Third Station of the Cross
Jesus falls for the first time
There are a series of pictures representing certain aspects in the Passion of Christ, and each one corresponds to a particular incident.
This series is known as The Way of the Cross and this page introduces the Third Station.
Third Station
He falls for the first time
Beyond the Homo Arch is the Third Station, marked by a tiny 19th century Armenian chapel and commemorates the first fall of Jesus on his way to Golgotha. (This event is not recorded in the Gospels but nevertheless, devotion of such an event is a well-established Christian tradition. It is not hard to believe it actually happened.)
One can imagine the crowd jeering as the soldiers pushed the condemned prisoners. This was not a country stroll; the soldiers wanted the job done as quickly as possible. Jesus would have been physically exhausted at this point, yet he was carrying this huge wooden beam. He fell, and immediately the soldiers yanked him back on his feet.
We sometimes feel we have been unjustly tried and condemned. What have we done to deserve such punishment? It's not fair, but what should we do when this happens?
We all have crosses to bear; infinitesimal in comparison with Jesus' cross. Yet sometimes they feel so heavy, and people are kicking us. We fall under the weight and wish we could just give it all up, but we can't - these problems just don't go away. Yet we can always ask Jesus to lift us up, and he will. We can continue on our path through life and carry our burdens with a smile, knowing that Jesus is there to help us when we fall.