The Curious Case of the Cross in the Gospel of John
Exodus by Marc Chagall When we read a book of the Bible we often come to it with many assumptions based on what we already know from other books of the Bible. We also bring our theological expectations, the church’s traditions, and our own personal theology. They all influence how we hear and interpret a text. With that in mind, consider the curious case of the cross in John’s Gospel. To say it right up front: John’s Gospel does not talk about forgiveness of sins in connection to the cross of Jesus. In fact, John’s Gospel only talks about forgiveness once, after Jesus’ resurrection, when Jesus says to his disciples as he breathes his Spirit upon them: If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. (John 20:23) Prior to that, Jesus and the author of John never mention forgiveness. Curious, right? John’s Gospel does talk a lot about sin. The first instance is in the first chapter of John. John the Baptist says when...
