Leeland

"On the Via Dolorosa, all my sins were carried away. And the power of hell was broken, as He gave his life away."

I try my best to imagine the day that Jesus died on the cross. So many things happened. Political systems were shaken, devote followers of Christ were disheartened, a mother lost a son, and God the Father experienced sorrow beyond comprehension. But right in the middle of confusion and fear, Jesus saved the world.

But, what was Jesus thinking, especially when He was walking down that road on His way to save the world? This was our inspiration for the song Via Dolorosa, which is the Latin name for the road He walked. It translates: "way of grief" or "way of suffering". 

We know one thing - Jesus did suffer. He went through more pain that day than one human could bear, and the weight of the sins of the world bore down on His heart.

As believers I think it's good for us to sit every once in a while, and ponder the work of the cross. I mean, REALLY think about what happened. A king from a distant and powerful kingdom came as a humble and awe inspiring man. This man lived his life and poured out more love than any one man could possibly give. All of this built up to that moment when the sins of the world rested on His shoulders.

What was Jesus thinking when he walked the Via Dolorosa? I know that He saw our faces and felt the hope of our future, and the glory of his redeemed people. He saw through the ages and knew that this one act would tip the scales of power. He had won the war. He knew it. That's why He was able to endure the pain and heartache.

Can you say the same for yourself? Life can beat us up, but can you look through the crowds of hateful people, casting off the weight of this world, and give your life away like Jesus did? This is the Gospel. His grace empowers us to give everything we have for His kingdom!

"I wanted to write a song about the cross-Jesus coming down and what He did on the cross, about how He became a man, and how humbling that was, and how awesome it was for us that He did. When I brought the unfinished song to Ed [Cash, producer] and Jack, Ed said, 'I've always wanted to write a song about the Via Dolorosa. It's always been one of my biggest passions. But I've never had the right idea. What if we have this song not only talking about the cross, but talking about the road of suffering that Jesus walked on?' So we got so deep into it that we started pulling up pictures of the Via Dolorosa and clips of the The Passion of The Christ. We were praying and reading different scriptures about Jesus being beaten and bruised and walking down the road." -Leeland