Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 12 When morning dawns, John tells his readers that the Jewish religious authorities take Jesus to be tried before Pilate. He provides his readers with some very important chronological information. He tells them it was the day of preparation for the Passover and that the religious leaders do not want to enter Pilate’s headquarters because then they would be defiled and unable to celebrate the Passover. John tells his readers that the day is Thursday and that the Passover will happen that night at sundown when Thursday become Friday. So, once again, John wants his readers to think that the meal Jesus shared with his disciples was not the Passover as it is in the other gospels. The trial before Pilate is expanded by John and is a skillfully written text. In a set of scenes, Pilate move inside and outside his own palace as he attempts to deal with Jesus and his accusers. On three separate occasions Pilate declares Jesus to be innocent. But the religious leaders prevail. Only John tells of the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate about what it means for Jesus to be king. And in the end Pilate’s hand is forced when the religious leaders tell him that if he does not condemn one who claims to be a king he is no friend of Caesar. So Jesus is condemned to die. Though expanded and more skillfully written John’s story of the trial before Pilate is quite similar to the other gospel writers. While John’s story of the crucifixion of Jesus is similar to the other gospels in many ways, there are also some important differences. First of all, John tells his readers that it was noon on the Day of Preparation for Passover that Jesus was crucified. That is a day earlier than in the other gospels. The timeframe of noon on the day of preparation is highly significant since it was at that very hour that the lambs for the evening Passover meal would be slaughtered. Jesus dies with the lambs. John has told his readers that Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is far more in control of what is going on in the story as John tells it. He carries his own cross. There is no mention of Simon of Cyrene. Like the other gospel writers John tells of the dividing of Jesus clothing among those who crucify him. But then the scene changes dramatically. There are no people parading around the cross mocking Jesus. Instead John tells his readers that four women gather at the foot of the cross. They are his mother Mary, her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. With them is the beloved disciple. It is to these people that Jesus speaks. John has mentioned Mary once before at the turning of the water into wine at Cana. There she had mistakenly misinterpreted Jesus’ hour. But now the hour has come. Jesus tells his mother and the beloved disciple that they now belong to one another. A new family is created which may well be a symbol for John of the creation of the church. Jesus is fully in charge even at his crucifixion. There is no cry of despair as in Mark and Matthew and even no surrender of himself to God as in Luke. Readers of John’s gospel recall that Jesus had said that he would lay down his life and take it up again. No one would take it from him. And so in death when Jesus says that he thirsts it is really the loving thirst of God for his people. And when he has tasted the sweet wine salvation Jesus declares that all is now finished. The cry of Jesus is one of triumph – Mission Accomplished! The death of Jesus is his victory of sin, death, and the world of evil. Following his death, John does not tell of the curtain in the Temple being torn in two as the other gospel writers had said. There is also no mention of the centurion in charge saying anything. Instead John tells his readers that there is concern on the part of the Jewish authorities that bodies be left on the cross when the great feast of Passover was about to take place. They ask that those who were crucified be killed sooner than normal and that their bodies taken down lest the Passover be defiled. The legs of the others crucified with Jesus are broken and presumably they die. But Jesus is already dead. His legs are not broken. Not one bone in the body of the Passover lamb was to be broken. But just to be sure a soldier does pierce the side of Jesus, thus inadvertently fulfilling the scripture. And John tells his readers that water and blood flowed forth from the body of Jesus. John tells his readers that they can be assured that this really happened since the beloved disciple witnessed it. And so Jesus’ body is taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb that is found in a garden near the crucifixion scene. John agrees with the other gospel writers that Joseph of Arimathea is one who buries Jesus. But, he is joined by another character who has shown up a couple of times in John’s story named Nicodemus.