Nails are driven through Jesus’ wrists and ankles and the cross is heaved into position. This kind of death was shameful one, reserved for criminals who were being made an example of. This kind of death was the most inhuman - a slow asphyxiation under your own body weight, and yet it is this kind of death that brings healing to mankind. The ancient Jews believed that looking at a bronze snake lifted on a pole could bring healing, and Jesus reminds us that “just as Moses lifted a snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life”.

silence

prayer

Lord Jesus, you bled in pain as the nails were driven through your flesh,
through the mystery of your love transform the pain of all those who suffer.

Holy God,
holy and strong,
holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us.

Amen

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