John 19:23-30

John 19:23-30

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,

they took his clothes and divided them into four shares,

a share for each soldier.

They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless,

woven in one piece from the top down.

So they said to one another,

“Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be, “

in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says:

            They divided my garments among them,

                        and for my vesture they cast lots.

This is what the soldiers did.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother

and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,

and Mary of Magdala.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved

he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”

Then he said to the disciple,

“Behold, your mother.”

And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

After this, aware that everything was now finished,

in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,

Jesus said, “I thirst.”

There was a vessel filled with common wine.

So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop

and put it up to his mouth.

When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,

“It is finished.”

And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, today I contemplate the sorrowful passion of your Son. I see the great love your Son has for me and his willingness to die for me. Help me respond generously to your Son’s love and offer my life to you in union with his.

Encountering the Word of God

1. One Word in Matthew and Mark: When we read the Passion Narrative in Matthew and Mark, we are struck by the fact that Jesus only says one word from the Cross: “My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?” This is an important facet of the mystery of the passion and death of Jesus. Mark and Matthew emphasize how Jesus experiences abandonment and yet, in the end, is vindicated. Jesus was abandoned by his disciples and closest friends. And he brought what he was experiencing to prayer on the Cross. While it could seem like Jesus fell into despair, the opposite is the case. What Jesus actually did was to bring to mind and prayer a psalm, Psalm 22, which begins with the line, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” As the psalm progresses, it narrates the passion: “I am scorned; despised; all who see me mock me; they have pierced my hands and my feet; they divide my garments among them; for my clothing, they cast lots” (Psalm 22:7-19). The psalm culminates in an act of hope and a prayer for vindication: “But you, Lord, do not stay far off; my strength, come quickly to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword, … Save me from the lion’s mouth. I will proclaim your name to my brethren; in the assembly I will praise you” (Psalm 22:20-27). The psalm contemplates how all the earth will turn to the Lord. On the lips of Jesus, the psalm proclaims that Jesus will live, that his descendants will serve the Lord, and that they will experience deliverance (Psalm 22:28-32).

2. Three Words in Luke: A different but complementary facet of the passion is brought out in Luke, who records Jesus’ words asking the Father to forgive his persecutors, promising eternal life to the repentant thief, and commending his spirit to the Father. While Matthew and Mark emphasize how Jesus was abandoned for a time but would be later vindicated, Luke emphasizes how Jesus is concerned with those around him. When Jesus says: “Into your hand, I commit my spirit,” Jesus praying with another psalm, Psalm 31. It is a prayer of confidence in God’s protection: “In you, Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness deliver me; incline your ear to me; make haste to rescue me! Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to save me” (Psalm 31:1-3). The one praying commits themselves to God and asks for redemption: “Free me from the net they have set for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hands I commend my spirit; you will redeem me, Lord, God of truth” (Psalm 31:5-6). The one praying acknowledges their distress, affliction, and sorrow, but ends the prayer with confidence in the Lord: “They conspire together against me; they plot to take my life. But I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My destiny is in your hands; rescue me from my enemies, from the hands of my pursuers. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your mercy. Do not let me be put to shame, for I have called to you, Lord. Put the wicked to shame; reduce them to silence in Sheol” (Psalm 31:14-18).

3. Three Words in John: John narrates how Jesus entrusts the beloved disciple to his mother and entrusts his mother to the beloved disciple, says “I thirst” to fulfill the Scriptures, and proclaims “It is finished,” when he drinks the wine. John emphasizes Jesus as the king who reigns victorious from the Cross. In John, Jesus on the Cross is not only presented as the King but also as a priest with a seamless garment and as a bridegroom who pours out sacramental gifts of water and blood on his bride, the Church. While the majority of Jesus’ disciples and followers abandoned him, there are those like the women, his mother, and John who remained by his side. Like John, we have been entrusted to the care of Mary. And like John, we are called to care for the Church, represented most perfectly in Mary.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my king, my faithful and merciful high priest, and my bridegroom. You opened the way to heaven, to your Father. I will follow you and seek the things that are above.

Living the Word of God: If I cannot attend the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, can I spend some time reading, meditating on, and contemplating the Passion according to John today? If my parish has Eucharistic adoration this evening, can I read through the Passion there, before our Lord in the Eucharist?