The King's Last Words

THE KING’S LAST WORDS

The soldiers have finished crucifying Jesus and shared out his clothes; there is nothing left now, but to wait for death to come. John’s focus moves to the foot of the cross, where there are four women: the mother of Jesus; his mother’s sister; Mary wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene (19:25). Jesus’ mother is not named, nor is her sister; comparison with the other gospels suggests that she might be Salome, the wife of Zebedee, mother of James and John (Mk. 15:40; Matt. 27:56)…