Mixed media oilgraph on canvas with blood // 36” x 36"

This scene depicts the moment Pontious Pilate condemns Jesus to death and washes his hands of any responsibility. To his left is his wife, who in a dream, saw Jesus' innocence and urged her husband not to get involved. The hand of a soldier leads Him away. Above is the gallery of witnesses including Barabbas, who by the urging of the mobs, was released instead of Jesus.

"Three years…

And for what do we dream?
In the oceans of the unseen
stirs a vision of death

It was in the age before flesh gave you pain
and gravity pulled your feet against the rocks
that you yourself breathed…you saw

In the silence of a world yet to be
you saw this moment
and chose it

Spirit speaks dreams to a wife
of a horror to happen
The tragic mistake of giving in
to cries for blood and now the washing away
of a life that has with Grace
ripped the world in two

And no water of man
will wash clean the hand of this one
and if only they knew
the blood to come
would wash away
every war

And the legions of angels
who in times of long ago
turned cities to ash
and poised to yield the same
press against the chains of a command to hold their rage

and to watch
as we watch

helpless
as you
the innocent of innocents
is sent to die"

***

Like all of the Stations, this was shot like a theatre scene with the actors in motion and actually yelling and flinging water. The original image was reversed in printing for compositional reasons and the “Gallery of Witnesses” added not just to make the composition perfectly square, but to place “us” in the empty arch. They include both the mockers and sympathizers as well as Barabbas who was also played by Paolo Durrazzo who acted as Jesus.

The arch motif is repeated throughout the series as a way to subtly include us in the journey. This Station establishes another important motif - In each Station (save one) is a symbol of the the Trinity which are three squares of photo paper composited together. They are intentionally understated and often hard to find which underscores our often difficulty in finding God in suffering.

CAST
JESUS: Paolo Durrazzo
PILATE: David Raven
PILATE’S WIFE: Rebecca Ver-Stratten McSparren
WATER BEARER: Annette Lopez
SOLDIER: Rod Ramsey
GALLERY OF WITNESSES: Nolan McSparren - Lisa Cullinan - Annette Lopez - Paolo Durrazzo (Barabbas)