I have spent eight years of my life in Russia, so I have a strong reaction to the phrase “it was winter” in this passage. I immediately begin to feel cold! I think of snow (and more snow); frozen rivers; short, dark days; and being so wrapped up to go out that only my eyes are visible.

Winter is mentioned here to explain why Jesus is walking in Solomon’s portico, a covered cloister of the Temple. He is enclosed first by the building and even more by the Jews who were “gathered around him.” The time when he will be stripped and shiver with fear and then be swaddled tightly in the cloister of the tomb is getting closer.

I am reminded of the “winter of our discontent,” referred to in the opening line of Shakespeare’s play Richard III. There is political turmoil and rivalry for the throne and a strong feeling that things are about to change.

The questions put to Jesus reveal the impatience and growing anger of his interrogators. “How long will you keep us in suspense?” They are desperate to discover what lies beneath the layers of mystery that conceal who Jesus really is.

I was once told by a patient I was visiting in a psychiatric unit that I was too buttoned up. I was indeed wearing a dress that had a lot of buttons, but she was really commenting—quite accurately—that I was difficult to get to know. Boundaries are crucial in pastoral (and all) relationships, but that patient taught me an important lesson. I may get an icy reception if I always clothe myself in protective winter gear!