The front Passion and Resurrection windows depict the two most important events in history. In the Passion window, Jesus is carrying His cross, wearing the crown of thorns that the Roman soldiers mockingly placed upon Him. He is being led out to the cross by the soldiers and is surrounded by the women who wept for Him (Luke 23:27-31).
As Jesus carries the cross, He steps on the serpent’s head. After Adam and Eve sinned, God promised the Savior saying that even though the serpent (Satan) would strike the Messiah’s heal, He would crush His head (Genesis 3:15). By His death for our transgressions, Jesus did crush the serpent’s head in defeat.
The top medallion is the cross and crown. Even though Jesus was crowned with thorns, even on the cross, He was King of kings and Lord of lords as He conquered sin, death, and the devil for us. The left medallion has the letters INRI. When Jesus was crucified, Pilate wrote Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews in Latin, Greek, and Aramaic. INRI is the first letter of the words Jesus, Nazareth, King, and Jews in Latin.
The medallion on the right depicts the cup of wrath and suffering. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed: “Father, if it is possible, please take this cup from me. But not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). Since Jesus drank from that cup of wrath and suffering for us, we now receive the cup of blessing in the Lord’s Supper, His blood shed for the forgiveness of our sins.