Good Friday (2023)

John 18:1-19:42

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, this day we remember the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the gentiles. For there upon the Cross hangs the Son of God, the one through whom all things were made, that in him is the life and that life is the light of men, and yet on this day, we witness him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

The World struggles with this because we imagine in our minds that if we were God in the flesh, that we rend the heavens and come down in fury, that we never would have made it to the cross but those who grabbed us and roughly treated us would have burned to ash the moment they laid a hand on us. If we had the power and the ability that Christ does, we would show them the righteous fury and terror of God. Indeed Christ has the right, He has the power, He has the ability, but what makes the world stumble is that He lays His glory aside to drink this cup of wrath from God the Father and he will drink it to the dregs.

For Jesus thinks not of himself on the Cross, He has been called to be the sacrifice not for his own sins, but for your sins. What He suffers there upon the cross, He suffers for the sake of sinners. It is a terrible punishment.

What should the righteous and holy God do to those who lie? Who show that by their words, they belong to the father of lies, and dwell in the darkness of sin? He punish all liars, and banish them to hell. But we witness Jesus struck in the mouth in the court of the High Priest for speaking truth when it should have been you that was struck, and not once but for every lie you have told.

What should God do to those who pride themselves in fine clothes while they see their neighbor cold and hungry? We think ourselves blessed by God but don’t realize that the blessings they have received are meant not just for our own benefit but for our neighbor. Shouldn’t those that have overindulged have their garments stripped away, and food taken from their lips to care for those who are without? Well that is what happened to Christ, no food was given to him and no drink except sour wine.

What about your deeds that harmed your neighbor either by action, or by negligence, should not those hands that have been used to satisfy your own desires and pleasures suffer, and your feet which are always ready to go and play, but sluggish when it comes to bringing yourself to God’s house, should they not be afflicted? Instead of the hands that touched lepers and healed them, and the feet that lead him to those who were in need?

How much should God punish you, how much sin do you bear? If we were to stack them all up, your sins climb to the heavens above and the reason I know this is because all of us are in the same boat. The whole world will be held accountable to God and every mouth will be stopped for every time you neglected to do the right thing, and didn’t do it, you sinned, and there is no excuse for doing what is wrong. It’s evil.

Some will protest and say, no God can’t be that angry at sin, he cannot hold us to that standard, his wrath cannot be that great. Surely God show mercy to those who did their best. We see the answer at the Cross, your best wasn’t good enough. Do you not understand what is happening at the Cross. The reason the sinless Son of God suffers, is because you failed and it is your sins that rest upon Jesus. If your sins are enough to bring the Son of God down into the grave and unto hell itself, how bad are they, so why do you downplay them, and make light of them while He is bleeding for you?

Let us take moment to pause, pray, and reflect on this.

Now we need to know that first part in order to understand this second part of the Cross. For it is easy to pass by the cross without thinking about why Jesus is there. He is taking your place and what is meant for you. But let us now explore why, He is there.

For God would be still be good, righteous, and holy to condemn us. He never had to send His Son into the world to pay for your sins. We could make sense of that, but it is far harder to wrap our mind around why since God is so angry at sin that He would send Jesus to suffer for us.

It’s because the only thing greater than God’s wrath against sin, is his steadfast love and mercy. The cross shows us clearly that God will punish sin and it doesn’t matter how great or small that sin is in your mind, it merits death. There was no one who could stand before the Father for our sake. So the Father sent Jesus the one through whom all things were made, to serve as your representative. For just as the entire world could be condemned through the failings of one man, the world can be saved by one man.

But there would be no man born of man and woman who could do that, so God sent His Son into the World that to stand between us and the punishment we deserved pleading and interceding for you. For Jesus is the only One who could bear the punishments that are meant for you, and make atonement and win to give you peace with God.

So whatever your sins are, do not let them remain upon your conscience, don’t hide them away rather cast them all on Jesus. For He is there to take your sins, and to bear away your iniquities and your guilt and assure you that He is going before the Father to make sure you truly are forgiven. It doesn’t matter what those sins might be, how horrible or awful they are, how much you might regret them, how much you might be ashamed to even admit to them, Jesus will take them from you and plead your cause that you might be forgiven.

Jesus is there to take upon himself your shame, your guilt, your sins so that they might be put to rest in him. So lay your sins upon that sacred head for He has come to take away all your uncleanness and wash you clean by His holy and precious blood. There is the Son of God who becomes our suffering servant laying down his life to save you.

This is the stumbling block to the world. That Son of God would lay aside his glory, his power, and his might, and become weak for sinners. But if he had not done this then none of us would be saved. All of us would be under the wrath of God, but instead Christ allowed himself to be beaten, whipped, and nailed to a cross that we might be saved.

So my Brothers and sisters in Christ, Do not let his sacrifice go to waste, but look to see the work of Jesus for you. Let your sins rest upon Jesus, so that His death might not be in vain. For there are many who walk past the cross not knowing or understanding why the Son of God is there hanging upon a tree. He suffers for you, and he dies for you, but he does it because He wants you to live that is why He lays down His holy and perfect life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.