Good Friday

Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 19:17-30

I would like to spend some time today talking about what I consider to be three of the most striking facets pertaining to the crucifixion of our Lord. What are they? First, there is the irony that although he was being crucified, the whole world called our Savior a King. Secondly, there is the irony that what looked like the strongest of Jesus' disciples deserted him while what seemed to be the weakest stayed with him, at the foot of the cross. And, finally, there is the irony of Jesus becoming the Passover Lamb of God.

Indeed, I believe it to be one of the greatest and most mysterious of ironies that although Jesus was being crucified upon a cross, a sign was posted above his head which read, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."

The inscription on the sign was in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. These were the three great languages of the ancient world, and they stood for three great nations. In the economy of God every nation has something to teach the world; and these three great nations stood for three great contributions to the world and to world history. Greece taught the world beauty of form and beauty of thought; Rome taught the world law and good government; the Hebrew nation taught the world religion and the worship of the true God. The consummation of all these things is seen in Jesus. In Him was the supreme beauty and the highest thought of God. In Him was the law of God and the Kingdom of God. In him was the very picture and image of God. All the world's seekings and strivings found their consummation in Him. It was symbolic that in the three great languages of the world, humanity called Jesus "King."

Isn't it amazing that in an effort to be sarcastic, in an effort to be insulting, a sign was put above our Savior's head which actually told the truth? But, when you think about it, the crucifixion of our Lord was so powerful that even the powers of Hell had no choice but to acknowledge who Jesus was!

To be sure, Pilate put this inscription on the Cross of Jesus to irritate and to annoy the religious leaders of Israel. The religious leaders asked Pilate to take the sign down, or at least to change it to read, "This man said he was the King of the Jews." But, Pilate wouldn't do it because Pilate wanted to show them who was boss.

You know, that inscription above his head, written in three languages so that everyone who passed by could understand is a marvelous example of how God is able to get his point across.	I am reminded of the story about how, when searching for David Livingstone, Henry M. Stanley had a most unusual reception from the king of Uganda. The queen of Uganda had had a strange dream about the white man's God and His Son Jesus Christ shortly before Stanley's arrival. She told her husband about the dream shortly after the arrival of Stanley at the royal house.

The king and queen pleaded with Stanley to send a letter to England and ask for a missionary teacher to be sent to them. He wrote the letter and sent it out by a young Frenchman who was leaving Stanley's expedition.

But, before the Frenchman could get out of Africa he was murdered. Several months after his murder, his body was found by some British soldiers. Searching through his clothing, they found Stanley's letter in one of his boots. They sent the letter on to England where it was printed in a prominent newspaper.

Such great interest was aroused that when the invitation came for missionary volunteers to go to Uganda, several persons responded.

Isn't it amazing how God's message gets through? It doesn't matter where we are, or what may be plaguing us, or tempting us, or goading us, or distracting us. God's message is continuously being sent our way. It's being written in places that we can't miss. It's coming at us when we least expect it. God's message gets through in spite of the obstacles the world may try to put up. God's message gets through. And he's telling us that he loves us. And he loved us so much that he gave his Son, Jesus, to die for us.

But, there's something else that's important for us to consider as we think about the crucifixion of our Lord. Isn't it amazing that in our Savior's hour of greatest need those who looked the strongest deserted him while those who looked like the weakest stayed with him at the foot of the cross? The scriptures tell us who these faithful ones were: His mother, His mother's sister, and Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary from Magdala, along with a young disciple He loved, probably John. And that's all. The rest had locked themselves into a room, fearful of what might happen to them.

There are some commentators who explain that the presence of those women and this young man at the cross wasn't due to any bravery on their part. They suggest that in those days women were so unimportant and so despised that no one ever took any notice of women disciples, and that therefore these women, escorted by that one young man, were running no risk at all by being near the Cross of Jesus. But, most of us would probably disagree with this.

Indeed, it was always a dangerous thing to be an associate of a man whom the Roman government believed to be so dangerous a criminal that he deserved a Cross. It is always a dangerous thing to demonstrate one's love for someone whom the orthodox regard as a sinner and a heretic. The presence of these women at the Cross was not due to the fact that they were so unimportant that no one would notice them; their presence was due to the immortal fact that perfect love casts out fear.

They were there, they had to be there, not because they were insignificant, not because they were foolish, not even because they were brave. Rather, they were there because, more than anything else, they loved our Lord. And they loved our Lord because they knew him and were keenly aware that he loved them.

"How far will we go out on a limb for Jesus?" If we knew that God wanted us to share our faith with the people we work with (which he does), would we do it? Or would we be afraid of getting fired? Would we be afraid of getting ridiculed? Would we be afraid of looking like an idiot? Would we be like Peter, who told Jesus that he would die with him before he would deny him, and yet denied him three times before the cock crowed? Would we be like the rest of the disciples who said they would fight for Jesus and, yet, disappeared when the real testing came? Or, would we be like those who stayed with Jesus at the foot of the cross because they loved him so much?

Why did they love him so much? Perhaps they loved him so much because they were acutely aware of the fact that they were the least of his disciples. For people of such humility, to have the awareness that they were loved by the Son of God gave them a love for him that would not allow them to be driven away by fear.

In his ministry Jesus was always talking about humility; about the least having the greatest place in his kingdom. Certainly, this great truth was spelled out, not only in his life, but in his death, as well.

The simple children's song, "Jesus loves me, this I know," displays one of the most powerful and deepest theological messages known to Christianity. Our salvation, you see, our place in God's kingdom, our loyalty to Jesus doesn't start with our love of him. Rather, it starts with our realization of his love for us. And the humbler we are, the greater our awareness of our unworthiness, the greater will be our appreciation of Christ's love for us.

I found an interesting poem the other day that goes like this:

I used to think that God's gifts were on shelves

one

above

another

and the taller we grow,

the easier we can reach them.

Now I find, that

God's gifts are on shelves

one

beneath

another

and the lower we stoop,

The more we get.

But, finally, as we consider the crucifixion of our Savior upon the cross, one of the astounding things that we encounter is that in dying upon the cross Jesus became the Passover Lamb of God.

When we go away centuries back to the first Passover on that night when the children of Israel left their slavery in Egypt, we remember how the angel of death was to walk abroad that night and how he was to slay every first born son of the Egyptians. We remember how the Israelites were to kill the Passover lamb and how they were to smear the doorposts of their houses with the blood of that lamb, so that the avenging angel of death would pass over their houses. The actual instructions given to them was, "And you shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two door posts with the blood that is in the basin." It was the blood of the Passover lamb which saved the people of God. Likewise, it was the blood of Jesus which was to save the world from sin.

The message of Good Friday is good: Jesus loved us so much that he was willing to die for us. And by his death the barriers are broken down. We're set free to love; set free to live; set free to give! Amen.