Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Tuesday, April 8, 2014 Read John 19:13-16 The seventh and final scene takes place once again outside of Pilate’s headquarters. The scene is filled with irony. Pilate brings Jesus outside. At this point John’s gospel provides two ways of reading. The first way of reading the text would be that Pilate brought Jesus outside and sat Jesus on the judgment seat. That is where the king would sit. Was John subtly telling his readers that Jesus really was the king sitting in judgment? Is the scene ironic? A second way to read the text is to read that Pilate came and sat on the judgment seat to pass judgment on Jesus. Either reading is possible. I think it is likely that John wants his readers to hear the first – Jesus the true King sits on the judgment seat. Jesus is the one in control. If Jesus was the one sitting on the judgment seat then Pilate’s words make more sense. He points at Jesus and says, “Here is you king.” Of course, Pilate’s words are ironic too. Pilate thinks this helpless, beaten, pathetic one is the best king the Jews could muster – and he really is no king. Placing Jesus on the judgment seat was a mockery by Pilate. He was enjoying once again making a mockery of Jesus and of the Jews. At this point in his story John provides his readers with a piece of crucial information. He tells us that it was the Day of Preparation – the day to prepare for the coming Passover that evening. And he also tells us that it was about noon. It was at noon on the Day of Preparation that the priests in the Temple would begin killing the lambs to be used in the Passover Supper that evening. It was at about noon that Jesus, “the Lamb of God” was doomed to death. Mark tells his readers that it was about 9:00 in the morning when Jesus was crucified (Mark 15:25). Then Mark tells his readers that at noon darkness came over the whole land (Mark 15:33). John never mentions the darkness! Finally Mark tells his readers that at about 3:00 in the afternoon Jesus cries out in abandonment and breathes his last (Mark 15:34). John does not specify when any of the other details occurred. His only reference is to noon on the Day of Preparation which would have been a day earlier than the story in Mark. This only adds weight to the claim that John wants his readers to be thinking of the death of Jesus as coinciding with the killing of the Passover lambs! Mark does not seem to have much invested in describing the crucifixion of Jesus as lasting about six hours. It likely may have taken at least that long for a crucified person to die. Some were known to live for a few days as they hung from the cross. Crucifixion was a cruel death – a death through which the Romans wanted to send a message – don’t be or do what this crucified one did. In the political game Pilate gets the last words. The Jewish leaders betray their own religious faith when they cry out – “We have no king but Caesar!” Isn’t God supposed to be the King? And so Jesus in handed over to be crucified. The whole story of the trial of Jesus before Pilate is mostly unique to John. The synoptic writers know of such a trial but the details are far fewer and the trial is less important to them. The main trial in the synoptic gospels is before the Jewish Council. The trial scene before Pilate in John is creatively written. Certainly there is history behind it but John has taken some liberties to proclaim the themes that are important to him.