THE FIRST STATION: Jesus Is Condemned to Death

The governor said to them in reply, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They answered, “Barabbas! … Let [Jesus] be crucified!”

—Matthew 27:21–22

As we imagine this scene, perhaps we see chaos, mayhem, people pushing and pulling at each other, screaming and shouting. There is manipulation and bribery afoot; a good man is about to be killed as a public spectacle, and the laws of the land stand in silence. Perhaps this scene seems far removed—something we may glimpse in the news, something that happens in faraway countries under foreign governments. Perhaps, too, it is something we know well. Perhaps we’ve experienced this kind of injustice in our own lives.

If we hold in our hearts the story of Maria, a girl from Colombia who was forced to flee her home with her family, perhaps we can begin to understand this kind of injustice. The law of the land failed her, too. Conflict and violence threw her world upside down, and she, with her family, was forced to rebuild it.

We are called to live in solidarity as one global family, each of us made in the image and likeness of God. We are responsible for one another, for what happens to our neighbors next door and our neighbors overseas. Though we may not have experienced such personal upheaval, we are called to empathize with those who have. So then, do we stand silent in the crowd, or do we shout? And if we shout, what do we say?