Via Dolorosa

We walked the "way of the cross" when we were in Jerusalem. We took the path that is identified with the journey of Christ to the cross. But it wasn't what I expected. It wasn't the respectful preservation of the past. It wasn't a beautiful walk through history.

It was the market place.

It was a run of a gauntlet of aggressive shopkeepers wanting to sell you their wares. This was quite disconcerting during the experience. It wasn't until afterwards as some of us were talking that the thought arose that this was probably a more accurate portrayal of Christ's experience then our naive expectation. I had not thought of it before, but most likely, Jesus was marched through the center of town to his execution. The environment He walked through was probably the ancient version of the market we endured.

Well, I'm off now to return to my pew in the comfortable environs of my own church. I know today, I will remember to pray for
PEACE.