Brief Description of Station 7 and the reason why the secondary images are included
Station 7 – Jesus bears the Cross (Jn 19:16b-17)
a. Isaac carrying the wood for his sacrifice (Genesis 22:6-14)
b. Israel in bondage in Egypt (Exodus 1:8-14)
Reason – Isaac carried the wood that would be used in sacrifice of himself as Jesus carried the wood on which he would be sacrificed. However, a substitute was provided for Isaac while Jesus is our substitute.
While living in Egypt the Israelites were made slaves and forced to bear heavy burdens. Jesus bears the heavy burden of our sins.
Meditation
Isaac trudged up the hill carrying the wood on which his father had every intention of using to sacrifice Isaac. Some traditions actually identify it as the very same hill Jesus trudged up, carrying the wood he would be sacrificed on. I don’t know about that, but I do know each carried a heavy load. Of course, we all know that Isaac was not sacrificed. Jesus, however, was. On the wood of the cross, those who rejected the Savior of the world carried out the very act that would mean salvation for all who believe in the same God Abraham and Isaac believed in.
Carrying a heavy load; the children of Israel knew what that was all about as they toiled away in slavery in Egypt. The whips of their taskmasters foreshadowing the whips that would streak the back of Jesus. But as heavy as those blocks used to make the pyramids were, as heavy as the wood Isaac carried up the hill might have been, indeed, as heavy as the weight of the cross that Jesus bore, they were all light compared to the weight of our sins that Jesus bore.
The weight of our sins crushed Jesus, crushed the very life out of him. But, as he was being crushed for our iniquities, the head of Satan was also being crushed. Because of Jesus, our slavery to sin, death and the devil was ended. For those who believe in him, freedom is granted.
Yes, Lord Jesus, our sins are scarlet, but by your death you have washed away our sins and made us whiter than snow. Thank you for lifting the burden of our sins, carrying it yourself, for it would have dragged us to hell. Instead, you carry us to heaven. Amen.