Du Quoin church members to walk in Jesus' steps on Good Friday, April 3

The birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ form the greatest story ever told.

On Good Friday, April 3, members of the Spirit of Life Christian Church in Du Quoin will re-enact Christ's walk to Calvary for the crucifixion, carrying the cross from their church to Keyes City Park where a communion service will be held, according to member Dianna Kuhnert.

Spirit of Life Christian Church is located on Rt. 51 north of Du Quoin, but is also near North Walnut Street. Members should meet at the church at 5:30 p.m. and the procession will begin at 6 p.m. Members will take turns carrying the cross south on Walnut Street until they reach West Main Street in Du Quoin. They will then walk east through downtown Du Quoin until they reach the intersection of Main and Washington. They will turn north on Washington and end the procession in Keyes City Park.

The walk should take about an hour.

This is the story of that walk.

Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane following the Last Supper with the Twelve Apostles, and then stood trial before the Sanhedrin (a Jewish judicial body), Pontius Pilate (a Roman authority in Judaea) and Herod Antipas (a Roman authority in Galilee), before being handed over for crucifixion. After being flogged, Jesus was mocked by Roman soldiers as the "King of the Jews," clothed in a purple robe, crowned with thorns, beaten and spat on. Jesus then had to make his way to the place of his crucifixion.

Once at Golgotha, Jesus was offered wine mixed with gall to drink. Matthew's and Mark's Gospels record that he refused this. He was then crucified and hung between two convicted thieves. According to Mark's Gospel, he endured the torment of crucifixion for some six hours until his death corresponding to about 3 pm. The soldiers affixed a sign above his head stating "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" in three languages, divided his garments and cast lots for his seamless robe. Each gospel has its own account of Jesus' last words, seven statements altogether.

He asked, "Father, why have you forsaken me?"

By various accounts, various supernatural events accompany the crucifixion, including darkness, an earthquake, and (in Matthew) the resurrection of saints. Following Jesus' death, his body was removed from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea and buried in a rock-hewn tomb, with Nicodemus assisting.