The Ninth Station of the Cross
Here Jesus Fell Under the Weight of the Cross a Third Time
Location - The Via Dolorosa
Map Coordinates - 31.778672, 35.230151
Why is it a long, confusing walk to arrive at the ninth station?
In the first century there weren’t any buildings in the way between the eighth and ninth stations. When Jesus walked from the seventh, to the eighth, ninth and tenth stations, His original walking path was actually short, and in a straight line. As you can see now, there are many buildings in the way, and this requires us to meander through the streets, and even climb some stairs to arrive at the proper latitude and longitude of each station.
The ninth station recalls the moment that Jesus fell one last time before He reached Mount Golgotha. There is no reason to doubt that this actually happened since it was at the end of a very exhausting climb, after He had been beaten, and after He had lost a lot of blood.
The Roman Pillar.
The Roman pillar, marking the location of the Ninth Station of the Cross
Above you can see a Roman pillar embedded in this wall, identifying the spot where it is believed that Jesus fell, although at this point we are probably thirty feet above the level where this happened. The hill of Golgotha was now about 100 feet away – a place with a morbid reputation, where many people had been crucified. Jesus had probably walked past this spot many times. And each time it’s likely that He contemplated the reality that on this day, upon this very hill, His body would receive three nails that would suspend Him between earth and heaven.