Good Friday 2022: Cries in the Night

Opening Song

O Come O Come Eric W instrumental followed by congregational song

Intro

Powerful things

Luke 7:36-50 story Much Love…much forgiveness…much understanding…tears

Early in the ministry of Jesus, he sits in the home of a pharisee for a meal. A woman who was known in town as a “sinner” enters the home with a jar of perfume, falls at the feet of Jesus and begins to weep. Washing his feet with her tears, drying them with her hair, and anointing them with perfume.

The host, a man named Simon watches the whole thing down his nose. Thinking, if this man was really a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him.

Luke tells us Jesus replies to his thought. I used to think this was a supernatural moment…but I would bet it was simply the look on his face that told Jesus how this man viewed the woman at his feet.

So he tells a story of a creditor with 2 debtors. One owed the equivalent of a year and a half’s wages. The other about a month and a half’s.

Neither could could pay and the creditor forgave the debts of both.

Jesus asks: Which of them will love him more?

I suppose the one he forgave more.

Jesus points to the woman.

You did not give me water for my feet, she washed them with tears.

You did not greet me with a kiss, but she has kissed my feet.

Her many sins were forgiven, so she loves much. The one forgiven little…loves little.

Tears are a wondrous thing. Our cries, with or without them, come from a deeper place than simple thought. We cry in grief and sadness, we cry in joy and awe. We cry out for our team to succeed and when we see injustice.

Tonight, as we reflect on the last day in the life of Jesus, there are many cries. Cries of stress and sorrow, cries of shame, cries for blood… As we consider the great price that was paid that we might receive life:

do you take it for granted? Has the story become too familiar, too ordinary?

Or do you let it affect you, the forgiveness you have recieved driving you like the woman to the feet of Jesus in tears. Not tears of shame or guilt, but tears of grateful love for the God who so loved the world that he gave…his very son. His very life for the ones he loves.

The story begins Thusday night in the garden:

Gethsemane Jesus

Luke 22:39-46 CSB “He went out and made his way as usual to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. When he reached the place, he told them, “Pray that you may not fall into temptation.” Then he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me—nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” Then an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him. Being in anguish, he prayed more fervently, and his sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he got up from prayer and came to the disciples, he found them sleeping, exhausted from their grief. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray, so that you won’t fall into temptation.””

arrest...

The tears of Jesus fall with his sweat to the ground as his humanity struggles in the knowledge of the agony about to come.

As he does the great work of prayer, he asks for a way out, but even greater, asks for the will of God to be done above his own.

How many times do you see the grief to come and feel the weight of it pressing you into the floor. With all your heart you want relief. What if we imitated our savior? offering God our needs, our heart for freedom, but also surrendering to his will even if the answer doesn’t come the way we wished?

Can we, like Jesus trust in the love and goodness of God ?

Once and For All

Peter Denies and Cries

Fear

Into the garden one of Jesus’ disciples, Judas Iscariot enters the scene at the head of a mob. One he trusted has betrayed him. To to an open arrest, but with a mob in the night.

His disciples offer resistance, but Jesus surrenders and the darkness seems victorious.

Luke 22:54-62 CSB “They seized him, led him away, and brought him into the high priest’s house. Meanwhile Peter was following at a distance. They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, and Peter sat among them. When a servant saw him sitting in the light, and looked closely at him, she said, “This man was with him too.” But he denied it: “Woman, I don’t know him.” After a little while, someone else saw him and said, “You’re one of them too.” “Man, I am not!” Peter said. About an hour later, another kept insisting, “This man was certainly with him, since he’s also a Galilean.” But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. So Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.”

Only hours before at dinner, Peter swore that nothing would cause him to defect. He would be loyal to death.

The tears fall here as he realizes in the moment of truth we wasn’t loyal when faced with a serving woman challenges him.

How often have you cried when the moment of testing reveals how weak your faith truly is?

How frustrated have you gotten when you realize you have fallen into the same sin, the same guilt, the same shame once more?

These tears are painful…but they can also be restoring. When we grieve our falling, we give Jesus the chance to lift us back up…just as Jesus will do for Peter.

Never fight tears of repentance. The tears of knowing the harm we have done and the good we have missed. For in those cries we find forgiveness and the chance to grow in faithfulness.

Trial

Jesus is beaten and mocked by this mob as they wait for daylight and the chance to deliver him to the chief priest and the sanhedrin.

When the leaders arrive, they demand that Jesus tell them if he is the Messiah, the son of God. Jesus calls out their unbelief, but affirms their accusation and they prove the unbelief Jesus predicted by taking him up and leading him to the Roman governor Pilate

Above All

The Crowd Cries Out

They tell Pilate that here is a man who claims kingship. They make false accusations and shout different lies, until Pilate asks Jesus if he is a king. Jesus replies, “You say so”

Pilate saw no reason, but at their continued insistence, he sends him to Herod to get his opinion. Herod enjoyed mocking and shaming him , but ultimately sends him back to Pilate with no verdict.

Desire

Luke 23:13-25 “Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, and said to them, “You have brought me this man as one who misleads the people. But in fact, after examining him in your presence, I have found no grounds to charge this man with those things you accuse him of. Neither has Herod, because he sent him back to us. Clearly, he has done nothing to deserve death. Therefore, I will have him whipped and then release him.” Then they all cried out together, “Take this man away! Release Barabbas to us!” (He had been thrown into prison for a rebellion that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate addressed them again, but they kept shouting, “Crucify! Crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why? What has this man done wrong? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have him whipped and then release him.” But they kept up the pressure, demanding with loud voices that he be crucified, and their voices won out. So Pilate decided to grant their demand and released the one they were asking for, who had been thrown into prison for rebellion and murder. But he handed Jesus over to their will.

Cries from the crowd. Not tearful cries, but angry ones.

Crucify him!

Pilate argues his innocence. He tries to bargain.

How often do we demand of God, of others that which we are certain is right, certain we need, certain we are entitled to?

Like Adam and Eve certain they were entitled to the knowledge God warned would result in their death, we insist and insist and insist fighting for our way, even when it leads to death.

The cries of the crowd overwhelmed the small moral compass Pilate possessed

The walk and crucifixion

Jesus was sentenced to die.

A large wooden crossbeam was laid on his shoulders and he was led to the hill of Golgotha. The place of the skull.

Fixing the cross beam to the post, they laid Jesus down and drove spikes through one wrist and then the other. Then through his feet into a small foot rest.

Raising the cross into place it would drop into the hole dug for it jarring Jesus with excruciating pain.

Crucifixion was a slow death by suffocation. unable to breath while hanging loose, Jesus would press up with feet and arms to take a breath, until the pain of the pressure forced him to fall once more.

As the guards below gambled for possession of his garments, he begs the father to forgive them for, “they know not what they do.”

At The Cross

Repentance

Grief of thief

Hanging between two criminals, one begins to mock him.

Luke 23:39-43 CSB “Then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other answered, rebuking him: “Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.””

This is the cry each of us must make at some point if we are to be followers of Jesus. We must recognize we are in desperate need and looking to Jesus ask him to “remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

The woman who wept at the feet of Jesus got this.

It is when we see our sin, see our need, see our hopelessness apart from God that we find the humility and courage to push our pride aside and ask Jesus to save.

How often do we act like a man overboard in shark infested waters refusing to be saved because we think we can swim?

But thanks be to God the one who hangs here on the cross not only has the power to save…but came and died for. that. reason.

Power of the Cross - Special

My God, My God, Why...

He gave

There is one more cry. Or there are three. Between the gospel accounts, there is variety in what happens here.

It was noon, the sky grew dark, in the temple, the place where God’s presence waited inside the holy place, the curtain that kept people back from the presence tore in two from the top to the bottom and Jesus cries.

In Matthew and Mark we hear a Cry of grief

Mark 15:33-34 CSB “When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lemá sabachtháni?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?””

Jesus takes on the sin of the world and in that moment the godhead experiences the only separation he has ever known. If only for a moment, The father’s holiness comes into opposition to the sin which the Son has taken on that the power of it might be broken forever.

In Luke we hear Cry of release

Luke 23:46 CSB “And Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.” Saying this, he breathed his last.”

The struggle has ended. Jesus knowing the perfect love and goodness of the father, even now from the cross trusts himself fully to the father’s will.

John gives us what may be the sweetest three words of all in a Cry of completion

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

The work is done.

Do you know the work is done?

There is now nothing you can do to earn God’s favor…because Jesus did the work.

There is now nothing you can do to be forgiven…because at the cross Jesus did the work.

There is no work to earn salvation, eternal life, acceptance, forgiveness, grace, 2nd and 3rd chances, favor, blessing, and all the promises of God which are your in Christ forever because IT. IS. FINISHED!

Jesus Paid It All

Conclusion

Back to Luke 7

I think again of the woman crying at the feet of Jesus. She knows the size of the gift that’s been given.

Unlike Simon the pharisee who is so certain he’s doing just fine on his own.

Unlike us when we take the cross for granted. When we forget the great love of the father that was expressed when the son, who loves the father chose to take on the shame of the cross, to bear the sin and death that was ours and make it his.

And while Sunday we celebrate that because He was the son of God, because he was guiltless, because he was greater than death, it could not keep him…That takes nothing away from the great gift given to us on the cross.

The Question as we leave this place - Do we remember the cross passively still? Or like the woman weeping at the feet of Jesus do you and I feel the weight of your sin as it nailed the son of God to a cross?

That weight could easily slide into guilt. Do not dwell in that. It was freedom from guilt and shame that was given at the cross.

Instead, let the weight flow into love, love that brings you to the feet of your savior with tears in your eyes.

Let it flow into love that goes beyond yourself and into those around you, those who need to experience the same sacrificial love which leads you to the feet of Jesus.

The one who is forgiven much, loves much.

Pray

How Deep The Father’s Love