Good Friday 2023-- Seven Last Words

First Word: “Father, Forgive Them, for They Know Not What They Do” (Luke 23:26-34)

Luke 23:26-34 “26 And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. 28 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” 32 Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. 33 And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide His garments.”

What didn’t they know which would have lessened their guilt? They knew He was innocent and they were executing Him anyway. What ignorance could excuse that or even mitigate their guilt?

His identity wasn’t really understood, perhaps, but He hadn’t hidden who He was. He had spoken plainly about the fact that He was the Son of God and they refused to believe. This wasn’t innocent ignorance, it was a rejection of who He was.

And what would excuse the mocking, the spitting, and the beatings? It’s true that innocent people have been sentenced to death and we don’t hold the court members— or even the executioners— guilty as long as they acted in good faith. But the mistreatment that Jesus received in inexcusable.

Consider the other side, though. Rather than their behavior being excused by what they do or do not know, this is a reminder that, as obvious as their guilt is, there is so much more. Their guilt goes far deeper. It goes far beyond the obvious sins here. They may feel bad, on some level, for what they’ve done, but the have no idea about the full depth of their sin.

Their sin goes beyond the evils that they’ve done, for example. It also includes the good that they failed to do for Jesus. And it may seem trivial, but their glaring acts of cruelty and violence hide the smaller ways that they were sinning against Him and those around them. If they made a genuine effort to list their sins, they couldn’t hope to name them all. It’s true— they know not what they do.

And you don’t, either. I’m sure you could do a pretty good job of listing your sins. You could compile a list if you put your mind to it. But you don’t really know what you’ve done. One of the burdens of studying the 10 Commandments is that, by digging into all that they really require, you only see your guilt more and more clearly. And, even then, you and I never really understand the fullness of what true, Godly love looks like. The full accounting of your sins is really beyond you. Jesus was correct with them and He is correct for you: you know not what you do.

And please notice something else: Jesus doesn’t excuse their ignorance. He forgives them. Those are two very different things.

Jesus doesn’t overlook their sins on account of their ignorance. He has come to make them innocent with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death. He knows each and every one of their sins— and yours. And not one of those sins was left for you to pay for.

Repent. Not just for the sins you are aware of. Plead guilty before God, even for the sins you are not aware of in the confidence that every single one has been paid for in full. They are all forgiven.

One last word of warning: That doesn’t mean that you won’t be caught by surprise on Judgment Day. On the Last Day, when everything hidden is brought to light, when the deeds of all are reviewed, you will still be caught by surprise at all the things you’ve done that you were not aware of. But it won’t be forgotten sins that catch you by surprise. You will see that all of those have been taken by Christ.

Instead, at the last judgment, you will be taken by surprise as Jesus lists all of the ways that you have loved and served Him. “When did we [do all of those things]?” you’ll ask. He will take you back through countless forgotten moments in your life and reveal to you, “Whatever you did for the least of these you did for me.” To your eternal joy, you will discover that, as you lived under His grace— under His cleansing blood— you really had no idea about everything you had done.

Second Word: “Today You Will Be With Me In Paradise” (Luke 23:35-43)

Luke 23:35-43 “35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” 39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.””

“Remember me” is all he could say. He had done nothing for Jesus prior to that moment. There was no past debt that he was owed by Jesus that he could call upon. There was nothing he could do moving forward that would earn a reward. There was nothing the thief could promise Jesus, nothing he could offer in return, nothing he could bargain with. True, he had just spoken up to defend Jesus. But he had also been right there with everyone not long before as they mocked Him. At best, defending Jesus brought him even— it might have avoided Jesus’ anger. And there was still the proverbial “elephant in the room”: unlike Jesus, who suffered innocently, this thief deserved the death he was now facing. Who would ever see fit to a favor for a condemned man?

This was the last, desperate plea of a dying man. What could this dying thief hope for? I suspect that, at best, he hoped to be spared the eternal punishment that He deserved.

Whatever he hoped for, he found far more in Jesus.

At that very moment, Jesus was coming into His Kingdom. As John puts it so beautifully in his Gospel, Jesus was enthroned there between the two thieves. Even as He hung on the cross, He was coming into His Kingdom. And, before He was asked— in fact, before creation!— Jesus was already thinking of him. Even as the thief still hurled insults at Him, Jesus had him in mind, suffering for every one of the man’s sins from his first breath to his last. Because of that, Jesus’ response to the thief’s desperate act of repentance was, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

Whether you call out to Jesus in repentance early in your life or in your last hour, your condition is the same as the thief on that cross. There really is nothing that you can promise Him, nothing you can offer. Perhaps, at best, you might hope to minimize His wrath over your sin. And, like that thief, you will find far more in Jesus than you could have ever even hoped for.

It’s not exactly the same thing that the thief received— for better or for worse, He doesn’t give you a definite date for when it will happen, but He has given you His promise that you will be with Him in paradise.

That was the promise He made to you— personally— in baptism. He declared, in essence, “This one who is now marked with my name, will be with me in paradise.” That font was your entry into His Kingdom.

Until that day when He gathers you home, He says to you through your called pastor, “I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” That voice is as sure and certain as if Christ were standing before you, Himself.

He sustains you in that promise throughout your earthly life by inviting you to eat and drink His body and blood, giving you a foretaste of the marriage feast of the Lamb in His Kingdom which will have no end.

Whatever the thief— whatever you— might have hoped for, you found far more in Jesus Christ. Your Lord promise you, “You will be with me in paradise.”

Third Word: “Behold Your Mother” (John 19:23-27)

John 19:23-27 “23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” This was to fulfill the Scripture which says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” So the soldiers did these things, 25 but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.”

It seems like a distraction. Jesus is there, serving the Father to His last breath. He’s ushering in the Kingdom of God. He’s suffering the pains of hell for all humanity. But now His attention is divided from that work by His duty to His mother. He’s forced to draw upon His dwindling breath to make sure that she is cared for.

There is something in you and me that says it’s a little sad, really, this distraction from Jesus’ service to God. Could He have accomplished a little more without this distraction? Could He, perhaps, have been spared a moment of suffering— could He have completed His task more quickly— if His important work hadn’t been interrupted in this way? There is something in you and me that says this is a distraction.

And that is precisely why He had to go to the cross. Your family, your job, your friends, all the different people you encounter in your daily life are not distractions from what God has called you to do as His people, caring for them is exactly what God has called you to do.

Why do you think that there is anything holier than honoring your father and mother? Why do you feel like you need greater acts of generosity, greater acts of self-sacrifice in order to really please God? All the monks and the nuns who have ever lived— with their vows of poverty, cutting themselves off from any ties to family or loved ones in pursuit of a ‘holier’ life of prayer— all of their collected works do not stack up to one single child who, in faith, honors his father and mother. All of them, combined, are not worthy to give a cup of water to that little child who has learned to honor his parents according to God’s commands” (Large Catechism, 4th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, paragraph 118).

As Jesus saw to it that His mother was cared for, it was not a distraction from His holy calling, it was His holy calling. While you were too busy doing more important things, the Eternal Son of God chose to be born of a human woman and submit Himself to the authority of a human mother and step-father. The love that led Him to the cross would not have been complete without also fulfilling His duty to His mother— not because she, personally, held an exalted place in God’s eyes, but because of His obedience to His Heavenly Father’s command.

Both by honoring His mother and by honoring His Heavenly Father, He established the Kingdom of God in this world. He faithfully served His Father, His mother, and you.

By His death and resurrection, He has not only sanctified you, He sanctifies your marriage, your friendships, your work relationships, your relationships with your neighbors, and even your relationships with your enemies, giving them to you to love and serve. “Although this work is regarded as the most humble and despised, consider it great and precious. Do this not because of [their worthiness], but because this work is included in, and controlled by, the jewel and sanctuary, namely the Word and commandment of God” (Large Catechism, 4th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, paragraph 117).

Fourth Word: “My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:45-49)

Matthew 27:45-49 “45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.””

We talk, generally, about the cross showing the seriousness of sin. “You who think of sin but lightly nor suppose the evil great here may view its nature rightly here its guilt may estimate...” you sing. In this moment, that abstract concept takes a rather concrete form. How serious is your sin? Serious enough for the Father to forsake His beloved Son.

If anyone could persuade the Father to compromise His holiness, to bend His justice enough to overlook sin, it would certainly be His beloved Son. Surely He would make an exception for His Son— especially after the Son perfectly followed the Father’s will, even to the point of death. Could He not make even just this one exception for someone truly deserving?

With this cry you get your answer: No. Even for the beloved Son, who was perfectly obedient to the Father in all things, your sin was too serious, your guilt too great to make an exception. Not only does it divide you from God, it even divides the Father from His Beloved Son.

Or let’s say it slightly differently. How serious was your sin? Serious enough that this was necessary in order to fix things. There is nothing more precious that the Father could have given. No higher price that He could have paid than what He did that day in forsaking His beloved Son. There is no need to estimate the full depth of your guilt. It is on display there on the cross for all to see. It is summed up in those words: “Why have you forsaken me?”

And He paid the full price. You would certainly have been more than satisfied to earn some small place as a servant in His household. But He ran to you, embraced you, and received you back with the full rights of a son. The beloved Son was forsaken in order to reclaim you as a child of God. No higher price could have been required to pay for your sins, but He paid it in full. The unbearable wrath of God is satisfied. Without any exceptions, without any compromise to His holiness or justice, all of it was satisfied by Jesus.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” You have the answer to that question. In fact, you are the answer. It was for you. He did it for you.

Fifth Word: “I Thirst” (John 19:28-29)

John 19:28-29 “28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.”

A little less than four months ago we celebrated Christmas and the great mystery that God has taken on human flesh. Today we see the full reality—and it is no less wondrous a mystery.

Today, in Jesus Christ, God thirsts.

He has been fully, completely, and truly human all along. He hungered. He slept. He wept. Now, for your sake, He thirsts. He is poured out like water. All his bones are out of joint. His heart is like wax, it is melted within his chest. His strength is dried up like a potsherd. His tongue sticks to His jaws. And He will soon be laid in the dust of death.

In the process, from His cross now flows a pure and healing fountain, “14 a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). As we’re about to sing, “Come in sorrow and contrition, wounded, impotent, and blind. Here the guilty, free remission, here the troubled, peace may find. Health this fountain will restore; they that drink shall thirst no more.

Ever since the soldier’s spear opened His side and blood and water flowed, the way to the river of the water of life, clear as crystal is now open to you. It flows forever from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of His new creation.

Because God was willing to thirst.

6th Word: “It Is Finished” (John 19:30)

John 19:30 “30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

Several years ago now there was a movie you may have seen called “Sweet Home Alabama.” It was about an estranged husband and wife. At the beginning of the movie, she is actually getting ready to be married to a different man, so she’s forced to go back home and try to persuade her husband to sign divorce papers. There is a lot of back and forth; some really difficult feelings are dealt with; more than a few secrets are revealed. At the end, it’s clear that he still loves her a great deal. She’s getting to the point that she may have to admit that she loves him, too. But she asks him why, if he loves her, he never tracked her down and tried to get her back. His explanation was: “I needed to make something of myself first.” To which she responded, “Well are you done yet?”

One of the reasons why people remain distant from God— one of the reasons why people never deny God, but never really take their faith seriously, either— can simply be the need that you and I have to “make something of yourself”— spiritually speaking. You can’t just come, seeking God empty handed, can you? You need to have something show Him, something to win Him over with. Or so you think.

In response to that misplaced need, your Lord says something even better than, “Are you done yet?” He says to you, “It is finished.” It is as if He said, “I was not about to wait for something that was never going to happen. I sought you out before you even knew to look for me. And I have made something of you. I have taken your sin— everything that made you less than what you were created to be— and I have made you new. I have placed into your hands all the riches of heaven. All that I have is yours. You are my church, my bride. I gave myself up for you that I might sanctify you for myself. I have cleansed you with the washing of water with the word. I have made you holy and without any blemish” (Eph. 5:25-27). And I have prepared for you a wedding feast “of rich food, a feast of [the finest] wine” because I have swallowed up death forever” (Rev. 19:9; Isaiah 25:6; John 2:10).

Repent and believe that it is finished.

Seventh Word: “Into Your Hands I Commit My Spirit” (Luke 23:44-49)

Luke 23:44-49 “44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. 47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” 48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. 49 And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.”

Here we see the full extent of Jesus’ humility. We see how genuine it is in the fact that it extended all the way to the bitter end. If this had all been done in order to exalt Himself, putting Himself through all of it in order to win glory, then this would have been the time for Him to gloat, to celebrate, to “spike the football” (so to speak).

But He’s not doing it for His own glory. As Isaiah put it: “5 The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward,” He says (Isaiah 50:5). This is not a man who is focused on His own goals, His own plans and purposes, let alone His own glory. His concern is a loving obedience to His Father’s will.

“6 I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. 7 But the Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame” (Isaiah 50:7). There has most certainly been shame. He has endured all the shame. All of my shame, all of your shame— even for your false humility, your selfishness, your lack of obedience to the Father’s will and your lack of love for those around you. He took all of it. And He was willing to endure it. Trusting in the Father’s help and strength, He was willing to endure it. And even here at the end, He trusts that His Father will ensure that it will not be for nothing, that His sacrifice will not go to waste. He commits Himself to His Father’s hands.

He did it so that, for you, the glory and the humility might be reversed. He was obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross— therefore He was exalted to the right hand of the Father in glory (Philippians 2:8-9). But for you, the humility and glory are reversed. He ascended back to the right hand of the Father so that He might raise you up and seat you with Him there in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6). He has earned for you a place beyond anything you could have hoped to earn for yourself in a thousand lifetimes and it is His gift to you, entirely by His grace.

Then He does, He gives you a husband or wife, parents and children, friends and coworkers— even enemies!— that you might humble yourself in the eternal joy of serving them, of loving them as you have been loved.

Commit yourself into His hands— your body and soul and all things. Commit yourself into His hands morning and evening, from now through your last breath. Commit yourself to the hands of the one who humbled Himself and was glorified, and did it all for you.