IX. Jesus Falls a Third Time

Our Lord, exhausted from His beatings, collapses on the ground.  For the first time He closes His eyes and looks like He wants to sleep.  This posture is a prediction of His Death and burial.  Also, for the first time the soldiers are actually looking at Jesus.  The soldier holding the Cross has an expression of disgust on his face: for a moment he has begun to realize his sinfulness.  The other soldier coldly prods Jesus with the shaft of spear to make him stand back up, which is a foreshadowing of His Side being pierced.  In the bottom left hand corner the whip is pictured with its ends in the shape of tears.  Just as the soldier scourged Christ willingly but is now sorrowful, we too eventually shed tears for our offenses against God's love.