We have reached the climax of John’s Gospel. Jesus, having already been arrested by the chief priests and taken to the High Priest Caiaphas’ house, is brought before Pilate. Jesus then goes from Pilate to the cross for crucifixion and Jesus utters several words from the cross. In the historical Christian tradition, there is a liturgy known as the Seven Last Words of Jesus.

Throughout the liturgy, there are several readings from the Gospels about Jesus’ final words. The Gospel chapters that produce the most sayings for the service are Luke 23 and John 19. John 19 has the more famous passages: “I am thirsty,” Mary and John entrusted to each other, and “it is finished” (vv26-30). In these short sentences, Jesus describes the transition of family and entrusting Mary and John to each other. Next, Jesus describes the basic human need for thirst, and Jesus, in his last moments of thirst, receives sour wine from a hyssop branch. Lastly, he says, “it is finished” (v30). Jesus’s death happened when his spirit left his body.

The next section (vv 23-37) wraps up the rest of John’s Gospel from the previous section. First, Jesus is raised up on the cross signifying his glory which was first echoed back in John 12. John 12 describes the kind of death Jesus would die also serving as the glorification (v32). Next, John places the crucifixion of Jesus on the day before the Day of Preparation, again signifying the death of Jesus in terms of a Paschal sacrifice. Jesus, who on the cross took the sins of the world away—this same Jesus was the Paschal lamb who died unblemished (vv33-37). John the Baptizer earlier described how Jesus is the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world (1:29-34). John intricately wraps together the other themes of his book into John 19. Lastly, Jesus is buried in a garden tomb.

When thinking of this story, the narrative of the crucifixion is often wrapped up in the final sections, yet John manages to weave all strands together.