The facts of the cross are plainly recorded in all of the gospels, but John has his own special emphasis on the events that unfolded that first Good Friday when the worst that man could show met with the best that God could give. The end result was and is a story of amazing sacrifice in which Jesus completed all the Father had sent him to do – to secure the salvation of all of God’s people.

Pontius Pilate was a cruel and often uncaring Roman governor in Jerusalem who had plenty of opportunity to ask Jesus questions, but failed to do anything with the answers Jesus gave to him. In fact, Pilate had the greatest opportunity to know the truth but succumbed to the pressures placed upon him the Jewish religious authorities and the vengeful crowd. Even yet, his question, ‘what shall I do with this man called the Christ?’ is a question everyone must answer.

In John 18:1-27, John describes some of the important events  that happened on the way to the cross for Jesus, namely, his arrest in the garden, his trial before Annas and his denial by Peter. However, John presents these in a way that helps the reader to understand that Jesus remain in complete and calm control of His destiny. The cross would not come about by accident but by His obedience to His Father’s will.

John 17:20-26 highlights the fact that after praying for the security and the sanctification of His disciples, Jesus also prayed for their unity. In a passage variously interpreted by many to promote the ecumenical movement, Jesus’ words are best understood to refer to the unity (as distinct from uniformity) of all His disciples. This unity is a natural unity not a forced one, that has its basis in the fact that all true believers come to the one Father through the one Saviour.

John 17:1-12 records the moment Jesus prayed for all of his disciples. With a beautiful blend of intimacy and reverence, John records how Jesus prayed to His Father. By doing so, John gives us insight into the unique relationship between God the Father and Jesus the Son. The prayer also gives us a model of all true prayer because it reminds us that prayer comes from the heart, is an expression of a relationship with God and is always motivated by the glory of God.

John 16:25-33 highlights the final aspects of the message that Jesus spoke to his disciples before his death. In preparing them for his departure, Jesus made his future plain to them while the disciples responded by making their faith plain to him. In response Jesus then made their future plain to them as he told them of the trouble they would have in the world as his followers. But in all the trouble they would face, Jesus promised them his peace and gave them every encouragement by telling them that he had overcome the world. Those who believe in him and remain faithful to the end will likewise overcome the world through him.

John 16:16-24 highlights the sorrow that the disciples would soon endure because of Jesus’ death. In this text Jesus promised that their sorrow was something he would turn into joy.  He could do this because their sorrow would be short-lived, it would be for a purpose and it will bring about a new avenue of approach to God through prayer. Ultimately their sorrow would become joy because Jesus would not remain dead for long but would live again and the disciples would see Him again.

John 16:4-15 highlights the importance of Jesus’ teaching about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. His task in the world is to convict people of unbelief, righteousness and judgement and He does this by using the Word of God and applying it to the hearts of those who hear or read it. The Spirit’s role among God’s people is to enable us to remember and grasp the teaching and the words of Jesus and to promote the wonder and majesty of Jesus as the Saviour of all who believe.