Sermon for Good Friday, Year C
Based on Isa. 52:13-53:12 & Jn. 19:17-42
By
Pastor Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson
“The
Cross”
The cross…All of us here today, along with the writers of our scripture passages
from Isaiah and John; indeed, the whole world share one thing in common—the cross. We, along with our authors of scripture share the cross in
common because of its loving and saving power. We share the cross in common
with the whole world because our sinfulness—along with the world’s—continues to
crucify Jesus.
The cross is the central most important symbol of Christianity—for good and for ill.
Churches in the past were often built in the shape of a cross. People buy and
wear all sorts of crosses. Some are silver; gold or jeweled to symbolize how
precious and valuable Christ’s suffering and death on the cross was for us.
Others are made of wood—some of which are very knotted, twisted and rough to
symbolize the folly, the offensiveness and ugliness of Jesus dying on the
cross.
In Lutheran
churches—as well as in many other denominations’ churches—there is usually a
cross hanging on the front chancel wall. Crosses also adorn altars and
baptismal fonts. Many Christians also have crosses hanging on the walls of
their homes. Christian artists have been—and continue to be—fascinated with the
crucifixion of Christ. Christian writers have written countless poems, hymns
and books on the crucified Christ. Many Christians speak of the importance of
bearing their cross. Others, Christians and non-Christians alike, speak of
having reached a crossroads in their lives. Even the human body has been
created in the shape of a cross.
Why is the cross the central most important symbol of Christianity? There are several
answers to that question. Today we shall explore two.
First, the cross reminds us, along with the whole
world, of our sinfulness. Our
passage from Isaiah makes this point when we are told that Jesus the Suffering
Servant: “was despised and rejected by human beings…as one from whom people
hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” If we were not
sinners and if there were no sin in the world; human beings certainly would not have despised, rejected, hidden their faces from Jesus. Jesus
Christ would never have made it to the cross without our sin and the sinfulness of the whole world.
Indeed, there
would never have been such a cruel instrument of torture and death as the
cross, had there been no sin. Anyone who does
not believe that we are
sinners or that there is no sin in the world has only to remember tragic events
like the Holocaust; as well as the evil anti-Judaic and antisemitic teachings
of Christians for centuries—who sanctified and legitimized pogroms,
persecutions, expulsions, and destruction of property on Good Friday and during
Holy Week.
Wars, poverty,
torture chambers, environmental destruction, political expediency, economic
manipulation—are only a few of the harsh, cold realities still at work in our
world. We spend billions of dollars on weapons of war and travelling to the
moon and other planets in space; yet two-thirds of our world’s population go to
bed hungry every night. Insofar as we are part of the problem concerning these
matters, we crucify Jesus anew every day. It wasn’t just the Romans or the Jews
who crucified Jesus Christ—it was all of humankind. We, along with the whole
world despised and rejected the VERY ONE whom God sent to love and save us.
The cross reminds
us that we are sinners. We too are guilty of the same sins
as Peter Judas, Mary, Pilate, and all the others who had their hand in killing
Jesus.
This leads us to
our second point, namely that: The cross
reminds us, along with the world, of its loving, saving power. All of us have something that is
precious, treasured, highly valued by us. For a child, it may be some sort of
toy. If the child really loves their brother or sister or friend; they may
demonstrate their love by giving their very special toy to such a person. On a
cosmic scale, God’s love was demonstrated to us and the whole world by giving
away Jesus Christ to suffer and die on the cross. But God’s love was not only
for friends or family members—it is for even the most unattractive people, the
greatest sinners, the worst enemies.
Our gospel very
subtly hints at this by telling us that two members of the Jewish council
(Sanhedrin), Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus came to look after Christ’s
burial. Here were two influential Jewish leaders who were won over by Christ’s
love for them. They were so moved by Christ’s love for them that they were
willing to take the risk of asking Pilate for their Saviour’s body to give him
a proper burial. Now this was a risk because Pilate could have told this to
some—not all—of the Jewish leaders who were opposed to Jesus. If they had found
out, it may have meant being dismissed from the Sanhedrin. It was also a risk
which, if Pilate wanted to be nasty, could have resulted in their arrest, or
worse, their crucifixion—since they were Christ’s disciples. The power of
Christ’s love—when it takes hold of us—makes us willing to take risks. For as hymn
writer Isaac Watts put it: “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my
life, my all!”
The cross is the
saving power of God. Jesus has saved us from the eternal punishment of sin,
death and evil. He has won the terrible battle over these powers on the cross.
John tells us that our Saviour’s last words were: “It is
finished.” After which: “He bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” This
picture of Christ’s death is one of victory and accomplishment. The cross is
God’s saving power because in Christ we receive the benefits of his victory and
accomplishment. The cross reminds us that we need not fear our sin, evil and
death, since we too shall share our Saviour’s victory and accomplishment. For
this thanks be to God!
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