Good Friday                    March 21, 2008

For most of Church history the negative portrayal of Jews in the Gospel according to John was used to justify anti-Semitism: hostility toward and persecution of Jews by Christians.  Misinterpreting this Gospel caused anti-Semitism.  Today misinterpreting this Gospel causes in Catholics, not anti-Semitism, but embarrassment that what appears to be anti-Semitism infects a core Christian scripture.  After all, doesn’t this Gospel say rather forcefully that the Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus?  Doesn’t it paint Jews in a less than flattering light?

To sort this out it’s helpful to know that the Gospels were written not just as truth for all time, but also as truth limited to a specific time and place.  When the Gospel according to John was written at the end of the first century, there was much bad blood between Christians and Jews.  Around the year 90 Jewish authorities determined that Jews who followed Christ were no longer welcome in the Jewish community or at synagogue worship.  To Jewish leaders it had become increasingly clear that following Jesus was contrary to the Jewish faith.  Jewish Christians had to swallow the bitter pill of excommunication from Judaism, and this fueled rivalry and hostile feelings between the two groups.

The Gospel according to John was written in the middle of this conflict.  The Gospel reflects the lived experience of Christians who felt persecuted by the Jewish community.  And, these early Christians saw in their own harassment and persecution by Jews, the persecution of Christ himself.  So, the Gospel according to John reflects this end of the first century conflict as if had occurred during Jesus’ earthly life 70 years before.

So, yes, this Gospel does paint Jews in a less than flattering light: that is, some Jews, the ones who at the end of the first century were embroiled in conflict with some Christians.  And, yes, Jews shared responsibility for the death of Jesus.  But it was not all Jews, only a small number of Jewish leaders and some of their followers. And, their descendents did not inherit guilt or blame for the death of Christ.

So, our first lesson on this Good Friday is that we need not be embarrassed by or apologetic about the Gospel according to John as if it justifies anti-Semitism.  It most assuredly does not!  But a Gospel that on the surface appears to justify anti-Semitism needs to be explained to others who might easily misunderstand it.

What other lesson is found here?  It is that human sinfulness conspired to put Jesus to death.  The jealousy of Jewish leaders.  The cowardice of Pontius Pilate.  The brutality of the Roman soldiers.  The betrayal of Judas.  The denial of Peter.  Oh, and, yes, our own sinfulness as well.  By our sins we have ratified the decision to inflict suffering and death on Jesus.  What a great and wonderful mystery, that the death our sins brought about became the means of forgiveness of those same sins.  O Christ, we praise you, for by your holy cross you have saved us from our sins, the very sins that caused your suffering!