Friday Noon: On the Cross

In John Pilate hands Jesus over at about noon, the 6th hour. This is about the time that the Passover lambs are being slaughtered for the Passover meal that evening (in the synoptics, the Passover meal has already taken place the night before). John also records a conversation between Jesus and the Beloved Disciple, who stands nearby with Jesus' mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Jesus bids the Beloved Disciple to take his mother for his own, and he takes her into his own house from then on.

In the synoptics, however, Jesus has been on the cross already for about 3 hours by noon. At noon, however, darkness comes over the land until about three, the 9th hour.