Last night we went to the Upper Room with Jesus and His disciples and He washed our feet and then held up a piece of bread and said, “take and eat, this is My body” and then held out the cup and said, “take and drink, this is my blood.” While we were still trying to figure out what He meant - we went out to the Garden and while He prayed - we slept. We were awakened by Judas who showed up late - he kissed Jesus on the cheek and then there was a commotion involving soldiers and priests and they took Jesus away. A lot has happened since then. Now we find ourselves at the foot of his cross.
One of the most famous atheists, FrederichNietzche said, “God is dead - and we killed him.” And I’ve never argued with Mr Nietzsche because he’s right - although where we disagree is that I don’t think God stayed dead and he does. For those who are outside the church - they probably think that the murder of God on the cross was a one-time event - a point fixed in history on a calendar and clock - it even had a location - a place far away on a hill called Calvary outside Jerusalem. And there are some Christians who want to believe that - because it means that event - Good Friday - is safely in the past. It also means that someone else is responsible for the Jesus’ death - the church leaders, Pontius Pilate, Roman Soldiers. And if they bother to go to church on Good Friday - it’s because it’s something they’ve always done. “Do this in remembrance of Me” Jesus said - and while He was talking about communion - there are other things we can do in remembrance.
Lutheran theology is very - very clear. Jesus died just once. And He will never, ever die again. There are some who believe He goes through a symbolic death every time someone takes communion - Lutherans are not one of them. Jesus died only once.
But the crucifixion is ongoing. We crucify Jesus every time we deny Him. We crucify Jesus every time we become the prodigal child. We crucify Him every time we take His name in vain. We crucify Him every time we hate our enemies and fail to forgive.
Isaiah 53 says, “He had no form or charm to attract us, no beauty to win our hearts; He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering, One from whom we chose not to look at.”
And there is the truth. “One from whom we choose not to look at...” Jesus kind of embarrasses us. The things He asks us to do - the things He expects us to become - the things He says are important. To follow Jesus means to be rejected by the world. And so - kind of like when we were kids and we were embarrassed by our parents and tried to walk just far enough in front of them or behind them so people didn’t know we belonged to them - but not so far that we got lost or missed out when they went home - we try to stay just on the fringe of faith. Close enough we can still say we’re followers - but far enough that people won’t notice unless they look carefully.
On Good Friday Jesus speaks to us from a terrible place. He appears so helpless in the courtyard surrounded by soldiers. He looks so tired and beaten - covered in blood - His voice croaks like a frog. But there is a secret that only He knows. He turns to those who are assembled and says, “You would have no power over me, unless it were given you from above.” You know that had to bother all those people who thought they were so powerful - who thought they were in control.
Later as God Himself hangs from a cross encased in frail mortal flesh it is obvious He is dying. As He is persecuted by the church and the government - He still refuses to abandon His people. They offer Him a way out - there are those who cry out, “come down from the cross - save Yourself and then we will believe in You!” But what would there be to believe in. If He comes down from the cross all of us are lost - and there would be no hope.
There is no word short of astonishing to describe what is happening. As God dies - we should be horrified. We should feel guilty. We should be filled with despair and pain. God is dead - and we killed Him. And yet the words of Jesus, specifically, “It is finished” speak something else into our soul.
Death has no power over Him or us. In the dark epiphany of the crucifixion comes the brilliant light of God’s promise. The death of Jesus reaches into the deepest and most inaccessible places in our life and pushes the darkness out. This beautiful, painful Gospel both convicts us and frees us. It will not let us lapse into hopelessness - but demands we cling to the power of his cross. Guilt is a waste of time - it can’t save you. It is true - we killed God - but Jesus makes it clear we could never do that by our own power. If this amazing event was not planned and brought about by God - it could never be. It is God’s power at work - not ours - and there is our hope.
We look upon the One who we pierced - and we look without feeling guilty - for He chose this - He decided - not us. “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do...” And there is the truth we cling to - it is God who knows what He is doing which is why one of the most beautiful verses ever is, “be still and know that I am God...” And I always add, “that way I don’t have to be.”
Tonight, as we make our final steps to the cross we may experience emotions - fear, guilt, pain, tears - but Jesus speaks to our hearts, “you would have no power over Me unless it was given to you from above...”
In the words of Frederick Buechner, “the cross is at the crossroads of eternity and time - the place where such a mighty heart was broken that the healing power of God himself could flow through it into a sick and broken world. It was for this reason that of all the possible words they could have used to describe the day of His death, the word they settled on was "good.”
God is dead. It really is finished. But it’s not over. That’s the promise and the hope that God gives us. It really is a Good Friday - and tomorrow is Holy Saturday - but the day we’re really waiting for is Sunday - and there is really only one word to describe it, “WOW” - in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.