A Bare Bones Story

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Pastor's Reflection of the Day
The gospel of John has taken us along the road to Jerusalem as we read about Jesus and the disciples on their way to the cross. In today's reading, chapter 19, Jesus is crucified.

I wasn't quite sure exactly what I wanted to reflect on today that wouldn't turn into a full-blown Holy Week kind of sermon. So, I do what I always do when I'm not sure what to say: I read what someone else has to say about it!

So in my trusty NIB Commentary on John's gospel, I read this: ". . . the Fourth Evangelist narrates Jesus' death with dignity, respect, and solemnity. There is none of the turmoil of the Synoptic accounts--no jeering crowds, no loud cry when Jesus dies." It seems that he provides no narrative details that will distract us from the bare bones story of crucifixion.

I don't think I ever noticed that before. When I imagine the crucifixion, there are always jeering crowds and sobbing women and people standing in stunned silence. But John gives us a pretty sparse account; it covers barely more than a couple of verses. The picture John paints for his readers is "Jesus' serene and controlled gift of his life in love" (NIB).

I kinda like that. We know that Jesus gave up his life willingly for us; I like the idea of it being a serene (though surely painful) death. Only God could die in such a way under such circumstances, which might actually be the point the gospel writer is trying to make . . . the crucifixion "marks the completion of Jesus' work of making God known to the world" (NIB). What more could Jesus possibly have done to make Himself known to the world?!

So, if you're looking for an excuse to ignore the leaves that you really should rake (like in my front yard!) here's a little homework assignment: try looking at all the crucifixion scenes in the gospels. What might the writers be trying to say about the way they portray Jesus' death?