Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home (Jn 19:25-27).
The fourth gospel is liberally salted with lengthy descriptions of events that include details to indicate John’s intended purpose. For instance, Jerusalem is the reference point of all the action. All eyes turn toward Jerusalem, and in the events that occur in that city the destiny of the world unfolds. Like the early cartographers whose maps placed Jerusalem in the center of the world, the identified navel of the universe, with all the continents and kingdoms radiating north, south, east and west from the city where our Lord died, for this evangelist the Temple, its rites and annual festival observances are key to understanding the themes of Jesus’ ministry.
John’s narrative is organized thematically rather than chronologically. Jesus is the source of living water springing up into everlasting life, as he told to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (Jn 5:14). When explaining the meaning of the feeding of the 5000 Jesus identified himself as the true bread given for the life of the world (Jn 6:35). After forgiving the woman taken in adultery, Jesus declared himself to be the light of the world – the source of insight and understanding into the mind of God (Jn 8:12). John tailors the information he provides for maximum disclosure of God at work in Jesus’ ministry. John places the crucifixion at high noon - Mark puts it at 9 o’clock in the morning, the height of the slaughter of the Passover lambs. From as early as the Baptist’s signal to his own disciples that Jesus was the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (Jn 1:29) this evangelist identifies Jesus as the Passover lamb whose blood guards and protects God’s people that the holy work of God may be accomplished.
At the last supper in the fourth gospel, John hardly mentions the meal itself. Instead he gives us a close up shot of Jesus’ washing his disciples’ feet in order to raise up servant ministry as the highest work and blessing of the Son of God. Jesus’ New Commandment to love as he loved (Jn 13:34) is the cherry on top offering insight into the new relationship in which he and the disciples are bound together – a relationship that has universal application.
The New Commandment sets this gospel apart in its treatment of the concluding events of Jesus ministry. In John’s portrayal of the crucifixion Jesus hung on a cross between two others. The other gospels mention one criminal on the right and one on the left. John gives greater emphasis to the placement of the crosses saying the two were on either side with Jesus in the middle (Jn 19:18) highlighting the reconciling character of his ministry. Earlier Jesus had said, “I when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all people to myself (Jn 12:32). It is to our benefit to see that those who were drawn to the Crucified One are sinners, and not just guilty of venial sins for Jesus begins with capital criminals. On the cross Jesus draws together the ragged edges of humanity to make us one with God. The cross in John’s gospel is also a sign of Jesus’ compassion. Jesus identifies with sinful humanity bearing with us the pain and isolation of sin, accepting and shouldering the burden of our sins to have it die with him, breaking the vice grip of sin Satan, as prosecutor, would use against us in the court of God’s justice.
In the fourth gospel there is no dialogue with the two thieves as in Luke’s account read last Sunday. Here, the first time Jesus speaks on the cross occurs only after he sees his mother and the beloved disciple. Though Jesus had siblings (Jn 7:5), the disciple whom he loved risked a great deal to stand at the foot of the cross comforting Jesus’ mother. Elevating that expression of compassion to the level of godly virtue, Jesus gives his mother into the disciple’s care by declaring their relationship to be that of mother and son – thereby expanding the fifth commandment. Relationships generated by the love of God surpass those of blood kinship. The new ways of the kingdom trump the old. A new world order has begun. That is not to say that one’s clan and family are unimportant, but that the love of God raises the meaning of family to a whole new level.
Could it be that John’s reference to the piercing of Jesus’ side causing a flow of water and blood is to indicate that his followers must remember that the waters of baptism made them one family, all members of the household of God? They were all to be responsible for one another. They are to serve others as though they are Christ. So the beloved disciple took Mary into his home.
Jesus’ last act follows quickly. He had accomplished what he had come to do. Drawing the two criminals within the realm of God’s love and saving power, recreating new bonds of family through a devotion to him, the hour of his glory is fulfilled. In the other gospels Jesus does not request a drink - when offered it is refused, but in John’s gospel Jesus said, I thirst (Jn 19:28). He drinks the liquid offered and declares, It is finished (Jn 19:30). There are no terrestrial theatrics mentioned to highlight this climactic moment. No darkness or earthquake or tearing of the Temple curtain to indicate a cosmic shudder. This Jesus, from beginning to end, came to do his Father’s will, and it is done. The outcome will be in God’s almighty hands.
At Golgatha John would have us understand that the reconciling power of God is not stored up in a strong box in the sky to be doled out by a few ordained individuals. The result of such an exclusive custody of power is to make it a scarce commodity and its priests a favored class. Rather Jesus’ ability to restore relationships has become the life-giving gift committed to all who have been baptized and become members of his body. St. Paul said,
For anyone united to Christ, there is a new creation: the old order has gone; a new order has already begun. All this has been the work of God. He has reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has enlisted us in this ministry of reconciliation: God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, no longer holding people’s misdeeds against them, and has entrusted us with the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors. It is as if God were appealing to you through us: we implore you in Christ’s name, be reconciled to God! (2 Cor 5:17-20 REB)
Reconciliation is the work of the cross this day. What keeps us from exercising the embassadorship into which we are called? Is it fear of confrontation, loss, consequences, unpopularity of neighbors’ opinions? Is it caused by disgust for the antics of politicians; or the intransigence of bureaucrats; or the seeming white water of overwhelming opposition? Faith in Jesus will remove that fear. Our part is to observe his generous love and practice it. At the last supper Jesus showed the disarming power of a small act of kindness – service which honors others. He came between the criminals on Golgatha, not judging whether the conditions of their lives were a cause for misbehavior or that their sentences were unjust, simply being present with them. He established bonds of affection between his sorrowing mother and the beloved disciple giving them a new purpose – a shared communion in and with God. Throughout his ministry Jesus came along side people in need to heal brokenness and isolation caused by disease, rejection, oppression, or neglect. In advance of his death and return to God he told his disciples his Father would send another advocate to abide with them and strengthen them with God’s grace to continue their ambassadorship of love and peace (Jn 14:26).
An ambassador’s task is to represent the one sending. In the gospels Jesus clearly instructed his disciples when he sent them out. They were to preach about the coming kingdom of God, to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons, and offer God’s peace (Mt 10:7-8), the same works as their Lord. The same commissioned comes to us. We pray that God’s kingdom will be made visible by the presence of faithful disciples exercising a reconciling ministry. Our prayer leads us to action that works to heal broken relationships, develop peacemaking options to resolve differences between nations and peoples, provide safe lodging and food for the poor, rescue those is physical distress, open hospitals to treat the wounded, and always to be witnesses to Jesus Christ as the source of the world’s wholeness and true strength.
