1. Introduction.
Welcome to St Antony’s Passion Walk. Over the next few hours you will be walking the journey of Jesus’ passion through the streets of Durham. Like Jerusalem at Passover, it’s a busy city with many visitors. As you walk, allow the city to become the backdrop for the events that you are reflecting on. Instead of it being a distraction, allow the sights and sounds to become part of the reflective experience.
This guide and the audio player will take you through a series of reflections stopping at various points throughout the city. The Passion Walk starts and ends here at St Antony’s Priory. You are invited to walk this Passion Walk in the way that is best for you – spend more time at a particular location if that has been important to you or feel free to move on if something has not been helpful. The invitation is to notice anything that stands out to you, anything that feels intriguing, stimulating or moving.
We have a long tradition of pilgrimage in the North East. St Aidan was so committed to walking that the king told him that, as bishop, he really should have a horse and gave him one. This gesture of generosity backfired when Aidan came across a beggar and gave the horse to him – and carried on walking! Many pilgrimages come to this part of the world – often under the title, “In the Footsteps of the Northern Saints” and it is true that you cannot go far without meeting something to do with one of our great saints. In many ways, we live on holy ground – even beyond the shores of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. Our Passion Walk takes us out into our own “holy land” – and give us chance to savour God’s wonderful work in Creation through what we see, hear, touch, or smell.
When you walk the Passion walk, walk at a pace that is suitable for you. Be attentive to your body - there are parts of the walk that are quite demanding, it’s quite a physical walk, so notice how your body is feeling. Notice any aches or pains and just stay present to them. As you walk, look at the people around you. What are they doing? How do they engage with each other? Notice too the buildings – some you may have walked by many times. Others you may not have noticed at all. Allow yourself to explore the sights, the sounds and the atmosphere of Durham as you walk.
Before you set out, take some time to be still. Slow your breathing down and focus on just being here now. Become aware of God’s presence and think about what has brought you here today. What is it that you are seeking? A desire to know Jesus more, to love Jesus more deeply or to follow Jesus more closely. What is it hat you are seeking? You are here because God wants you to be here, but more importantly, you are here because you want to be here. So put aside any worries of the day or thoughts about the rest of the day and allow yourself to be present in this moment.
2. Gethsemane
St Antony’s garden
We adore you O Christ and we worship you
For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world
Matthew 26: 36 – 57 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. Then he said to them, ‘I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.’ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.’ Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, ‘So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Again he went away for the second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.’ Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.’ While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, ‘The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him.’ At once he came up to Jesus and said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi!’ and kissed him. Jesus said to him, ‘Friend, do what you are here to do.’ Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?’ At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, ‘Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.’ Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
People enter the garden at St Antony’s and often feel a sense of peace. Perhaps it is because it is tucked away and quiet, maybe the view inspires, or the sound of bubbling water is calming, but here, like many places outdoors, people feel closer to God. It is no surprise then, at the time when Jesus needed to be close to God, he too took himself and his disciples to a Garden. The Garden of Gethsemane is situated on the west side of the Mount of Olives, about a half-mile west of the Temple Square, across the Kidron Valley and from there you can see the city walls of Jerusalem and the Temple (not so unlike the view of Durham City form St Antony’s Garden). After the last supper, Jesus took his disciples to a garden, a usual place of tranquility and rest, but here instead he faces utter agony, intense loneliness and desperate fear. Gethsemane was probably not a very large garden and the disciples could not have been very far away, but still Jesus wanted three of them closer. He desired the support, comfort and close presence of Peter, James and John. His sense of loneliness must have been intensified by their apparent indifference to his suffering. They slept while he prayed. Though he aroused them from sleep after his first session of prayer, it was obviously hopeless to call them back after the second. We all know what it is like to pray, ‘Please God not this…’ ‘Not this news…’ ‘Not this person…’ The Jesus of Gethsemane is the Jesus who is with us through our own long nights of pain or grief or internal struggle, when God seems far away. The mob, bent on Jesus' capture, arrived and after a futile struggle, Jesus was left alone–alone in the clutches of the enemy, abandoned. It was a lonely path that the one "despised and rejected of men" had to walk. The "man of sorrows, familiar with suffering like one from whom men hide their faces" knew the loneliness of the abandoned.
In this Garden of Tranquility and rest we pray for and remember those who are lonely
For those who feel abandoned
For those who are afraid
Music: Watch and Pray Taize Community.
3. Peter’s Denial
Gala Theatre
We adore you O Christ and we worship you
For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world
Mark 14: 66 – end
While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she stared at him and said, ‘You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.’ But he denied it, saying, ‘I do not know or understand what you are talking about.’ And he went out into the forecourt. Then the cock crowed. And the servant-girl, on seeing him, began again to say to the bystanders, ‘This man is one of them.’ But again he denied it. Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, ‘Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.’ But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, ‘I do not know this man you are talking about.’ At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, ‘before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.’ And he broke down and wept.
Peter famously declared that even if everyone else would abandon Jesus, he, Peter, would stand with Jesus. In the story, Jesus told Peter that he would not only deny him, but would do so three times. And in the story, in the bad times, wracked with fear and confusion, Peter does. If it is true that Peter was alone for the second and third denial, how did the story get to the Gospel writers? At some point, Peter would have had to share the full story of his failure. The idea of Peter confessing his denials is interesting. The Gospel writers paint Peter as the brashest of the disciples. He is the man who stepped out of the boat and walked across the water to Jesus. He said he would not allow Jesus to die. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he drew his sword and attacked a solder, and he was one of the two brave enough to follow Jesus after his arrest. In Matthew 26 Jesus predicted they would all desert him, but Peter proclaimed, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you!” How do you think the other disciples heard that declaration? Did they hear Peter saying, “maybe these others will run, but I will not!” How much courage, how much humility did it take for Peter to tell the others the full story of his failure? Did he come clean because he was racked with guilt as they hid from the authorities in the upper room? Did he tell the story to encourage a brother or sister who failed? It’s one thing to acknowledge your pain and shame; it’s another thing entirely to choose to share it with someone. So how might we choose to follow Peter’s lead and be more honest with our struggles? Jesus knew that Peter would deny him, he knew that his courage would fail. But Jesus also saw a man who one day would eat fish with him on the shore and be forgiven and commissioned to build his church. What potential might we see in ourselves if we could look at ourselves with Jesus eyes?
Pray for the times when we have failed to stand up and be counted.
For the times when we have not spoken out against injustice.
For those who are in jail for saying, ‘yes’ to their faith.
Music: Petit Kyrie Catherine Braslavsky
4. Jesus is condemned to death
Condemned Cell, Durham Indoor Market
We adore you O Christ and we worship you
For by your holy cross you have redeemed the world
Luke 23: 1-26 & Matthew 27: 27-32
Then the assembly rose as a body and brought Jesus before Pilate. They began to accuse him, saying, ‘We found this man perverting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.’ Then Pilate asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ He answered, ‘You say so.’ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, ‘I find no basis for an accusation against this man.’ But they were insistent and said, ‘He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he began even to this place.’ When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate. That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; before this they had been enemies.Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, and said to them, ‘You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death. I will therefore have him flogged and release him.’ Then they all shouted out together, ‘Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!’ (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; but they kept shouting, ‘Crucify, crucify him!’ A third time he said to them, ‘Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.’ But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus to be crucified.
Tony Blair in an interview in the Sunday Telegraph in 1996 describes Pilate as
‘the archetypal politician , caught on the horns of an age-old political dilemma …should we do what appears principled, or what is politically expedient? It is a timeless parable of political life.’
Pilate’s life is all about juggling power. As Roman Governor of Judea he does not want to upset the Jewish leaders whose support he needs and neither does he wish to be sacked by the Emperor Tiberius. In the Gospel of John, Pilate questions Jesus in some detail and says three times to the Jewish leaders that he has found no charge against Jesus, let alone a death penalty. Pilate is frustrated and equally fascinated by Jesus. The carpenter has more strength and dignity than all the political leaders he has known. How is it then that this man who has relinquished all power is in fact, the most powerful person in the room?