Jesus is Crucified - Spring Branch, TX USA - Statues of Religious Figures on Waymarking.com

It is not surprising to see a large sculpture depicting the Crucifixion of Jesus on a Catholic church property. Nor is it unusual that you find a Catholic church with an outdoor Stations of the Cross display with a some iconic rendition of Jesus crucified on a cross at the 12th Station of the Cross. What is unusual is for such a depiction to have a life-size sculpture of Jesus nailed onto a proportionally large, real wooden cross.

This sculpture of Jesus is carved from white marble, with His head leaning forward and a crown of thorns around His head. His arms are spread to the end of the cross bar, with each hand nailed to the wooden beam. His legs are slightly bent, with His feet nailed to the wood post as well.

The sculptor of this work is unknown, but there is a small dedication plaque on the ground near the base of the wooden cross. The text on the plaque reads as follows: "Donated by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Crohman in loving memory of their children."

The location of this sculpture is on the southeast portion of the church property. The official address of the church is 25781 TX-46 West, Spring Branch, TX 78070; Once on the church's property by entering off TX-46, drive between the old historical church and the newer, much larger sanctuary and continue to drive behind these church building and toward the church's graveyard. Follow the curve of the road along the side of the graveyard and continue up the hillside. Stay to the right side at the fork in the road and continue farther upward. At the crest of the hill there will be an entrance into a small gravel parking lot. Turn into this area and park the car. There will be two rustic fenced entrances. One will take you to the labyrinth within sight of the parking lot. The other, more to the left, will begin your path of the outdoor Stations of the Cross. Take this pathway past the first eleven Stations of the Cross and then, as expected, you arrive at the 12th Station that represents that "Jesus dies on the Cross." This Station VII entrance along the general pathway has a round cross-section of a tree on which identifies this as the Station VII and an interpretive scene of Jesus being crucified carved into it. A few steps into the Station VII entrance will place you a few feet from the wooden cross with the sculpture of Jesus nailed onto it.

The central focus of this sculpture is the Jesus, who is hanging on the cross and is being executed by the Romans with support from the Jewish religious leadership. The significance of Jesus dying on the cross is that the Scriptures indicate that Jesus' death paid the price for mankind's sin that separates them from God. (see, for example, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Ephesians 2:13-16, et al). Jesus redeemed our souls from damnation/separation from God. (see, for example, Ephesians 2: 1-9; Hebrewa 10: 10-18; et al). The nuances and supporting background for these statements take up volumes of religious and philosophical literature. Hopefully, the following paragraphs borrowed from Wikipedia and used in other supporting submissions for sculptures of religious figures related to Jesus will give enough background of who Jesus is and what His crucifixion did. Please read the following:

"Jesus (c. 4 BC – AD 30 / 33), also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ, was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religion. Most Christians believe he is the incarnation of God the Son and the awaited Messiah (the Christ) prophesied in the Old Testament.

Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed historically, although the quest for the historical Jesus has yielded some uncertainty on the historical reliability of the Gospels and on how closely the Jesus portrayed in the Bible reflects the historical Jesus, as the only records of Jesus' life are contained in the four Gospels. Jesus was a Galilean Jew, who was baptized by John the Baptist and began his own ministry. He preached orally and was often referred to as "rabbi". Jesus debated with fellow Jews on how to best follow God, engaged in healings, taught in parables and gathered followers. He was arrested and tried by the Jewish authorities, turned over to the Roman government, and crucified on the order of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect. After his death, his followers believed he rose from the dead, and the community they formed eventually became the early Church.

Christian doctrines include the beliefs that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born of a virgin named Mary, performed miracles, founded the Christian Church, died by crucifixion as a sacrifice to achieve atonement for sin, rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven, from where he will return. Commonly, Christians believe Jesus enables people to be reconciled to God. The Nicene Creed asserts that Jesus will judge the living and the dead either before or after their bodily resurrection, an event tied to the Second Coming of Jesus in Christian eschatology. The great majority of Christians worship Jesus as the incarnation of God the Son, the second of three persons of the Trinity. A small minority of Christian denominations reject Trinitarianism, wholly or partly, as non-scriptural. The birth of Jesus is celebrated annually on December 25 as Christmas. His crucifixion is honored on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. The widely used calendar era "AD", from the Latin anno Domini ("year of the Lord"), and the equivalent alternative "CE", are based on the approximate birthdate of Jesus.

Jesus is also revered outside of Christianity. In Islam, Jesus (commonly transliterated as Isa) is considered one of God's important prophets and the Messiah. Muslims believe Jesus was born of a virgin, but was neither God nor a begotten God. The Quran states that Jesus never claimed divinity. Muslims do not believe that he was killed or crucified, but that he was physically raised into Heaven by God. In contrast, Judaism rejects the belief that Jesus was the awaited Messiah, arguing that he did not fulfill Messianic prophecies, and was neither divine nor resurrected." ~ Wikipedia

Associated Religion(s): Christian, Jewish and Islamic believers have Jesus as a central religious figure Statue Location: St. Joseph's Catholic Church at Honey Creek, 25781 TX-46 West, Spring Branch, TX 78070 Entrance Fee: Free Website: [Web Link] Artist: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the statue. A waymarker and/or GPSr is not required to be in the image but it doesn't hurt.

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Date Logged Log   02/18/2021 WayBetterFinder visited it