John 19:23-30

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says,

“They divided my clothes among themselves,
    and for my clothing they cast lots.”

And that is what the soldiers did.

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Reflection – Dixie Ford

If ever a passage of scripture emphasized the humanity of Jesus, this one does. Jesus is taking his final breaths, living the last moments of his life humiliated on a cross. We see Jesus in all of his humanness—concerned for his mom, thirsty, exhausted, bowing his head and giving up his spirit, dying.

This is our Messiah, fully human—experiencing physical angst, raw emotion, and death.

This is our Messiah, fully God. The Gospel according to John has been reminding us of this for weeks. This is the Word, who was with God and who was God. This is the Word made flesh who lived among us. This is the Messiah, lifted up on the cross, drawing us to himself, showing us what Love looks like.

May we receive him as the Messiah he is—not as we wish he were or as we think he ought to be, but as he is. May we believe that what we see him do is what the Father does and what we are to do, too. May we recognize that sacrificial love is the way of the Word. May it be the way we choose today.