Let the student draw on the diagram a line representing each of these journeys and recall the events associated with them.
In Jerusalem, at the present time, there is a street known as Via Dolorosa, "the Sorrowful Way," over which Jesus is believed to have carried his cross from Pilate's judgment hall to Calvary. But in our view both Pilate's judgment hall and Calvary are wrongly located by tradition, and therefore this path cannot be the true "way of the cross."
IV. The Events. We may group all the transactions of this momentous day around eleven leading events:
1. The Betrayal (Mark 14. 43-50). This was in the Garden of Gethsemane, a little after midnight, and, therefore, on Friday, the 15th of Nisan. See the more detailed account in John 18. 1-11.
2. Jesus before Annas (John 18. 12, 13). This was a preliminary examination, and not official in its character.
3. Jesus before Caiaphas (John 18. 24). Read the account of the event in Mark 14. 53-72. By comparing the four accounts we find that there was first an examination before the high priest and such of the council as could be gathered (Mark 14. 55), and then later a trial before the entire Sanhedrin, or body of the elders (Luke 22. 66), at which Jesus was condemned to death. Peter's denial took place in the house of the high priest (John 18. 24, 25).
4. Jesus before Pilate. The Jews had no power to sentence to death, and hence were compelled to bring Jesus before Pilate (John 18. 28-32). Notice that the Jews condemned Jesus on one ground, but accused him before Pilate on another (Matt. 26. 65, 66; Luke 23. 2). The dialogue of Pilate with Jesus is given in John 18. 29-37. Pilate declared Christ's innocence and proposed that he should be released, but the people still demanded that he should be put to death.
5. Jesus before Herod. Pilate was unwilling to take the responsibility either of putting to death an innocent man or of offending the Jews by releasing him. He therefore sent him to Herod. But Herod also refused to judge the case and after mocking Jesus sent him back to Pilate (Luke 23. 6-11).
6. Jesus Condemned to Death. After Jesus was brought back Pilate still endeavored to save his life. But instead of setting him free at once as an innocent man he proposed to release him as an act of good feeling at the Passover festival. The Jews chose Barabbas and rejected Jesus; and at last Pilate gave unwilling sentence that Jesus should be crucified. He was then delivered to the soldiers to be mocked and tortured (Luke 23. 13-25).
7. Jesus Bearing his Cross. On the way from Pilate's palace to Calvary Jesus was compelled to carry one of the beams of his own cross (John 19. 17). A part of the way his cross was carried by a man named Simon, of Cyrene, in Africa (Mark 15. 21).