 |
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.”
Thoughts: It is very important for John that Jesus carried his cross himself. There is no helper in John's gospel, no innocent bystander called upon to help. No, in John's gospel it is Jesus alone who must carry this burden. His help has already abandoned him as symbolized by Peter and now he is left to carry this burden alone. The sign that Pilate wrote is the basis for the inscription you often see on a cross: INRI (Iesu Nazarene Rex Iudeam).
Questions: Do you remember the first time you saw the Crucifixion depicted on the screen (either TV or Cinema) what was your reaction? What about now?
No comments:
Post a Comment