By Pater Inutilis

Pilate would like to free Jesus. The freeing of a criminal for them at the Pasch (18:39) failed: they chose Barabbas (18:40). He will now have Jesus punished beyond His deserts that they may say, “Enough. Let him go,”¹ when shown them, “Ecce homo” (vs. 5). The soldiers, therefore, have free rein to hurt Him, and they begin by scourging Him fearfully (vs. 1).² But, His claim to kingship being now very clear, but ridiculous in the eyes of these unbelievers, they amuse themselves by giving Him a coronation ceremony. He is clothed with the “royal” purple, given a crown, made of thorns, and obeisance, “Hail, king of the Jews; and they gave him blows” (vs. 2f). Thus He is presented to the chief priests and the people, “Behold the Man” (vs. 5). This expedient does not work either: “Crucify him, crucify him” (vs. 6). All this introduces us to a second interrogation of Jesus by Pilate, noted only by St. John. Here it is no longer just a question of a possible temporal dominion that might challenge Rome—which Pilate knows to be false. It a question of Jesus Christ claiming also to be the “Son of God” (vs. 7). This was clear to Our Lord’s Jewish enemies (5:18; 10:33); and they are guilty for not taking this claim seriously, despite Our Lord’s many miracles (9:32f & 41; 10:37f; 12:37-41). Unlike the Jews, “When Pilate had heard this saying, he feared the more” (vs. 8). He was aware of Christ’s renown as a wonder-worker; and maybe the tribune reporting back after Jesus’s arrest had told him of Malchus’s healing (though probably not of their falling down). The Romans had many gods, but none who could do what Jesus did. Pilate now has power over Jesus, yes, but this too was given from above (vs. 11) and so to be exercised as God would have it, justly. The Jews, having greater light in things religious, are more guilty than this pagan; but Pilate now knows enough and is far from blameless, “He that hath delivered me to thee hath the greater sin” (vs. 11).³ Wanting still to let Jesus go, Pilate doesn’t, fearing more the emperor and what he might think of the Jewish accusations against Jesus. “If thou release this man, thou art not Caesar’s friend. For whosoever maketh himself king, speaketh against Caesar… We have no king but Caesar” (vs. 12 & 15). “Therefore, he delivered him to them to be crucified” (vs. 16).

St. John tells us too of the Blessed Virgin Mary what the other evangelists had not. They show Her as His Mother; John shows Her moreover as Mother of divine grace. “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother…” (vs. 25). She is there, one in heart with Her suffering Son, understanding and consenting to all that is happening. “When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son” (vs. 26). When a man is dying, he may well recommend his wife to their son: “Look after her now.” He commends the weaker to the stronger. That is what Jesus is doing: commending the weaker (John) to the stronger (Mary). “While I was with them, I kept them in thy name. Those whom thou gavest me I kept” (17:12). It is now Mary’s to keep them, by mothering the newborn Church. “After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother” (vs. 27). Present on Calvary is John’s own mother “Salome” (Mk. 15:40), “the mother of the sons of Zebedee” (Mt. 27:56).⁴ John understands: Mary is not to replace Salome, she is mother in a different order, that of divine grace. But he is to be a son to Her, looking after Her and even being Her chaplain (for she could receive Holy Communion, though there was no need for absolution or extreme unction). Her role as spiritual mother also explains why St. John wanted to tell us of what happened at Cana (2:1-11): that it is at the request of His Mother that Jesus works His first miracle and begins the work that the Father gave Him to do (17:4) that is now consummated (vs. 30). And if She is mother of grace, then “behold thy son” does not refer to John alone, but to him as representative of the Apostles and all who will be caught by these fishers of men. St. John is writing his gospel after he had seen, on Patmos, the vision of the “woman clothed with the sun” (Apoc. 12:1). She cried in birth pangs, travailing (Apoc. 12:2). This does not refer back to Bethlehem, where there was no pain in bringing forth Her first-born, but to Calvary, where there was much pain in bringing forth Jesus’ “brothers” (20:17). Her compassion, Her martyrdom in mind, heart and soul, has the same fruit as Her Son’s passion and death: souls, “her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Apoc. 12:17).

Proper to the fourth gospel is also Our Lord’s sixth word from the cross, “It is consummated” (vs. 30). St. John has been careful throughout his gospel to record Christ’s references to “His hour,” that of His passion and death, which would work the redemption of the world. That has now come and this has been done. All that had been prophesied of this has been fulfilled. St. John notes in particular the fulfilling of the prophecies of casting lots for His garments (vs. 24), His word: “I thirst” (vs. 28), and that not a bone of His would be broken (vs. 26). Also that they would “look upon him whom they pierced” (vs. 37), for St. John saw, and would have us see too (vs. 35), that they did pierce His side. “And immediately there came out blood and water” (vs. 34). The blood of the new and everlasting covenant,⁵ the water that is the Spirit (7:37-39), baptism (3:5) and life (4:14). “There three that give testimony on earth: the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three are one” (I Jn. 5:8); and they come from Jesus Christ, fruit of His redemption.

Joseph of Arimathea now comes forth to bury Jesus—and John is happy to point out that Nicodemus accompanies him (vs. 38f); the same Nicodemus who was eager to question Our Lord (ch. 3), but by night, out of human respect. This too St. John notes (vs. 39; 7:50). Their coming forth now “boldly” (Mk. 15:43) is already a fruit of this Passion. That we draw fruit from it too, may we also take Mary His Mother to our own (vs. 27). Mother of divine grace, pray for us.

Endnotes

1 “I find no cause of death in him. I will chastise him therefore, and let him go” (Lk. 23:22).

2 Thus, from the “Shroud” relic. Here especially, there is no sensationalism on the part of the evangelists, They each give the scourging less than a verse: Mt. 27:26, Mk. 15:15 and Jn. 19:1.

3 The Jews accept this responsibility: “His blood be upon us and our children” (Mt. 27:25).

4 John is silent about all that concerns his own family. For that, we must read the other gospels.

5 “New” e.g. Mt. 26:28; Heb. 9:15. “Everlasting” e.g. Heb. 13:20.