Videos from Fr Claudio Doglio
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The Glory of the Cross
The passion narratives in the Gospel of John have a different setting from those in the Synoptics. Essentially, they recount the same event, but the fourth Gospel describes Jesus’ death differently. From his symbolic perspective, John aims to highlight those events and focus on Jesus’ glory. The cross is a powerful and active sign of God’s presence. It is there that people understand who Jesus truly is; the great love of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit offered to humanity is revealed, creating a new situation.
The passion narrative of John, which covers chapters 18 and 19, takes on a very calm tone. He doesn’t depict a tragic series of painful events but instead offers vivid pictures that show the meaning behind everything happening. John’s full passion narrative can be divided into five key sections. Each one is characterized by a specific location. As the action moves physically from one place to another, we see a change in the scene.
The first scene is set in a garden, and the fifth and final scene also takes place in a garden. Only John mentions that the place where Jesus was crucified was a garden, and in that garden, there was a new tomb where Jesus’ body was laid. At the beginning of the story, Jesus is arrested in a garden. The word ‘garden’ is significant; remember that it is the same place that marks both the start and the end of the narrative. This is technically called inclusion.
If I emphasize the word ‘garden’ as significant, it means that the entire Passion event is wrapped in the garden symbol; you understand the symbolic reference. A sign is something that brings to mind another thing. Knowing the Bible, the reader of the Gospel of John understands that the ‘garden’ alludes to the ‘original garden’ of Eden. Some events occur that bring people back to their original state.
The first scene shows Jesus’s arrest in a garden, while the fifth depicts his burial there. The second scene takes place at Caiaphas’s palace, where high priest Annas, Caiaphas’s father-in-law, receives Jesus. This way, John recounts an episode left out by the Synoptic Gospels—a pre-interrogation session led by someone who still held authority even after losing power. The old man, Annas, was actually the one controlling the events. Caiaphas, the high priest, was simply a puppet in this senior figure’s hands. The main setting is Pilate’s praetorium, where the trial occurs before the Roman governor. The fourth episode is at Calvary and includes scenes related to Jesus’s crucifixion and death.
In summary, the narrative can be divided into five parts: the arrest at the garden, the interrogation at Annas’ house, the trial at Pilate’s headquarters, the death at Calvary, and the burial in the garden. These five scenes create a unified literary structure.
We start with the first part. The opening scene takes place in a garden during the arrest. John, unlike the Synoptics, does not mention Jesus’s prayer or the agony he experienced in Gethsemane. Instead, he simply shows a confrontation between light and darkness. Judas disappears into the night and then reappears to betray Jesus. There are two opposing groups: Jesus and his disciples, and Judas along with his followers. Knowing everything that will happen, Jesus asks them, “Whom are you looking for?” These are the first words the evangelist records Jesus speaking in the passion story. We are reminded that the first words Jesus says in the Gospel of John are directed at those two who initially followed him, and they are: “What are you looking for?” There is a clear connection.
The concluding part begins now, and once again, the same question: “Who are you looking for?” They answered him, ‘Jesus the Nazarene.’ He said to them, ‘I AM.'” Jesus’s response goes beyond what is seen; he again identifies himself with the theophoric name of God, “I Am.’ So much so that, “as soon as he said, ‘I Am,’ they turned away and fell to the ground.” After this, Jesus asks the same question again. They respond similarly, and Jesus again says, “I told you that I Am.” What stands out in this reaction is that the enemies turn away and fall.
“When I invoke your name—says a Psalm—those who assault me will retreat and fall.”This is a theological narration. At the very beginning, fulfillment is shown. Before the revelation of the glorious divinity of Jesus, the enemies retreat and fall. They fail and lack the strength to silence the light. It is a theological preview, followed by the actual account of events. “I told you that I am. So, if you are looking for me, let these men go.” They laid hands on him and arrested him. Peter pulls out his sword and tries to fight. He even manages to cut off the ear of a servant, whom John identifies as Malchus. Peter is following Jesus, but not in Jesus’ way. He doesn’t accept Jesus’ way of thinking or acting. Like Judas, he reasons in his own way. He wants his Teacher to change his mind.
They bind Jesus and take him to Annas’ house, the influential elder who controls politics in Jerusalem. It is a preliminary interrogation. He wants to learn about Jesus to decide what to do with him. Afterward, he will inform Caiaphas, the authority, of what must be done. The story of this episode is very well crafted, with several passages arranged in parallel leading to a central point.
Initially, we see the moment of passage and entry. Jesus is brought into Annas’s house. Two disciples follow him—Peter and another. The other disciple, who is known to the High Priest, enters while Peter stays outside. This disciple speaks to the gatekeeper and allows Peter to enter the house. This detail is important because the other disciple, most likely John the Evangelist, is recognized as a prominent figure in Jerusalem, known to the High Priest. Being connected to that environment, he can enter the palace freely and ask for Peter, who is unknown, to be let in; otherwise, Peter would have been kept outside.
Now, we see Peter warming himself because it’s cold. They had lit a fire, and Peter is warming himself with the servants outside. The story repeats as the sense that Peter was there warming up returns at the end. It’s cold. In this outdoor setting, Peter denies Jesus while he’s cold.
It is a tragic moment of denial. It truly shows a betrayal by Peter toward Jesus; he denies knowing him. When asked if he is that man’s disciple, he responds, “I am not.” We see the contrast here. When Jesus was questioned, he answered, “I Am.” When asked, Peter replied, “I am not.” The act of ‘not being’ represents the rejection of ‘being,’ of the light, of revelation.
For this reason, Peter is cold and needs to warm himself. These realistic details in John have a solid theological meaning. There is an interrogation within this framework of the disciple who denies being a disciple.
Annas began questioning him about his teaching. Jesus answered, and a servant struck him. Jesus then replied. Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas. We notice the parallel and concentric structures. At the center of it all is a slap—one of the few painful events John narrates. It is a powerful symbolic gesture. The core of the symbolism in the slap given by the high priest’s servant to Jesus is the figure of Jesus, despised and condemned. The heart of this symbolism lies in Jesus’ words: “Why ask me? Ask those who heard me say it to them. They know what I said.” ‘I have not spoken in secret. I spoke openly to the world. Why do you have to question me?’
The core of the story is that they are questioning the disciples outside at the same time. They question Peter. Peter knows what Jesus said but denies it. Who strikes Jesus? Inside, one of Anna’s servants physically hits Jesus. Outside, the disciple is striking Jesus because he almost denies knowing the message Jesus taught. “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong, but why do you strike me if I have spoken rightly?”
Interestingly, Jesus does not offer the other cheek; instead, if they slap him again, he accepts it but does not respond passively or quietly. He does not react with violence but responds with his calm wisdom and holds the one who strikes him accountable. ‘Why do you strike me? If I said anything wrong, you must show me where I went wrong. If I am right, why do you use violence?’ This phrase is much more significant than it seems because it is a rebuke aimed at that group of Jews who rejected Jesus.
The evangelist summarizes that if Jesus’s revelation is wrong, he should identify where he’s mistaken. Conversely, if it agrees with Scripture and God’s word, why isn’t it accepted? The disciples and their opponents can choose to reject Jesus’s revelation. Not accepting Jesus means rejecting him. The scene then shifts. There’s no record of the meeting at Caiaphas’s house. The high priest decides because Annas has already decided to kill him and orders him to be taken to Pilate.
The Passion’s third major scene unfolds in Pilate’s praetorium. It is a very long and detailed account, much more comprehensive than the Synoptics. In this case, there is also a careful and precise literary structure. Seven scenes occur with a continuous alternation between inside and outside. We can divide these seven portraits into three groups: a center and two others. In the first part, we see Pilate and the Jews outside, then Pilate and Jesus inside. After that, Pilate speaks to the Jews outside, while at the center, the coronation of Jesus takes place. This is very important. We are at the very heart of the story. We have mentioned that the passion is narrated in five scenes.
We are focusing on the central scene: the king’s coronation. A crown of thorns is placed on his head, a purple cloak is draped over him, and he is hailed as the king of the Jews. The soldiers mock him, but this is the truth. He truly is the king of the Jews. Because of this, John highlights this scene and makes it the main focus. The gestures of kingship during the scourging, which are seen as mockery, ironically reveal the truth. On one side, there are external scenes—Pilate with the Jews again, and the final external scene—the condemnation—and an internal scene—Pilate with Jesus.
These are important moments where Pilate speaks with Jesus. The topic is kingship. ‘Are you indeed a King? They accuse you of being a king of the Jews. Do you say this on your own, or do others tell you about me? Did others say it, or what do I know… are you or are you not a king?’ According to his style, John uses theological language; Jesus says, ‘I am king. For this I was born, for this I came into the world to give witness to the truth.’
Jesus’ kingship serves as a testament to the truth. When he hears such philosophical speeches, Pilate, a practical Roman, walks away asking, ‘What is truth?’ without waiting for an answer. If he had waited, Jesus might have said, “The truth is me,” just as he told the disciples during the Last Supper: “I am the truth.” The truth is not an idea. It is not a formula; it is not a philosophical system, but a person. Jesus is the truth, the complete revelation of God. That is why he is king. He came into the world to reveal God.
Pilate recognizes that Jesus is not dangerous and wants to set him free. He had Jesus scourged only to satisfy the authorities who accused him. Afterward, he presents him, saying, ‘Here is the man.’ Pilate meant to say, ‘Look at this miserable man. Are you afraid of someone like him?’ but in Johannine irony, he unintentionally reveals the true man. Here is the man, the embodiment of humanity according to God’s plan. However, the authorities accuse him of making himself the Son of God. Confronted with this claim, Pilate becomes frightened.
He enters and speaks with Jesus again. ‘Can I know where you are coming from?’ It’s a fundamental question. Where does Jesus originate? Where does the water of Cana come from? From where does the wine that Jesus offers come? Where does the water for the Samaritan woman originate? From where is the bread taken to feed the people? Where does Jesus come from? Jesus doesn’t answer. Pilate gets a bit exasperated. ‘Do you not answer me? Do you not know that I have the power? I can have you crucified, or I can let you go.’ ‘No. You would have no power over me,’ Jesus responds, ‘if it had not been given to you from above. You are a delegate of the emperor; you command because the emperor has granted you authority. But most importantly, it means you are fulfilling something because God, the one who commands, allows it. If it were not so, you would have no power over me.’
In his heart, Pilate would have liked to free him, but he was afraid. He fears disturbing his career. The reason he decides is that the Jews shout at him, saying, ‘If you free him, you are not a friend of Caesar.’ Whose friend are you? Pilate must choose. He wants to be Caesar’s friend. Therefore, he cannot be a friend of Jesus. He decides to hand him over to them. They take him out and place him on the throne. They mock him. They make him sit on the stone-carved throne, the ‘lithostrotos,’ and present him, saying, ‘Behold your king.’ They shout; the high priests shout, saying, “We have no other king except Caesar.”
This is apostasy. Religious authorities who acknowledge God as their only King also recognize the emperor of Rome as their ruler. They lose everything. This is heresy. The sixth hour. It’s the hour when Jesus sits, tired, as if by the well of a Samaritan woman. It is the tragic moment when Pilate abandons him into the hands of the Jews. Now, they take him away to crucify him.