STATIONS OF THE CROSS

First Station: JESUS CONDEMNED

We Adore You, O Christ, And We Praise You.
Because By Your Holy Cross You Have Redeemed The World.

As the altar becomes the stage, something is happening here and it is being frozen in time, frozen up against the backdrop of the planet earth. Something sacred is being revealed, the Divine is present, therefore the artist portrays the figures without shoes for as Moses was told, Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is Holy Ground (Exodus 3: 5).

Christ, with a firm yet gentle look upon his face, is the main focus of the First Station, and he is shown as the central and the largest figure. This is almost a repeated pattern in each station scene because the focus of what the artist is trying to portray in the sculpture is an historical rendition of what happened to Jesus Christ. The facial expressions of Christ, as well as the other figures in the various station scenes, changes to adapt to the given situations. Christ, however, is in control. He freely chose to allow himself to be taken, abused and put to death. Nothing appears to be happening that he has not said "yes" to, a yes to the Father's will. To further emphasize that Christ is in control, notice that weapontry is practically non-existent item, save for the whip and the spear as documented by Scripture. Christ, then, is portrayed in Station #1 as being in control, looking directly at you, the viewer, and asking "Who do you say that I am?"