Good Friday Sermon

Introduction

Ngā mihi o te Aranga ki a koutou katoa (te reo) Manuia le Eseta! (Samoan)

Easter greetings to you all!

Opening Storyline

I recently have joined the church. I have know Pastor Nu for many years as I was a pastor at the South city C3 church here in town. I have been a pastor for over 25 years and in some form of ministry for over 30. It is safe to say that I have preached a Good Friday sermon a couple of times…

Interesting though, for all these years with the text staying the same, I have always found new messages of hope and faith every time I approach the Word of God. Isn’t that amazing?!

It says in the Bible:

Hebrews 4:12 NIV

12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

I started to think, ponder and pray about this message and I found myself circle the cross as a bird or in todays world a drone…

There is a great tension in the scene. I have an image I would like for us to see.

Have the picture of the 3 Crosses on screen

Have a look at this picture… for me there looks like 3 distinct people orbiting Jesus on the centre cross.

For this morning, I want to encounter these people and let their perspective help us and guide us to better understanding of the crucifixion and what the event held in place in our human history and christian story.

First, let us read the text…

Luke 23:32–43 NIV

32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” 36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.” 38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the jews. 39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

The Crowd

As I think about this crowd that was there that day. To see on display and humiliation these human beings being brutally tortured in a most heinous and deadly way possible.

Fleming Rutledge expands on this in her book: “Three Hours”:

“The Romans didn’t waste their time crucifying small-timers. These two men were a serious threat to the system. So they’ve been tried by the Romans and condemned by the their laws, presumably with justification, for one of them actually admits that he was justly convicted for being an insurrectionist, “perverting the people”- the term used by Pontius Pilate (vs 14) So that’s what crucifixion was for - a method of displaying people in the most cruel circumstances possible, to demonstrate publicly the power of the empire not just to kill, but to dehumanise - and by so doing, to deter anyone who dared to think of defying Caesar.”

Later Rutledge explains about the crowd:

“A message was being sent: the object that you see before you is displayed here specifically so that you can vent your most sadistic and inhuman impulses. You can say and do anything you want to these wretches; you have the permission of the emperor.”

To think that these varied people from the soldiers dividing up Jesus clothing to the religious leaders scoffing and taunting him to the family members and disciples. These people are there at the most pivotal space and time in our human history. The moment where we go from BC to AD!

For some, like Rutledge points out, this is a time for them to vent out all their pain and anger at these criminals. For what they have done to them personally and to their community. These people would have read the board above their heads and seen who is is and why they were being crucified.

For some of us, we find ourselves in this crowd today…

We are sensory beings.

We are seeing Jesus and these other criminals.

We are hearing the insults yelled at these men on crosses.

We smell the sweat and smoke from the fires burning so that there will be light for the entire process of these men dying for all to see.

We taste the nothing as their is nothing to eat or have to dumb down the experience.

We feel the coldness of death and pain. The feeling of anger and angst as these men die for their crimes.

I have talked to many people over the years, I have met people that are just as angry at Jesus!

They are in the crowd. They need to vent at him for not doing what they wanted him to do.

I have counselled them, but in many cases they just don’t want to accept God’s plan for their lives and for the forgiveness of their sins. They can see Jesus but they don’t know him personally.

The Criminal

This man is knows what he has done. He knows his crimes. He knows what he deserves, but instead of acceptance he sees a golden oppotuity.

One last hustle: Get the new guy to get him out of his mess!

“Hey bro! Aren’t you the Christ ( the anointed one). You have the power and the means to get us out of this mess. Let’s go!” John’s Improvised Version (JIV)

This man is self-centered, selfish and looks only for his own needs and will use and abuse anyone to get what he wants, when he wants it. It is easy to throw him into the same category as other prominent Bible characters such as the older prodigal brother.

You remember what he said to his father?

Luke 15:28–30 NIV

28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

This brother, in my opinion, was more of the prodigal than his younger brother as it had more to do with the condition of his heart. His pride and arrogance was the source to his false sense of righteousness and entitlement. He was only really caring for himself.

For some of us today, we sadly find ourselves resonating with these kinds of men. You have been hurt, abandoned and left to fend for yourself. You might have had to live a life like this to survive.

You just hearing this might get angry with me and want to leave but I want you to stick to the end as their is a free offer I want you to hear about!

Paradise bound Man

Here we see the last criminal rebuking the other man and reminding him that their crimes are real and that Jesus was not a criminal. He was innocent. They deserve death but Jesus was never to be on this hill crucified with them.

Then, as many theologians love to analize, the man looks to Jesus and most likely read what was inscribed above his head:

John 19:21–22 NIV

21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

“The King” - meaning he has a Kingdom. This was not an ordinary man. This Jesus was and is something like never before.

The man makes the bold statement:

Luke 23:42 NIV

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

and to man, Jesus replied:

Luke 23:43 NIV

43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

What is this Paradise?

I love what William Barclay says to describe this:

“The word Paradise is a Persian word meaning a walled garden. When a Persian king wished to do one of his subjects a very special honour he made him a companion of the garden which meant he was chosen to walk in the garden with the king. It was more than immortality that Jesus promised the penitent thief. He promised him the honoured place of a companion of the garden in the courts of heaven.”

I love the way we end this sermon, with this invitation to enter this intimate daily and eternal paradise with Jesus.

Hear these last words from the apostle Paul writing to the church in Rome

Romans 5:6–11 NIV

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The free offer is here: While we are still sinners, those that are in the crowd, those that are like the criminal there is a free and powerful remedy… Jesus!

See, the only way we can get to Easter sunday and the reusrrection is that we have to have a Friday… There is a reason for Jesus death on a cross. Salvation thru his death so that we can have a new life in Him, in his Paradise.

Rutledge reminds us:

“The two important words are NOT “in Paradise”. The two important words are “with me”. That’s the key.Paradise is where Jesus is, and being in paradise is being with him.”

Call for Salvation and Prayer