Jesus is nailed to the cross

The 11^th Station of the Cross—Jesus is nailed to the cross. Here we witness the full spectacle at the scene of the Crucifixion, the Big Event of Jerusalem where so many have come for the celebration of Passover. What great entertainment for many, what terrible shock and sadness for our Lord’s followers. The military are efficiently fulfilling their work in perfectly coordinated unity in their administration in the roman art of crucifixion. So precise was this macabre form of torture and death, that in the way they hung the bodies to the cross they could determine how long it would take the victim to die. We see our Centurion holding down the foot of Jesus as he glances at Jesus’ Mother and the other Mary by her side. He will NOT do any of the nailing! To the left of Jesus and in the foreground looms the ghostly spirit of Judas Iscariot—a portrait of the condemned. So, we see the two extremes of Good and Evil that frame the composition from one side to the other, with the figure of Jesus centered: the crossbars of His cross so much like the balanced scales of judgment.

NOTE— These original Stations of the Cross were painted for a Catholic church in Puerto Rico.  The artist conceived them with the community in mind and they include many of the spiritual and cultural qualities of Puerto Rico.  (Photo by Greger Norrevik)