His Own

"Having loved his own who were in the world, 

 he loved them to the end (John 13:1)"

The love of Jesus for his followers, including us, colors all that that he says and does throughout the Last Supper and his Crucifixion.  The title that Pilate puts above Jesus on the cross is in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, the languages of the cultured world of the Roman Empire.  When Jesus is lifted up on the cross, he draws all humanity with him.

The soldiers throw dice for his seamless inner garment.  At the last supper Jesus asked the Father to preserve the unity of his disciples and of all those who have come to believe in him through their word (17-20-26.)  This garment which cannot be torn apart, even when it falls into the  hands of his crucifiers, is a symbol of those who have heard his word--the community of disciples.

From the cross Jesus speaks to his mother and commands her to accept the Beloved Disciple as her son and commands the Disciple to  accept her as his mother.  The crucified Jesus creates a new family and affirms the maternal role of his mother in this new family.

Jesus cries out "It is finished," an exclamation of achievement, almost of triumph.  He shows his love for his Father by completing the work the Father entrusted to him.  Jesus bows his head and "hands over the Spirit" to his new family gathered at the foot of the cross.

Love for his Father and for us flows freely from the cross.