The story of the passion follows the upward movement of the pendulum. It begins with Jesus in the posture of a slave, washing his disciples’ feet (chap. 13); but concludes when Thomas recognizes that Jesus is both Lord and God (20:28), bringing the story back to the high point where it began in 1:1. Each year John’s passion account appears in the lectionary for Holy Week and his story of the resurrection is appointed for Easter and the Sunday after Easter, providing an opportunity for sustained reading and proclamation of these texts. John’s narrative is masterfully told; the drama is bold, yet subtle. Those who contemplate its message are drawn into the very heart of the Christian faith
