On Golgotha Jesus’
Heart was pierced by a lance as a sign
of his total self-giving, of that
sacrificial and saving love with which
he “loved us to the end” (John 13:1),
laying the foundation of the
friendship between God and man.
—
Pope John Paul II
Introduction
The crucifixion was Jesus' enthronement as
King. The inscription that hung above him on
the cross was written in Hebrew, the
language of religion; in Latin, the language
of the empire; and in Greek, the language of
culture – thus serving as a universal
proclamation testifying to the truth of who
Jesus is. As St. Ambrose explained in his
Exposition of the Gospel of Luke,
The superscription is written and placed
above, not below the cross, because the
government is upon his shoulders [Isaiah
9:6]. What is this government if not his
eternal power and Godhead! ... The
superscription is fittingly above the cross,
because although the Lord Jesus was on the
cross, he shines above the cross with the
majesty of a king.
Jesus' death begins to make sense only when
we recognize the great love that the Father
has for us – so great a longing in the
Father's heart for us to be restored to full
friendship with him that he would ask his
Son to go to such great lengths on our
behalf. The words of the Exsultet, the
proclamation sung at the Easter Vigil [in
the Roman Catholic liturgy], marvel at God's
motive: "Father, how wonderful your care for
us! How boundless your merciful love! To
ransom a slave you gave away your Son."
We have come full circle now from the time
when Adam and Eve, by partaking of the fruit
of the forbidden tree, brought sin and death
into the world. Jesus Christ, the new Adam,
restored our relationship with the Father
through the tree of the cross.
Paradoxically, it is the death of the Son of
God on this tree that secured new life for
us:
How precious the gift of the
cross, how splendid to contemplate! In the
cross there is no mingling of good and evil,
as in the tree of paradise: it is wholly
beautiful to behold and good to taste. The
fruit of this tree is not death but life,
not darkness but light. This tree does not
cast us out of paradise, but opens the way
for our return.... This was the tree upon
which the Lord, like a brave warrior wounded
in hands, feet and side, healed the wounds
of sin that the evil serpent had inflicted
on our nature.... What an astonishing
transformation! That death should become
life, that decay should become immortality,
that shame should become glory! (St.
Theodore the Studite, Oratio in
adorationem crucis)
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John 19:13-22,
25-37
13 [Pilate]
brought Jesus outside and sat
on the judge’s bench at a
place called The Stone
Pavement, or in Hebrew
Gabbatha. 14Now it was the day
of Preparation for the
Passover; and it was about
noon. Pilate said to the Jews,
“Here is your King!” 15They
cried out, “Away with him!
Away with him! Crucify him!”
Pilate asked them, “Shall I
crucify your King?” The chief
priests answered, “We have no
king but the emperor.” 16Then
he handed him over to them to
be crucified.
So they took Jesus,
17and carrying the cross by
himself, he went out to what
is called The Place of the
Skull, which in Hebrew is
called Golgotha. 18There they
crucified him, and with him
two others, one on either
side, with Jesus between them.
19Pilate also had an
inscription written and put on
the cross. It read, “Jesus of
Nazareth, the King of the
Jews.” 20Many of the Jews read
this inscription, because the
place where Jesus was
crucified was near the city;
and it was written in Hebrew,
in Latin, and in Greek. 21Then
the chief priests of the Jews
said to Pilate, “Do not write,
‘The King of the Jews,’ but
‘This man said, I am King of
the Jews.’” 22Pilate answered,
“What I have written I have
written.”
25 . . . [S]tanding near the
cross of Jesus were his
mother, and his mother’s
sister, Mary, the wife of
Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
26When Jesus saw his mother
and the disciple whom he loved
standing beside her, he said
to his mother, “Woman, here is
your son.” 27Then he said to
the disciple, “Here is your
mother.” And from that hour
the disciple took her into his
own home.
28 After this, when Jesus knew
that all was now finished, he
said (in order to fulfill the
scripture), “I am thirsty.”
29A jar full of sour wine was
standing there. So they put a
sponge full of wine on a
branch of hyssop and held it
to his mouth. 30When Jesus had
received the wine, he said,
“It is finished.” Then he
bowed his head and gave up his
spirit.
31 Since it was the day of
Preparation, the Jews did not
want the bodies left on the
cross during the sabbath,
especially because that
sabbath was a day of great
solemnity. So they asked
Pilate to have the legs of the
crucified men broken and the
bodies removed. 32Then the
soldiers came and broke the
legs of the first and of the
other who had been crucified
with him. 33But when they came
to Jesus and saw that he was
already dead, they did not
break his legs. 34Instead, one
of the soldiers pierced his
side with a spear, and at once
blood and water came out.
35(He who saw this has
testified so that you also may
believe. His testimony is
true, and he knows that he
tells the truth.) 36These
things occurred so that the
scripture might be fulfilled,
“None of his bones shall be
broken.” 37And again another
passage of scripture says,
“They will look on the one
whom they have pierced.”
(See Matthew 27:32-54; Mark
15:20b-39; Luke 23:26-49)
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“Behold Your King”
Jesus’ journey led from the house of
Caiaphas to Pontius Pilate’s official
quarters in Jerusalem, most likely located
in the Antonia Fortress (see John 18:28). It
would be Jesus’ last stopping place before
Golgotha.
As the Roman governor of Judea, Pilate
possessed the jus gladii (the “right
of the sword”), the authority to order an
execution. Although the Jewish religious
leaders despised Pilate, they had to submit
their case to him if they wanted Jesus to be
sentenced to death; the Sanhedrin was under
Roman jurisdiction and had no authority to
impose capital punishment (see John
18:29-31).
Pilate repeatedly declared Jesus innocent
of any crime. In fact, he tried several
times to avoid condemning him; he even had
Jesus scourged in an attempt to appease the
Jewish leaders and win the crowds’ sympathy
(see Luke 23:13-16; John 18:28–19:12).
Nonetheless, the chief priests and elders
were unyielding, and Pilate buckled under
their pressure. Although Pilate knew Jesus
had done nothing to deserve the death
sentence, he lacked the courage and
integrity to release him. When the Jews
reminded Pilate that anyone who made himself
a king was Caesar’s rival, he acquiesced to
the chief priests’ demands in order to
preserve crowd control and protect his
political career from the emperor’s
displeasure (see John 19:12-16). Knowing
that he was handing over an innocent man to
quell an impending riot, Pilate tried to
salve his conscience by symbolically washing
his hands of responsibility for Jesus’ death
(see Matthew 27:24).
Mary remained steadfastly by Jesus as he
hung on the cross, demonstrating her
solidarity with him and his mission. How
terrible it must have been for her to see
her son’s agony; yet she would not leave him
without the comfort of her maternal
presence. And even in his suffering, Jesus
thought of his mother, entrusting her to the
beloved disciple’s care. But first he
directed Mary to extend her motherly care to
John, thus creating a new spiritual family
at Golgotha (see John 19:26-27). Mary’s
maternal role now has a universal dimension;
her motherhood extends spiritually to all
humanity.
Standing nearby, John was able to hear and
record for us Jesus’ last words from the
cross: “It is finished” (John 19:30). In
colloquial English, we might say, “I have
done it!” This was a declaration of victory.
“Jesus must have died in ecstasy of joy,
knowing that at last he had completed the
work that he was born to accomplish” (Wendy
Beckett, Sister Wendy’s Nativity). Then he
“gave up his spirit” (19:30), that is,
handed himself over to the
Father.
According to Jewish custom, the slaughter
of the Passover lambs in the Temple—male
lambs without blemish (see Exodus
12:5)—began at noon on the day of
Preparation. And it was at that very hour
that Pilate handed Jesus over to be
crucified, even though he had found no fault
in him (see John 19:14). While the blood of
the paschal lambs was being poured out to
commemorate the Israelites’ deliverance from
their bondage in Egypt, the blood of Jesus,
the Lamb of God (see John 1:29), was being
poured out on Golgotha to free us from the
power of sin and Satan. And just as the
bones of the Passover lambs were not broken
(see Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12), neither
were Jesus’ legs broken, as was commonly
done to hasten the death of a crucifixion
victim (see John 19:32-33, 36; Psalm 34:20).
Finally, in his eyewitness account John
testifies that water and blood flowed from
Jesus’ side when a lance was thrust into his
body (see John 19:34). Now we have access to
an inexhaustible source of eternal life: we
are cleansed and purified from our sins by
the waters of baptism, and in the Eucharist
we drink from the fountain that flows from
the heart of our crucified Savior. The
Church, born from Jesus’ pierced side, is
continually invigorated and renewed by these
sacraments. And, as Pope Benedict XVI notes,
it is by contemplating Christ’s wounded
heart that we become “sensitive to God’s
salvific will. It enables us to entrust
ourselves to his saving and merciful love,
and at the same time strengthens us in the
desire to take part in his work of
salvation, becoming his instruments.”
| “It is
finished”—this was Jesus’
declaration of victory. |
Understand!
- Why, in your opinion, was Pilate so
adamant about the wording of the
inscription placed on Jesus’ cross (see
John 19:19-22)? What does this suggest
about Pilate’s view of Jesus? About
Pilate’s feelings toward the chief
priests? What does this incident add to
your impressions of Pilate?
- Choose several adjectives to
characterize Jesus’ relationship with his
mother. Describe some of the human and
natural dimensions of their relationship
with each other. What qualities does Mary
bring to her role as mother of the church?
- What similarities do you see between the
Israelites’ Passover deliverance from
Egypt and Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross at
Golgotha? What differences?
- What is the significance of Jesus’
words, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Read
Ephesians 2:13-16 and Hebrews 9:11-15.
What did Jesus accomplish by shedding his
blood for us on the cross?
- Why is it so important that the
evangelist John was an eyewitness to the
events of Jesus’ life, ministry, and
passion and so clearly stated this fact in
his gospel (see John 19:35)? Read John
15:27 and 21:24 to for more insight into
the validity and significance of John’s
testimony.
In the
Spotlight
Jesus of
Nazareth, the King of the Jews
Jesus was
recognized and honored as the
newborn king of the Jews by the
gentile wise men who paid him homage
at his birth (see Matthew 2:1-11),
but the leaders of his own nation
did not accept the truth of his
kingship. When the chief priests and
Sanhedrin brought Jesus before
Pilate, they accused him of sedition
and falsely claiming to be a king:
“We found this man perverting our
nation, forbidding us to pay taxes
to the emperor, and saying that he
himself is the Messiah, a king”
(Luke 23:2). Ironically, it was the
gentile Pilate who defied the Jewish
elders and accorded the title “King
of the Jews” to Jesus at his death
(see John 19:19-22).
It was customary to
write the charge on which the
accused was sentenced on a placard
that was then carried in front of
him as he made his way to the place
of execution, where it was either
affixed to his cross or hung around
his neck. The inscription that
Pilate ordered to describe Jesus’
“crime”—“Jesus of Nazareth, the King
of the Jews” (John 19:19)—was
written in Hebrew, the language of
the Jews and their religion; in
Latin, the language of the governing
empire and its law; and in Greek,
the language of culture. Thus, it
universally proclaimed the truth of
Jesus’ divine kingship as he was
“enthroned” on Golgotha. “The
superscription is written and placed
above, not below the cross,” noted
St. Ambrose, “because the government
is upon his shoulders [Isaiah 9:6].
What is this government if not his
eternal power and Godhead? . . . The
superscription is fittingly above
the cross, because although the Lord
Jesus was on the cross, he shines
above the cross with the majesty of
a king.”
Grow!
- Like Pilate, have you ever yielded to
fear, social or political pressure, or
self-interest and made a wrong decision
against your better judgment? Are you
sometimes more concerned about personal
advantage and what others think of you
than with upholding God’s teachings and
values? What might you do to strengthen
your resolve to choose rightly in the
future?
- Recall a time when you
comforted and/or remained faithfully
by someone dear to you when that
person was in a time of deep
distress or trial. What did this
effort cost you? What enabled you to
be steadfast? What have you learned
from Mary’s presence during Jesus’
crucifixion that can help you
support others in their difficulties
or suffering?
- What particular work or
mission has God entrusted to you?
How do you feel about carrying out
this task? How has this changed your
life? Ask the Holy Spirit to help
you fulfill God’s mission so that
you will one day be able to say, as
Jesus did, “It is finished.”
- Which moment from John’s
account of the events on Calvary
moves you most profoundly? Why? What
impact has Jesus’ crucifixion had on
you? How is the victory of the cross
manifested in your life?
- In what way(s) do you
acknowledge Jesus’ kingship over
you? What could you do to grow in
loving Jesus more deeply? To respond
more actively to his authority in
your life?
In
the Spotlight
Mary at
the Foot of the Cross
Only a consistency
that lasts throughout the whole
of life can be called
faithfulness. Mary’s fiat in the
Annunciation finds its fullness
in the silent fiat that she
repeats at the foot of the
cross.
—Pope John Paul II
Nor was Mary less
than was befitting the mother of
Christ. When the apostles fled,
she stood before the cross and
with reverent gaze beheld her
Son’s wounds, for she waited not
for her child’s death, but the
world’s salvation.
—Ambrose of Milan
Just as the Father
gave us the great gift of his Son
to be our Redeemer, so also the
Son gives us the great gift of his
Blessed Mother to be our Advocate.
When he said to John at the foot
of the Cross: “Behold your
Mother!” he said it to him
representing all Christians.
—John of the Cross
Reflect!
- Reflect on this statement by St.
Josemaría Escrivá:
John, the disciple whom Jesus loved,
brought Mary into his home, into his
life. Spiritual writers have seen these
words of the Gospel as an invitation to
all Christians to bring Mary into their
lives. Mary certainly wants us to invoke
her, to approach her confidently, to
appeal to her as our mother, asking her
to “show that you are our mother.
- How do you express your relationship to
Mary as your “spiritual mother”? In what
ways can you more consciously bring Mary
into your home and make a place for her in
your life as the apostle John did?
- Reflect on the following passages to
enhance your understanding of the
significance and power of Christ’s death
on the cross:
Surely
he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and
afflicted.
But he was wounded for our
transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made
us whole,
and by his bruises we are
healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own
way,
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
—Isaiah 53:4-6
When you were
dead in trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, God
made you alive together with him,
when he forgave us all our
trespasses, erasing the record that
stood against us with its legal
demands. He set this aside, nailing
it to the cross.
—Colossians 2:13-14
Let us run with
perseverance the race that is set
before us, looking to Jesus the
pioneer and perfecter of our faith,
who for the sake of the joy that was
set before him endured the cross,
disregarding its shame, and has
taken his seat at the right hand of
the throne of God.
—Hebrews 12:2
Christ also
suffered for you, leaving you an
example, so that you should follow
in his steps.
“He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in
his mouth.”
When he was
abused, he did not return abuse;
when he suffered, he did not
threaten; but he entrusted himself
to the one who judges justly. He
himself bore our sins in his body on
the cross, so that, free from sins,
we might live for righteousness; by
his wounds you have been healed.
—1 Peter 2:21-24
In
the Spotlight
“Pontius” was a
hereditary family name of Roman
origin. The given name “Pilate”
was probably derived from the
Latin pilatus—a “pikeman” or
person armed with a pilum or
javelin. Pontius Pilate’s wife was
Claudia Procula, granddaughter of
the emperor Augustus Caesar.
Pontius Pilate
was appointed the Roman governor
of Judea, Idumea, and Samaria in
A.D. 26. He held the official
title of prefect (military
commander), but also performed the
duties of a procurator (civil
administrator). Apparently Pilate
was an able administrator since he
remained in office ten years,
while the region had had four
governors in the previous twenty
years. But he was also a harsh and
insensitive ruler who made himself
unpopular with the Jewish people
by bringing images of the Roman
emperor into the Temple precincts
in Jerusalem and by using money
from the Temple treasury to pay
for the construction of an
aqueduct.
Pilate’s headquarters
were in Caesarea on the
Mediterranean coast in the palace
built by Herod the Great. Most of
the soldiers under his command
were stationed there, but others
manned the Antonia Fortress,
adjacent to the Temple in
Jerusalem. During Passover Pilate
and his Caesarea troops went to
Jerusalem to keep order among the
pilgrims and crowds gathered for
the feast. Pilate retained
Caiaphas as the Jewish high priest
during his whole term as governor,
which suggests that the two men
maintained a working relationship,
most likely playing off one
another’s political interests and
ambitions.
In
A.D. 36 Pilate was removed as
governor after his troops killed
some Samaritans. Nothing certain is
known of his later history.
According to one tradition, he was
executed by the emperor Nero.
Another tradition holds that Pilate
was exiled by the emperor Caligula
to Gaul, where he committed suicide.
Act!
Teresa of Avila experienced a fuller
conversion and deepening of her prayer
life after seeing an image that portrayed
the wounded Christ. St. John of the Cross
was frequently moved by depictions of
scenes from Christ’s life, and he taught
that religious paintings should be prized
because they point the heart toward the
living image or mystery that they
represent. As art historian Sr. Wendy
Beckett points out, “Gazing upon sacred
art is an exercise in prayer! The artists,
by their very nature, and perhaps without
even knowing it, teach us to pray!” (In
the Midst of Chaos, Peace).
Kneel or sit quietly before a crucifix,
painting or icon depicting Jesus’ passion.
Allow the image to lead you into prayer.
Tell Jesus of your love for him and
express your gratitude for his death on
the cross.
In
the Spotlight
“I Have Done All You Gave Me to Do”
“It is
consummated.” These are our Lord’s
last words to his Father cited in St.
John [19:30]. “I have done all you
gave me to do.” My God, may these
words also be ours at our last
hour—though they will not then have
the same meaning and the same
perfection. We are only worthless
human beings; but granted our
wretchedness, may they at least be
ours as far as they can be.
What must I do if they are
to be, O God? I must ask you what it
is you have given me to do, and I must
ask you—from whom alone strength
comes—to do it. I beseech you, my Lord
and my God, to let me see clearly what
your will for me is. Then give me the
strength to do it, fulfilling it
loyally till the end, in thanksgiving
and love.
—Charles de Foucauld, The Spiritual
Autobiography of Charles de Foucauld
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