The Gospel of John most closely resembles the other three Gospels in its stories of Jesus’ trial, death, and Resurrection. But even here, John’s unique portrayal of Jesus is seen. The most obvious difference is that in John, Jesus is clearly in charge and in His glory from the moment he is arrested. There is no agony in the garden. When the soldiers come to arrest Jesus, they fall to the ground as He speaks (John 18:6). He teaches Pilate about His identity and mission, in essence putting Pilate on trial (John 18:33-38). Jesus brings together His mother and the Beloved Disciple (John 19:26-27). Jesus is not killed, but decides the moment of His death when He gives up His spirit (John 19:30).
John is careful to show in detail the ways Jesus’ Crucifixion fulfills Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. He identifies Jesus with the just man who was persecuted in Psalms 22 and 69. He does this by connecting the gambling for Jesus’ seamless tunic (John 19:24) with Psalms 22:19 and the offering of sour wine (John 19:29) with Psalm 69:22. Jesus’ unbroken legs (John 19:33) are a reference to the paschal lamb in Exodus 12:46, and His pierced side (John 19:34) is seen as the fulfillment of Zechariah 12:10.
John wants us to know that these events are the central “Hour” in the world’s history and the time of Jesus’ triumph. For the author of John, Jesus is clearly the divine Son of God, and by Jesus’ self-sacrifice, God brings salvation to the entire world. The author of John does not want us to focus on the tragedy but on God’s power at work in Jesus.
We must go through His life, death, and resurrection as we celebrate that Eucharist. Then we find God working within us. That love of God is poured into our hearts through the Spirit who’s given to us. Then we can say, yes, God is in our midst, God is working through us, and we can help to do the work of Jesus. There should be no limits to how we do that work. Let us listen deeply to what our Scriptures tell us.