Good Friday Sermon 2026
“They Will Look on the One They Have Pierced”
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
“They will look on the one they have pierced.” (John 19:37)
Let us pray: Lord, sanctify us in the truth; Your Word is truth. Amen.
To understand this word that St John includes in his Passion narrative, we must step back into the Old Testament—into both the prophecy of Zechariah and the historical account of King Josiah.
John is quoting Zechariah 12:10:
“They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves a firstborn son.”
John tells us this was fulfilled when a Roman soldier pierced Jesus’ side, and at once there came a flow of blood and water. Yet Zechariah first spoke these words in the shadow of a national tragedy—the death of King Josiah.
Josiah was one of Judah’s greatest kings, a ruler who “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” But his life ended on the battlefield at Megiddo. Though warned, he went out to fight and was struck down by archers. Mortally wounded, he was carried back to Jerusalem, where he died. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.
Jeremiah composed laments, and the grief of that day became part of Israel’s memory. So great was this sorrow that Zechariah later used it as the measure of future mourning:
“On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be as great as the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.” (Zech 12:11)
A king pierced.
A nation grieving.
A lament that echoed through generations.
Now, on Good Friday, that shadow becomes reality.
Today we behold a greater King than Josiah.
The King of kings is struck down.
The Lion of Judah is slain.
The Lamb of God is sacrificed.
The Shepherd is pierced for His sheep.
The only-begotten Son of the Father is given over to death.
And like Jerusalem of old, there is mourning.
Women line the road to the cross, weeping and wailing.
Disciples scatter in fear.
Darkness falls over the land.
This is no ordinary death. This is the death of the Son—the Firstborn, the Beloved.
“They will look on the one they have pierced.”
But Zechariah’s prophecy does not end in grief. Surrounding this sorrow is a promise—a divine embrace that holds even this moment of devastation.
“I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication.” (Zech 12:10a)
“On that day a fountain will be opened… to cleanse from sin and impurity.” (Zech 13:1) God does not abandon His people to their mourning. He meets them in it—with grace.
And so we look again at the pierced Christ.
A sacred head now wounded, crowned with thorns.
Hands pierced—hands that once blessed, healed, and welcomed.
Feet pierced—feet that walked dusty roads to seek and save the lost.
And a side pierced, from which flows blood and water.
This is no accident of history. This is God at work.
What appears as defeat is victory.
What looks like loss is salvation.
What seems like the end is the opening of a fountain of life.
As the blood and water flow, so too does the fulfillment of God’s promise—a cleansing stream for sinners.
Yes, many played their part that day.
Judas betrayed.
The chief priests and elders conspired.
Pilate gave in to pressure.
The soldiers mocked, scourged, and crucified.
Yet behind it all stands the will of God.
This is not chaos. This is purpose.
This is not merely tragedy. This is sacrifice.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…”
The cross is not an accident—it is an offering. Christ gives Himself to the Father for the life of the world. And even from the cross, grace is poured out.
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Grace is spoken into hatred.
Mercy is declared over sin.
Forgiveness is offered to the undeserving.
And we begin to see its effect.
Luke tells us that when the people who had gathered to witness these things saw what had taken place, they beat their breasts and went away. This is not casual regret. It is the sign of conviction—of hearts pierced by what they have seen.
“They will look on the one they have pierced… and mourn.”
This mourning is not empty grief. It is repentance. It is the beginning of supplication.
We hear it most clearly from the man hanging beside Jesus—the repentant criminal.
“We are punished justly… but this man has done nothing wrong.”
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Here is the spirit of grace and supplication Zechariah foretold.
And Jesus answers:
“Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Grace received.
Supplication answered.
Salvation given.
And still the fountain flows. From the pierced side of Christ comes blood and water—testifying that God has provided what we could never offer.
Life is in the blood.
Water sustains life.
Together they proclaim that in the death of Christ there is life for the world.
This is the fountain opened to cleanse from sin and impurity.
Here we are drawn into the life of God Himself.
The water points us to baptism—where, joined with God’s Word and promise, it becomes a life-giving water, cleansing and washing away sin and granting new birth by the Holy Spirit.
The blood points us to the Lord’s Supper—where Christ gives His very body and blood for the forgiveness of sins.
What flowed from His side is given to His Church.
This is how the crucified Christ continues to give life to us 2000 years into the future.
“They will look on the one they have pierced.”
To “look” is more than to see. It is to behold with faith.
It is to recognise our sin in His suffering.
It is to grieve what our sin has done.
It is to turn to Him in repentance.
It is to trust in His mercy.
This is the work of God’s Spirit—pouring out grace and awakening prayer and praise.
And this looking does not end at the cross.
Those who beat their breasts on Good Friday would be among those cut to the heart at Pentecost, crying out, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
And the answer would be given:
“Repent and be baptised… for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
The promise is for them—and for us.
And yet, not all who looked believed.
Some saw and turned away unchanged.
Some witnessed and remained hardened.
Some looked—but did not truly see.
And so there remains a solemn warning within this word - “They will look on the one they have pierced.”
Some will look in repentance and faith.
Others will look and remain unmoved.
Even on this Good Friday, there are those whose eyes remain closed, whose hearts remain hardened to the death of the Son of God. And this gives urgency to our calling. For the pierced Christ still extends His hands—one in grace, the other inviting our prayers and praise. He calls all people to come, to look, to believe, to receive life.
And so today, we look.
We look on Him whom we have pierced by our sin.
We look with sorrow—but not without hope.
We look in repentance—but also in faith.
For this is a “Good” Friday.
Good—not because of what was done to Him, but because of what He has done for us.
He has borne our sin.
He has taken our judgment.
He has opened the fountain of cleansing.
He has poured out grace upon the world.
And though we mourn, we do not mourn as those without hope.
For the story is not finished.
The One who is pierced will rise.
The mourning will turn to joy.
The cross will give way to the empty tomb.
“They will look on the one they have pierced.”
May we look—and repent.
May we look—and believe.
May we look—and receive life.
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Sermon for Good Friday, 2025
The peace of the Lord be with you. Amen.
Happily ever after.
Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God to join together this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. Marriage is a sacred and joyous covenant, which should be entered into reverently. Husband and wife should give to each other companionship, comfort, and support in times of prosperity as well as in times of adversity…hang on, hang on...is this the right Sermon manuscript? Who on earth gets married on Good Friday?
Brothers and sisters in Christ: Bear with me as I expand, if not, explode your mind with a new appreciation of the love and commitment of Jesus Christ our Lord, that is shown towards you, from the first Book of the Bible to the last, and on into all eternity!
In Genesis chapter we read: ‘Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 The man said,
‘This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called “woman”,
for she was taken out of man.’
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame’ (Genesis 2:19-25).
So who’s getting married today?
You are!
Again …a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
What is the connection, between the cross of Jesus and the wedding of Jesus?
Hint: It’s a big part of what makes Good Friday, good for us!
Let’s investigate.
The seven words from the cross are:
1. Luke 23:34 Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.
2. Luke 23:43 Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.
3. John 19:26-27 Woman, here is your son. Here is your mother.
4. Matt 27:46 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
5. John 19:28 I am thirsty.
6. John 19:30 It is finished.
7. Luke 23:46 Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Consider the 3rd & 4th words from the cross in relation to Genesis 2:24 ‘…a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.’
The third word is John 19:26-27 Woman, here is your son. Here is your mother.
The fourth is Matthew 27:46 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? repeated from [Ps 22:1]
‘…a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.’
4. Matt 27:46 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? [Ps 22:1]
Jesus, as God’s one and only begotten Son, is addressing his Father from the cross.
Again, Genesis 2:24 ‘…a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.’
3. John 19:26-27 Woman, here is your son. Here is your mother. In endless care for his mother, Jesus gives Mary into the protection of his disciple, John.
So from the words from the cross, we have the Bridegroom and his leaving his mother and father, just as it should and must be for all bridegrooms.
But where is the Bride? Who is Jesus leaving his mother and father for and becoming one flesh with?
Now consider what St Paul says in Ephesians 5:25-32.
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church – 30 for we are members of his body.
31 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ 32 This is a profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ and the church.
‘The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son’ (Matthew 22:2). Want to know how you became a bride of Christ – read this parable?
As with most marriages, Jesus’ and the church’s union is quite the saga! It is like that rocky road of failures and forgiveness portrayed by Israel’s wilderness wanderings. It’s one where the rock-steady faithfulness of the Husband covers the unfaithfulness of the once harlot and presents her washed ‘with water through the word’ (Ephesians 5:26).
As Adam’s rib was fashioned into a suitable helper, so Isaiah says, ‘Your husband is your Maker’ (Isaiah 54:5). And the loving husband sees his bride and is delighted. ‘As a young man marries a young woman,
so will your Builder marry you;
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
so will your God rejoice over you.’ (Isaiah 62:5).
‘But like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you, Israel, have been unfaithful to me,’ declares the Lord’ (Jer 3:20).
So once again, as the Suitor and pursuer, Jesus, vows to restore the broken marriage with a New Covenant pledge, giving his heart to the harlot, promising:
‘It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,’
declares the Lord.’ (Jeremiah 31:32).
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her’ (Eph 5:25). What more could Jesus do then bleed and die for the love of his life, the church?
‘‘Therefore I am now going to allure her;
I will lead her into the wilderness
and speak tenderly to her’ (Hosea 2:14).
With the jealousness of Jesus, St Paul would say to Christ’s Bride, ‘I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him’ (2 Corinthians 11:2).
What Marriage vows mirror here on earth...
to have and to hold from this day forward,
for better for worse,
for richer for poorer,
in sickness and in health,
to love and to cherish…
is pledged to the fullest of commitments, before the creation of the world, in the Covenants, on Good Friday in the New Covenant secured in the blood of God, on the day of your baptism, and every single time you are presented, through the forgiveness of sins, to your Husband ‘as a pure virgin to him’ (2 Cor 11:2).
This is Jesus’ ongoing commitment to you. When you stray, and play the harlot for a time, still this remains Jesus’ commitment to you. When he seeks you out to forgive you, and you return to him, your joy will be full. Just as in the beginning Adam and Eve were naked and felt no shame, so now, because, Jesus, the Second Adam was shamed for the sake of his bride in his nakedness upon the cross, he covers her shame and clothes her with his resurrection garments of righteousness; without which we would be noticed by the King, the father of the Bridegroom, and be summarily tied up, hand and foot, and thrown out of the wedding reception to the place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 22:1-14).
At this wedding of all weddings, that which gives significance to weddings this side of the grave, but also ends the need for our marriages in eternity, you and I, the Bride, to paraphrase St Paul, are made holy, cleansed by the washing with water through the word, and presented to Jesus as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
Our marriage vows are ‘till death do us part.’ But since death is destroyed by Jesus on his Good Friday Wedding Day, there will be no more ‘till death do us part’ limitation for anyone who believes. Rather, their marriage feast, and therefore their glory and honour, is without end.
‘I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband’ (Revelation 21:2). The Bride gets all beauty and benefits of her Husband’s everlasting love and commitment.
‘Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready’ (Revelation 19:7).
So, are you ready to take the plunge? May I now pronounce you Husband and wife?
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Sermon for Good Friday, 2024
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father – to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, you came down from heaven to earth from your Father’s side, suffered five wounds on the wood of the cross, and shed your precious blood for the forgiveness of our sins. At the day of judgment, set us at your right hand, speak to us those sweet words, “Come, you who are blessed, into my Father’s kingdom;” with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
What can release you from the debt your sin puts you in with the Lord God Almighty? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” (Hebrews 9:28)
What can restore your broken relationship with your heavenly Father? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. “ (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)
What secures the unmerited favour of God and what price can redeem you from eternal death and condemnation? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7)
What can avert the anger of God roused because of your rebellion? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. “ (Romans 5:9)
What is needed to heal the wounds caused by your sins and those perpetrated upon you? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)
What can revive a spiritually dead and perishing person? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” (John 6:53)
What can avert the punishment due for turning your back on God? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
What can purify the toxin of sin that runs in the veins of us all? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the Lord dwells in Zion” (Joel 3:21)
What will cleanse the injuries caused by mistrust and greed? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)
What can disarm the enemies of sin, death, and the devil? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15)
What can break the curse created by our failure to choose the right over the wrong? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”).” (Galatians 3:13)
What can incorporate you into the better covenant with its better promises from God? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “…at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:12-13)
What can make reparations for your misconduct towards God and your fellow man? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” (Leviticus 17:11)
What covers guilt and lets the guilty go free? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
What makes the proven guilty appear innocent before the judgment seat of God? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “…being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed…” (Romans 3:24-25)
What enables you to dare approach the living God? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13)
Through what can you share in now, as a foretaste of the future banquet that is eternal life? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16)
What can purify the waste of a sinful life? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)
And as Robert Lowry put it in the song we will soon sing, "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!" “… To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (Revelation 1:5)
What lets you and I dare proclaim victory in the face of defeat? Nothing but the blood of Jesus! “They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.” (Revelation 12:11)
Your precious blood, my brothers and sisters – not one drop, not even every last drop – can do such things! Not Abel’s bloodshed, not Abraham’s bloodshed (i.e. circumcision), not any of the patriarchs’, judges’ or prophets’ bloodshed, not the bloodshed of the martyrs of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, nothing but nothing but the blood of Jesus can free you from the distress and destruction and death of a world and life gone so horribly wrong.
Jesus’ sacrifice for your sin was costly, that’s for sure, but because blood represents life more than death, when Jesus bleeds he is offering you and the whole world his life. True life in the blood of the Second Adam, true life granted to the first in the Garden of Eden, but lost at his choosing; with a spear-thrust flowed from our Saviour's side.
Brothers and sisters in Christ: Nothing but the blood of Jesus makes this day Good!
May the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Sermon for Good Friday, 15 04 2022.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
St John writes: So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”
“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”
Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. This took place to fulfil what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die. (John 18:29-32).
Let us pray: Help us, O Lord, to glory only in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Gal 6:14).
What a tragedy! What a miscarriage of justice! What an obscene perversion of natural justice and procedural fairness! A man denied even a proper trial! Innocent, or even guilty: every man deserves an unbiased hearing. Pontius Pilate was right. He rightly said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
Everyone knows, or at least used to know: ‘that the law is good if one uses it properly... (1 Timothy 1:8-11).
Lawbreakers and the lawless are a problem in church and society: a big problem, but church and society can deal with them. In society we have the courts, the correctional facilities, penalties, fines, confiscations, or whatever other befitting punishment that is needed to curb the lawbreakers and the lawless. And the church has the ban for those who publicly sin and are unrepentant and obtuse about bringing shame on the congregation and the name of Jesus. Church and society can deal with the rebellious and sinners; no problems.
But assessment and adjudication is not what mankind will afford Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Man. Such is evil, that due process gets thrown out the palace window.
But it had to be so! It had to be cobbled together. This wasn’t something that was going to make any sense. As St John narrated, ‘This took place to fulfil what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die’ (John 18:32).
Listen to a summary of this kangaroo court at work!
They couldn’t even find two witnesses that agreed with each other on the charges, until ‘Finally two came forward 61 and declared, ‘This fellow said, “I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days”’ (Mtt 26:60-61). But that wasn’t even what Jesus had said. He said, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days’ (Jn 2:19).
The mud wasn’t sticking, but still, ‘Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. 2 So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor’ (Mtt 27:1-2). And yet the mud sloughed-off even faster when Pilate examined him. No one could truthfully answer Pilate’s question, ‘What crime has he committed?’ (Mtt 27:23; Mk 15:14; Lk 23:22). Among the mixed-up charges was the accusation, ‘We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king’ (Lk 23:2). If it proved to be true, a rebel and a tax-dodger can be dealt with. But how does anyone deal with the claim to Messiahship or kingship? You believe or you don’t. And if you don’t, you laugh him out of the courtroom, not sentence him to death.
Pilate could see what they were up to and asked, ‘Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?’ … 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him’ (Mk 15:9-10). But even though Pilate repeatedly ‘found no basis for a charge against Jesus’ (Lk 23:4, 14, 22; John 18:38; 19:4, 6), this strong political leader went soft at the pressure of the masses, and ‘washing his hands of the matter’ (Mtt 27:24) ‘released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified’ (Mk 15:15). In doing so, Pilate ‘surrendered Jesus to their will’ (Lk 23:25). And what a horrendously dangerous place to find himself in – the will of the people, and an angry mob at that!
Those who could come to his defense ‘all deserted him and fled’ (Mtt 26:56b). Even one of his closest friends said three times, ‘I don’t know the man!’ (Mtt 26:70, 72, 74). Such is the force of self-preservation!
Brothers and sisters in Christ: The motive from the beginning was to declare Jesus an outlaw! ‘Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, 4 and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 5 ‘But not during the festival,’ they said, ‘or there may be a riot among the people’ (Matt 26:3-5). All along they were ‘…looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death’ (Mtt 26:59).
There was even a kind of bounty put out on him. ‘…one of the Twelve – the one called Judas Iscariot – went to the chief priests 15 and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver’ (Mtt 26:14-15).
They even knew he was innocent and had time to change their minds! ‘When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 ‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood.’ ‘What is that to us?’ they replied. ‘That’s your responsibility’ (Mtt 27:3-4). But all they did was change tack in order to keep in pursuit of the outlaw.
At the end, and with such a tragic irony, ‘The Jewish leaders insisted, ‘We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God’ (Jn 19:7). Come on people! Which is it? Is it, ‘We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God’ (Jn 19:7). Or is it, ‘But we have no right to execute anyone’? (Jn 18:31). For goodness sake, chose one! But they can’t, for even evil is at odds with itself.
And then Barabbas, the guilty man walks free, all-the-while the innocent man before them has not even the basic human rights of natural justice, nor procedural fairness to stand upon. Jesus, the Word made flesh, the Second Adam was truly dehumanized in this miscarriage of justice. Wanted: Dead or Alive. Preferably dead and buried. Out of the way. Silenced. Treated as an outlaw. And the law doesn’t apply to an outlaw. You can do what you want with an outlaw!
What a tragedy! What a miscarriage of justice! What an obscene perversion of natural justice and procedural fairness! Denied even a proper trial! But it had to be so, for God’s justice was being met here. The fullness of man’s sin, and the total corruption of evil, demanded this day a perfect and innocent sacrifice of atonement and for the full propitiation of God’s anger. So God meets it out upon himself, in his own flesh and blood, his one and only Son. No man can atone for his sins. So Jesus dies innocent, so that the guilty may have a chance when the law accuses. Brothers and sisters, ‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole’ (Gal 3:13).
St Paul tells us that, ‘Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes’ (Rom 10:4). Jesus, never broke a single law, not of God, nor of society. He fulfilled the law. He was blameless. Yet what does man do? Because he can’t get his facts straight or put together a solid case; because there’s always someone else to blame, to “pin-it-on,” he treats the accused as if there were no longer any laws. Today man treats God in the flesh, as an outlaw. And when you have rendered the verdict in your heart that you are dealing with an outlaw, you can do with him as you please! And so we did.
And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Sermon for Good Friday, 2021
In no particular order, and for the second of sermon of the Easter Triduum (3-part) service, we consider these four texts of Scripture under the one theme of the atonement of sin, that which makes this Friday, Good Friday for us:
‘Jesus Christ, the Righteous One…is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world’ (1 John 2:1-2)
‘This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins’ (1 John 4:10).
‘God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood – to be received by faith’ (Romans 3:25a).
‘For this reason [Jesus] had to be made like [us], fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people’ (Hebrews 2:17).
Let us pray: Lord, sanctify us in the truth, your Word is Truth. Amen.
Brothers and sisters in Christ: Let me take you back to a conversation I had, (well I was more of a listener to the conversation) one Sunday morning during my vicarage year. It was late 2007 or early 2008. My vicar father, myself and a pastoral assistant were in the vestry attached to the side of the church building. The pastoral assistant opened the door into the sanctuary and went out and up to the altar to light the candles. Having lit them, he came back asked an interesting question. It was a question I did not know the answer too, hence why I was more a listener than a contributor. The pastoral assistant put his question to us like this: ‘Which candle is the “Law Candle” and which is the “Gospel Candle?” ’My vicar-father wisely, or hesitatingly didn’t answer at the time. He either didn’t know or waited to see if I knew the answer. From that time onwards, it was a question that I wanted to know the answer - “What do those two candles, if anything more than the light of Christ and God’s presence here with us, represent?”
You well know that having two candles on the altar - one positioned to the left of the crucifix, the other on the right - is a very common feature in so many churches.
The pastoral assistant’s question, I thought, was a very good one, and it is! He knew enough theology to know that there is such a thing as The Law and The Gospel. Maybe he knew the phrase Law & Gospel? It’s almost a Lutheran Trademark – ‘Law & Gospel’ and the proper distinction thereof.
Maybe he knew that the Ten Commandments summarize all of God’s Law – that which God commands to be obeyed, verses the Gospel – as the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ – news that informs us that the requirements of obedience to God’s Law have been fulfilled by the perfectly obedient Son of God – Jesus of Nazareth. And one hopes that the pastoral assistant could add, “Therefore, the Christian, by faith in Jesus, will not receive God’s perfect and holy justice, delivered in his wrath, due for failing to keep all, or any, of the Law.”
So you can imagine that it’s a perfectly good assumption to arrive at the possibility that one of the two candles symbolises the Law of God, while the other symbolises the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It may make even more sense to assume this, both visually and symbolically, since the crucifix stands central between them. For Jesus, as the Second Adam, stands in Adam’s place, that means our place and all humanity’s place as well, and receives the death sentence and alienation from God as the just penalty for man's disobedience, which is essentially his unbelief. Death is the wages of sin. But Jesus dies the death we deserve for our failure to live perfectly obedient to the perfect demands of the Law. Faith in Christ Jesus’ atonement of sin, or put slightly differently, in his propitiation of God’s justice and wrath, this faith, this trust, is credited as righteousness.
Propitiation is a technical word we don’t look at and appreciate enough, but it’s in each of the verses of the Bible I quoted at the beginning of this sermon:
‘Jesus Christ, the Righteous One…is the atoning sacrifice (i.e. propitiation) for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world’ (1 John 2:1-2)
‘This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice (i.e. propitiation) for our sins’ (1 John 4:10).
‘God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement (i.e. propitiation), through the shedding of his blood – to be received by faith’ (Romans 3:25a).
‘For this reason [Jesus] had to be made like [us], fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement (i.e. propitiation) for the sins of the people’ (Hebrews 2:17).
Propitiation is another word that means satisfaction. Because God is a holy God, His anger and justice burns against sin. And He has sworn that sin will be punished.
So there must be a satisfactory payment for sin. But God said, “If I punish man for his sin, he will die and go eternally to hell. On the other hand, said God, “If I don’t punish man for his sin, My justice will never be satisfied.”
The solution? God said that He would become our substitute. He would take the sin of mankind upon Himself in agony and blood—a righteous judgment and substitute for sin.
His wrath burned out on the cross when His only Son died as man’s propitiation for sin.
So, brothers and sisters in Christ: it would make perfect sense, visually and symbolically to have a so-called Law Candle and a Gospel Candle, neatly and centrally divided by the very means of our salvation - the crucifix, that which procured the propitiation of God’s wrath and justice - the very symbol of the death of the Son of God upon a Roman Cross!
But, brothers and sisters in Christ: there is no Law Candle up there on the altar, not to the left, nor to the right of the crucifix.
How can there be a so-called Law Candle up there on the altar at all, that is, if we believe and confess that the Law of God has been satisfied by the death of Jesus Christ our Lord?
God’s justice and his wrath over sin has been satisfied by the death of his only Beloved Son. Therefore, the perfect demands of the Law, and remember that the Law demands EVERYTHING from you, has been satisfied by Jesus! The ultimate sacrifice, the once and once-for-all sacrifice of the Son of God, that is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, that which every Old Testament animal sacrifice pointed forwards to, has been made by God himself!
Therefore, in Christ Jesus, the perfect Law of God cannot make any demands from you. Every demand has been satisfied! The devil will try, but he cannot legitimately use your failures in keeping God’s commands against you. Satan goes by the name The Accuser. But remember the Jesus named The Accuser: the Father of lies! When you have failed God and Satan accuses you of it, remember that Jesus has not failed God. Whoever believes this has been atoned for and therefore God’s wrath at sin has already been satisfied. Satan might accuse you, but so what, God’s wrath is satisfied. The Law’s demands have been satisfied, therefore Satan can certainly accuse you day and night, but he cannot condemn you! When Satan accuses you, tell him to take it up with Jesus! Jesus is your sure defence. The scars in his hands and feet, and the wound in his side prove it. And better yet, Jesus’ last will and testament will deliver it to you in the morning in the holy meal: the very body and blood of Jesus, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins!
So what is up there on the altar? What do the two candles represent or symbolise? Well, the pastoral assistant was 50% correct. On the left is placed the Gospel Candle. So what’s on the right? It might seem too simple an answer, but the right-side candle is simply the Epistle Candle!
The Law of God, the righteousness of God, his justice and wrath have been satisfied, so there is no room, and certainly no need for a candle to symbolise God’s Law upon the altar. But what was secured upon the cross, that which the crucifix symbolises, that is, the death of death itself, and the yoke of slavery to sin being removed, now goes out from there into the world. Just like light goes out into the whole church from the candles' flames, so too, does the Good News of Jesus Christ go out into all the world through the preaching and teaching of the New Testament’s message as given to us in the Four Gospels and 21 Epistles.
For the mercy-seat of God, which the English word propitiation captures, is no longer on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant enveloped between the wings of the two cherubim. The mercy-seat of God is now enfleshed in the person of Christ Jesus. ‘The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us’ (Jn 1:14a) so says St John.
Brothers and sisters of Christ: one might argue that the altar should be completely empty of any symbolism: the flowers to be placed on pedestals, the Bible to be on the Lectern, the candlesticks to be behind on stands, the crucifix on the wall, etc. And there’s some room for discussion about these things at another time. For the extras you have on your altar are not sinful, but a matter of heritage and piety. But in our churches, only the symbols of the New Testament, that is, the New Covenant, are to adorn the altar. Have you ever thought of that? The lit Candles signify this most clearly, while the Lord’s Supper not only signifies it, but in truth and reality, deliver it. That’s the Covenant we live in; not the Old. The author of Hebrews says, ‘By calling this covenant ‘new’, [God] has made the first one obsolete’ (Heb 8:13). And in the context of the establishment and delivery of the New Covenant, St Paul says, ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!’ (2 Cor 5:17).
So brothers and sisters in Christ: ‘Which candle is the “Law Candle” and which is the “Gospel Candle?”’ The one on the left is the Gospel Candle and the one on the right is called the Epistle Candle. The Law Candle, if there ever was such a candle, doesn’t belong on the altar. It has no place to stand there on the altar because of the bloodshed and death of Jesus, the atoning sacrifice for sin. There is a place for the law of God in directing one's life away from sin and onto a godly path. The Ten Commandments are a guide to all of us in making the right choices in life, that's for sure, but the Law of God cannot shine at us demandingly from the altar, all because:
‘Jesus Christ, the Righteous One…is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world’ (1 John 2:1-2)
‘This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins’ (1 John 4:10).
‘God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood – to be received by faith’ (Romans 3:25a).
‘For this reason [Jesus] had to be made like [us], fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people’ (Hebrews 2:17).
In the name of Christ. Amen.
Sermon for Good Friday 10.04.2020
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Jesus prays his First Word from the cross to his Father saying:
‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’ (Lk 23:34).
Let us pray: Lord, sanctify us in the truth; your Word is Truth. Amen.
What on earth are you doing?
There’s no doubt in my mind that, as a parent or caregiver that you have said in exasperation to a child, one or more of the following examples:
Ah! What are you doing! Put that knife down its dangerous!
Ah! What are you doing! Give me those matches!
Ah! What are you doing! Stop pushing your little brother down!
Ah! What are you doing! Watch where you are going!
Ah! What are you doing! I just cleaned that!
Ah! What are you doing…?
And if I was wrong making that conclusion, then I know for sure that I won’t be wrong coming to the conclusion that, if it wasn’t said by you, then it was definitely said to you at some point in your youth!
"What on earth are you doing?" is the message for all humanity to consider every day, and especially on this most solemn holy day.
"For heavens sake, what on earth are you doing? We spend our entire lives trying to figure out what we are doing.
The raw truth of the matter is that we don't know what we are doing! We didn't know yesterday, we sure don't know today, and we won't know tomorrow either! The truth is that we are all stumbling around in the dark.
There was a soldier on sentry duty one dark night in France during the Second World War. One fateful night he surprised himself by getting the perfect shot-off at a German soldier coming toward him down a country road. When he went to examine the body, he discovered it to be one of his best friends from another unit. He wasn't at all consoled by the well-meaning chaplain who had said to him, "But you didn't know what you were doing."
A stockbroker pulled out his charts and graphs in order to impress you. You ask him, "Does this mean that you have transformed stock-broking from a form of gambling to the level of a sure-thing?" He says to you, "No, it means that I am giving you the illusion that I have all the information and that I really know what I am doing."
But the cold, hard, matter-of-fact truth is that we don't know what we're doing! None of us do! It's a fact, not an excuse!
Some Roman Soldiers, the Jewish religious hierarchy, the raving mob - how did each of you decide to murder God's Son?
Was it that you thought that you were standing up for law and order?
Was it that you believed you were supporting good biblical values?
Were you just obeying orders?
Did you just have a gut-feeling?
On the surface, on the level of human understanding, you can answer this question satisfactorily along with all those standing around the crosses upon Golgotha on that first of all Good Fridays.
He’s a blasphemer! How dare he besmirch our God?
It’s better that he dies, rather than putting the whole nation at risk!
I don’t understand, so I wash my hands of it all!
I’m a soldier, and a fierce one at that! I did my duty!
But with eternity in view - an eternity unseen, unnamed and unrecognized by almost everybody that had a hand in the issuing and execution of the death sentence upon the Son of God – we, too, now stand there with them under the same just judgment, “You do not know what you are doing.”
It’s just as Jesus said so, ‘they do not know what they are doing’ (Lk 23:34).
What was it that Satan promised humanity in the Garden of Eden? Knowledge! It was knowledge that he promised.
Eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and your eyes will be opened, you will know, you will know, you will know. You will be just like God. God knows everything. You will know! You will know!
At Satan's invitation, humanity took, ate, and our eyes were opened. And what did we see? Ourselves stripped naked! Our eyes were opened and we knew only one thing: we were naked and afraid. Our desire for knowledge only exposed our vulnerability!
The parable of the sheep and the goats (Mt 25:31-46) describes the great judgment. The goats on the judge's left are the ones who have not done good to the "least of these." They are the ones who do not recognise the incognito Christ among the poor, the imprisoned and the oppressed. They are eternally punished.
The sheep on the judge's right however do reach out to the "least of these" and are eternally rewarded. They know the answer for the exam of the final judgment "I helped, I visited - they know, they have the knowledge to answer correctly!
No they don't! No way! That's not at all what Jesus says in this parable.
Both sheep and goats have the exact same answer! "Lord, when did we see you?"
My friends, the sheep are as ignorant as the goats! They all said, "Lord, when did we see you?"
The blessed sheep knew enough to visit the prisoner, to give the cup of cold water, and so on, but they don't see Jesus any more clearly than the unethical, apathetic goats. They are all as ignorant as each other! When it comes to seeing Jesus, in the end, you can't tell a sheep from a goat. Both have nothing more to say for themselves before the throne of judgment than the mystifying answer: "Lord, when did we see you?"
Jesus' parable of judgment is not only a glimpse into ethical behaviour; rather it is to be considered as the concluding symphony of our ignorance. It is just as Jesus said so, ‘they do not know what they are doing’ (Lk 23:34).
How then does God deal with our undeniable and unalterable ignorance?
Jesus has the answer. God’s Wisdom wins the day. In answer to our ignorance Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’ (Lk 23:34).
Jesus on the cross brings our ignorance under the power his forgiveness.
But ignorance and forgiveness are supposed to be intolerable of each other. You say, and I say, "Forgiveness is fine - as long as the one who offends me first knows about it and admits that what they did was wrong. You better be sorry and come and bow down and admit it to my face, then I will forgive!"
But in that First Word, Jesus began, "Father, forgive."
He begins with forgiveness. Forgiveness must come first. Forgiveness is the first step. It is the bridge that only God can construct towards us. The first word into our darkness is, the first word despite our ignorance is, "Father, forgive."
There, in forgiving from the cross, Jesus is only doing what he did throughout his ministry. He was forever walking up to folk and, without warning, saying to those he met, "your sins are forgiven you," and "go, sin no more, your sins are forgiven." Almost nobody ever asked him to forgive them. If God had to wait until we recognized the wrong that we did, then he would still be waiting! If God was willing to keep waiting to talk to us until we first admitted that we were wrong, then that conversation would never get underway!
The author Reynolds Price who was suffering from a tumour on his spine reported that he had a dream. In this dream he was standing in the knee deep waters of the Jordan River, and there was Jesus, baptizing. In his dream Jesus looked at Reynolds and said, "My son, your sins are forgiven." Reynolds snorted back at Jesus, "Who said I was worried about my sin? I want to be cured of this tumour!" Jesus responded, "That too." Jesus knew that without forgiveness being the first word spoken, that there would never be a meeting between God and humanity.
In war they talk of preemptive strikes - to get in first. Here, from the cross we have preemptive forgiveness. For us, forgiveness is always an after-strike - an after thought. "Let the offender ask for forgiveness, say that they are sorry, truly sorry, then come for forgiveness." But at Calvary, nobody asked to be forgiven. And yet we have those first words, "Father, forgive." And its these very words that have opened up heaven to us!
Is this Jesus at his most offensive, because of his preemptive forgiveness? Is this why we nailed him to the cross, in his forgiving us even before we asked and, what is more, asking us to forgive others? In a sermon on forgiveness, St Augustine said that sometimes people in his church omitted the phrase from the Lord's Prayer that says, "and forgive us our sins and we forgive those who sin against us." They passed over that phrase silently because they knew they would be lying if they said it. They knew, says St Augustine, that in those words that they were making a kind of covenant with God. They knew that forgiveness is hard, costly, full of grace and truth!
When there is injustice, when we are wronged, we first get a lawyer and get even. We need restitution and compensation before we can forgive. Sin has to be named and claimed and owned as sin. Yet, from the cross, Jesus forgives precisely because we don't know sin as sin. We don't know what we are doing.
It is just as Jesus said so, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing’ (Lk 23:34).
And the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.