What is the Good in Good Friday?
Notes
Transcript
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Hello, I’m Rev. Delwyn Campbell. I serve the congregations of St. John’e Evangelical Lutheran Church on 2235 W 10th Ave and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on 719 W. 25th Ave in Gary, IN. I thank God and the staff and management of WLTH 1370 AM and 92.7 FM in Gary, IN for allowing the opportunity to share with you, “What is the Good in Good Friday?” First though, let us pray:
Lord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed. Make it a Word of power and peace to convert those not yet Your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith. May Your Word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip, and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You send it, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions Article XIII: The Use of the Sacraments
1 Our churches teach that the Sacraments were ordained, not only to be marks of profession among men, but even more, to be signs and testimonies of God’s will toward us. 2 They were instituted to awaken and confirm faith in those who use them. Therefore, we must use the Sacraments in such a way that faith, which believes the promises offered and set forth through the Sacraments, is increased [2 Thessalonians 1:3].
The events of Holy Week, which culminates with today’s Good Friday worship, began last Sunday, known as Palm Sunday or the Sunday of the Passion. The Gospel Reading for that service is lengthy, as it covers the events of the entire week, while the longer reading for Good Friday covers everything from after the Lord’s Supper up to the burial of Christ in the virgin tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.
My text for today is the shorter reading, covering , the events of the crucifixion itself.
and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” 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, 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, but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 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. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ” Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”
and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.
The Romans treated him like a common criminal, and yet they gave Him the honor of acknowledgement that His own people would deny Him.
The Romans treated him like a common criminal, crucifying Jesus the Messiah between two robbers. Yet they gave Him the honor of acknowledgement that His own people would deny Him. Whether in jest, to show Rome’s ultimate control and domination, or in a strange, even if uncertain, recognition of God’s will concerning this strange situation, Pontius Pilate took his stand in acknowledging that Jesus was, in fact, their King. Somehow the Word of Christ penetrated the hard, cynical heart of the Roman political official.
While the Jews plotted, and the Romans governed, God was working, both to will and to do for His good pleasure. The death of Jesus Christ took a Roman instrument of torture and degradation and made it honorable and a treasure for those who were enabled to see.
If you had been there that day, your natural senses would have detected nothing special - just three condemned men, some Roman soldiers and a crowd - for a governor like Pontius Pilate, just another day at the office. Whatever powers Jesus had displayed during His three years of ministry, they appeared to have been unavailable to Him during the hours of His arrest, trial, and condemnation. For over 30 years, the Lord of all creation had made Himself subject to parents and neighbors, serving friends, enemies and strangers in His vocations. The Word of God, through whom all things were made, submitted Himself to the authority of the Law, and the Holy and Innocent One suffered the bitter sufferings and death that purchased our eternal redemption.
You remember the parable of the workers in the vineyard?
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”
On Good Friday, while no one was looking, Jesus gave up the role of the Master of the House. He took the position of the last hired, who got paid the same wages as the everyone who had worked all their lives.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, so loved us that He chose to identify Himself with us. He entered into our condition - the sons of Adam. God, who is Spirit, took flesh and dwelt among us, as John wrote in the first chapter of this Gospel.
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords got the treatment that everyone else gets who has been marked by the sin of the world. The Law condemns everyone.
The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords got the treatment that everyone else gets who has been marked by the sin of the world. The Law condemns everyone.
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
When we look at the world in which we live, we see, not “what a a wonderful world,” but a world of “joy and pain, sunshine and rain.” When God finished His creation, as recorded in , it wasn’t like this:
And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
All that stands between what you see in creation, all the suffering and sorrow, all the failure and disappointment, all the cruelty and injustice, and God’s original declaration, “It was very good,” is the fruit of the fall. That’s what came of our first parents, Adam and his wife whom he afterward named Eve, the mother of all living, when they felt that they needed to know good and evil. They already knew good, for everything that God had made was good. But that wasn;t enough for them, they allowed themselves to be convinced that knowing good was insufficient. They wanted to come up to another level.
All that stands between what you see in creation, all the suffering and sorrow, all the failure and disappointment, all the cruelty and injustice, and God’s original declaration, “It was very good,” is the fruit of the fall. All the muck and the mire into which we are born, in which we struggle day after day until the day comes that we “study war no more,” that’s because of the Fall. That’s what came of our first parents, Adam and his wife whom he afterward named Eve, the mother of all living, when they felt that they needed to know good and evil. They already knew good, for everything that God had made was good. But that wasn;t enough for them, they allowed themselves to be convinced that knowing good was insufficient. They thought that being like God was something to be grasped. They wanted to come up to another level.
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
You remember the saying, “curiosity killed the cat?” It killed us, too.
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
We try to make things better, to find a way back to perfection, and we always come short, no matter how good it gets. Something always gets in the way. You get the perfect job, and something messes it up. You get the perfect house, and taxes go up. You find the perfect partner, and something ruins the relationship. Perfect is always just one step away, but it’s always just out of reach.
We hire people to build the perfect living situation for us - isn’t that what our political system is, a job opportunity for someone to come up with the road to perfection? But no matter how smart they are, no matter how gifted, no matter how talented, no matter how experienced or how fresh, they cannot reach down from above and lift us up, not without something getting in the way. Something called sin.
So what does God do? He doesn’t reach down from above; He does the opposite of what we would do. God joined us in this sin-filled world. The God whom no one could clearly see or understand, made Himself visible, made Himself accessible, made Himself understandable, not so that He could pull us up, but so that He could take us up:
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.”
Sin had so fouled us up, that the only way, was this way. He had to experience all of our tests and trials, all of our sorrow and pain, everything that sin brought into our existence. God had to be marginalized and depersonalized. God had to watch His loved ones suffer. God had to go through all that we go through in order to rescue us from what sin desires to do - destroy you.
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, 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, but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 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. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
It was all foretold in God’s Word, every bit of the sorrow, suffering, agony, every bit of it. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, embraced it because God loves us!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
Why isn’t everyone saved? Why doesn’t everyone accept this Good News? I don’t know; there are just too many facets to the corrupting power of sin for me to engage it all in 30 minutes. I can say today that Jesus did what needed to be done, He finished His work, and has called us all to share in the joy of it:
There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”
Right now, the Holy Spirit is taking what you are hearing, and is using it to show you what God has for you - a life set free from the wages of sin because repentance and absolution is available to you through the Body of Christ, the Church, where the Gospel is preached and God’s gifts are distributed:
Article XIII of the Augsburg Confession of the Lutheran Church declares
1 Our churches teach that the Sacraments [of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper] were ordained, not only to be marks of profession among men, but even more, to be signs and testimonies of God’s will toward us. 2 They were instituted to awaken and confirm faith in those who use them. Therefore, we must use the Sacraments in such a way that faith, which believes the promises offered and set forth through the Sacraments, is increased.
Paul Timothy McCain, ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 38.
Paul Timothy McCain, ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 38.
What do we believe? In summary, this:
Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
What does this mean? How does this change you, change me? How does this change the way that life assaults my senses, grinds my hope, and seeks to steal, kill, and destroy every piece of joy that God has for us, and is ours in Christ? It starts with what I have taught my children, and what we teach at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church:
Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions The Third Article: Sanctification
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian Church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise up me and all the dead and will give eternal life to me and to all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.
This is why “Jesus paid it all.” This is what makes “Good Friday” good. This is all yours today. So let the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen
Paul Timothy McCain, ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 38.
Paul Timothy McCain, ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 38.
This is why “Jesus paid it all.” This is what makes “Good Friday” good. This is all yours today. So let the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen
Paul Timothy McCain, ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 38.
Paul Timothy McCain, ed., Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2005), 38.
In a strange twist, on Good Friday
In a strange twist, on Good Friday