Jesus fell 3 times on the way to Calvary...where?

[sunflower74]

I was reading Mark today for my New Testament class, and I read Matthew last week. after reading both I noticed that in the Passion narratives it doesn’t talk about Jesus falling 3 times as He is carrying the cross. I looked for it in Luke and John and couldn’t find it there either. But this is part of the Stations of the Cross…I was wondering where in the Bible this is described? Maybe I am just overlooking it for some reason, but can anyone tell me where to find this? thanks!

 

[Verbum]

Hi Sunflower,

It does not say anywhere in the Bible that Jesus fell. It is a pious tradition illustrated by the Way of the Cross, which, in turn, was modeled on the traditional way of the cross in Jerusalem. It is quite possible that Jesus fell, since they gave his cross to someone else to carry. As often happens in similar cases, several places in Jerusalem may have claimed that “this is the spot where Jesus fell”. Perhaps this is why there are three.

The story of Veronica is not in the Bible either.

Pope John Paul II has left us a “Biblical Way of Cross”, which does not change the stations, but gives us a deeply biblical interpretation ot each of them.

See vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/2003/documents/ns_lit_doc_20030418_viacrucis_en.html

Verbum