I AM - Resurrection and Life

 

I AM – 6

I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE

… based on John 11:17-44

On 27 November 1969 … Thanksgiving night … 

as I was saying good-bye to my Dad, he hugged me, & cried.  

(6:00 the next morning I was inducted into the Army.)

2 things have ingrained that scene into my mind.  

1st, my Dad never hugged me; my Mom was the physically affectionate one.

And 2ndly, I had never seen my Dad cry before.

I then drove the 50 miles to Pittsburgh where I spent the night at my cousin’s, (who would take me to the Federal Building early Friday morning).  But by the time I arrived at her house my Dad had already called to apologize for crying.  

He said, “men aren’t supposed to cry … at least not in front of other people.”

Obviously, Jesus never heard that “rule” because, 

as we will see in our Gospel lesson today, He openly wept in front of a crowd.  I’m specifically talking about John 11:35 … the shortest verse in the Bible.

So, listen now to Good News, as recorded by John, 

to we who have gathered here this Easter morning for worship.

Within our hearing comes the Word of the Lord …

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had been buried four days before.  Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Judeans had come to see Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother’s death.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed in the house.  Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died!  But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask him for.”

“Your brother will rise to life,” Jesus told her.

“I know,” she replied, “that he will rise to life on the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; and those who live and believe in me will never die.  Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord!” she answered.  “I do believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

After Martha said this, she went back and called her sister Mary privately.  “The Teacher is here,” she told her, “and is asking for you.”  When Mary heard this, she got up and hurried out to meet him.  (Jesus had not yet arrived in the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him.)  The people who were in the house with Mary comforting her followed her when they saw her get up and hurry out.  They thought that she was going to the grave to weep there.  

Mary arrived where Jesus was, and as soon as she saw him, she fell at his feet.  “Lord,” she said, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died!”

Jesus saw her weeping, and he saw how the people with her were weeping also; his heart was touched, and he was deeply moved.  “Where have you buried him?” he asked them.

“Come and see, Lord,” they answered.

Jesus wept.  “See how much he loved him!” the people said. 

But some of them said, “He gave sight to the blind man, didn’t he?  

“Could he not have kept Lazarus from dying?”

Deeply moved once more, Jesus went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone placed at the entrance.  “Take the stone away!” Jesus ordered.  

Martha, the dead man’s sister, answered, “There will be a bad smell, Lord.  He has been buried four days!”

Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believed?”  They took the stone away.  Jesus looked up and said, “I thank you, Father, that you listen to me.  I know that you always listen to me, but I say this for the sake of the people here, so that they will believe that you sent me.”  After he had said this, he called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  He came out, his hands and feet wrapped in grave cloths, and with a cloth around his face.  “Untie him,” Jesus told them, “and let him go.”  (John 11:17-44)                                                                                                    

This is the Good News of the Gospel; thanks be to God.

May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification. Amen

I remember when I was in S.S., especially 4th, 5th, & 6th grades.  

We had to memorize a Bible verse every week.

Now the girls would always come with these great passages that probably had lots of theological significance … but we boys … spent way too much time searching the Scriptures for brevity.

So, our favorite verses to memorize became:

• 1 Thessalonians 5:16 … “Be joyful always.”

• Or, Luke 17:32 … “Remember Lot’s wife!”

• And the most popular of all, John 11:35 … “Jesus wept.”

Well, there are a couple of reasons why Jesus wasn’t embarrassed for weeping in front of a crowd.  For one thing, crying was expected of men in 

crying was expected of men in Jesus’ day under certain conditions.

The Jews had elevated mourning & grieving to an art form.

The rabbis wrote a religious rule book for everyday living called “The Talmud.”  One of the “rules” was that men were required to mourn for 30 days.  In fact, the 1st 3 days they were to weep uncontrollably.  

For the rest of the week, they were to lament out loud, & then,

for the remainder of the 30 days, they were to go without shaving & bathing … (which, I’m sure, brought tears to everybody else’s eyes).

So, it wasn’t an unusual thing in Jesus’ day for men to cry.

A 2nd reason why the crowd certainly wouldn’t make “fun” of Jesus at this moment was that Lazarus was one of His best friends (John 11:3) … & now he had passed.  In fact, the words “Jesus wept” are followed with the people commenting … “See how much he loved him!”

And that’s the great irony … because Jesus wasn’t crying over the loss of Lazarus.  He knew from the moment that He got word about Lazarus’ sickness that He was going to raise him from the dead. (John 11:14) He even “teased” His disciples about this.  He said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I will go & wake him up.” (John 11:11) (That was a thinly veiled reference about His intention to raise Lazarus from the dead.)

So, knowing that His friend would be alive & well within a few moments,

we can assume that Jesus wasn’t crying over Lazarus’ passing.

So, why was He weeping?

Let’s look at the passage.  

“Jesus saw Mary weeping, & he saw how the people with her were weeping also; his heart was touched, & he was deeply moved.”

Now John is going to use that exact same expression again a few sentences later … “Deeply moved once more, Jesus went to the tomb, 

which was a cave with a stone placed at the entrance.”

Actually, “deeply moved,” (ἐμβριμάομαι), is a very interesting phrase.

It really means “intensely angry”!  It means “outrage”!  In Greek literature it’s the expression used of a snorting horse that’s pawing the ground.  

So, what was Jesus so angry about as He approached the grave of Lazarus? 

John explains at the beginning of his Gospel that Jesus is the author of life.  He writes … 

“Through him God made all things; 

not 1 thing in all creation was made without him.  

Jesus was the source of life, & this life brought light to people.” (John 1:3-4)

Jesus is the life-giver.  Jesus hates death.  

Jesus knows that death is not the way it’s supposed to be. (Genesis 3:20)

The Apostle Paul wrote … 

“Sin came into the world through 1 man, & his sin brought death with it.

As a result, death has spread to the whole human race

because everyone has sinned.” (Romans 5:12)

So, as Jesus stood at the graveside of Lazarus, He wasn’t grieving over the loss of His friend, He was trembling with rage because He realized … “This isn’t the way I intended it to be.  This life I created wasn’t supposed to be destroyed this way.”  And at that point, 

Jesus raises His friend Lazarus from the dead.

This is the final recorded miracle of Jesus’ earthly ministry … & it’s the biggest.  More than any other, it demonstrates Jesus’ omnipotence … 

His unlimited power.  And this morning we’ll see 5 aspects of that power.

Here’s the 1st one … it’s invited power.  

“Deeply moved once more, Jesus went to the tomb, which was a cave with a stone placed at the entrance.   ‘Take the stone away!’ Jesus ordered.” 

Why did Jesus order the stone to be removed? … Certainly, the Son of God, who was about to raise a man from the dead, could have supernaturally eliminated that stone as well.  He could have called for a thunderbolt from Heaven & demolished it into 5,280 pieces … which would have been a great prelude to the raising of Lazarus, by the way.  “Now that I’ve got your attention … here’s the miracle!”  Instead, Jesus requests human participation before He demonstrates His awesome power.  Isn’t that interesting? …

Do you remember the one time in the Gospels where Jesus was unable to do many miracles? … It was in His hometown, Nazareth.  “Because they did not have faith, Jesus did not perform many miracles there.” (Matthew 13:58)

Jesus typically reserves the greatest displays of His power for those 

who demonstrate an expectation that big things are about to happen.

Now Martha & Mary, Lazarus’ sisters, had already expressed a little of this kind of faith.  When Lazarus became deathly ill the 1st thing the sisters did was send for Jesus (John 11:3) … “Jesus, please come.”  They recognized that they needed some supernatural help … & they knew where to get it.

It was a step of faith on their part … call for the Savior.

And then when Jesus arrives, Martha (verse 21) & Mary (verse 32) both say the same thing.  “If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died!”

These brokenhearted women are still expressing faith.

They’d seen Jesus heal people.  And they’re saying, “Lord, we know that if you had been here, you could have/would have healed Lazarus.”

The 1st miracle that Jesus performed was turning water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana. (John 2:1-11) Do you remember what He did just prior to that miracle? … He told the servants to fill 6 stone jars with water, (each held 20-30 gallons).  Was Jesus capable of filling those empty jars with wine without any water in them? … Of course … so why fill the jars? 

The same thing was going on in the 1st miracle as is happening in His final miracle.  Jesus is looking for some evidence of faith.  “Fill these jars with water.” … “Take the stone away!”  It’s not that Jesus needs our help …

Jesus just wants to know that we really want His help.  Jesus waits to see if we’re willing to move the stone in anticipation of what we expect Him to do.

2nd, this is invincible power. (Luke 1:37)

“Martha, the dead man’s sister, answered, ‘There will be a bad smell, 

Lord.  He has been buried 4 days!’

“Jesus said to her, 

‘Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believed?’”

Now hearing Martha’s words, it doesn’t really sound like she’s truly expecting a miracle, does it? … Jesus says, “Take the stone away!”  And it appears that Martha responds, “You’ve got to be kidding.”  But to Martha’s defense, the story isn’t over yet.  All we’re seeing at this point is Martha’s immediate reaction.  But it isn’t long before they’re removing the stone.  So, 

let me suggest that faith sometimes needs a long runway before it takes off.

A 2nd thing, in Martha’s defense … she had the faith that if Jesus had arrived in time, He would have healed her brother.  It’s just that power to heal is one thing … power to resurrect is another.  No one expected that.  

“Some of the people said, ‘He gave sight to the blind man, didn’t he?  

Could he not have kept Lazarus from dying?’”

Everyone was willing to concede … Jesus restored sight to the blind, 

He performed all sorts of miracles, & “could have” kept Lazarus from dying …

if He had arrived on time. 

 But a resurrection made nobody’s list of possibilities.

Now, I know, if you’ve read the Gospels, you’re thinking … 

“Hey, didn’t Jesus already raise a couple of other people from the dead?” …

Yes, but they weren’t as “dead” as Lazarus!

In the 1st instance, the Synagogue ruler Jairus comes to Jesus, 

“My little daughter is very sick.  Please come & place your hands on her, 

so that she will get well & live!”  So, Jesus goes with him.  

But on the way some messengers come & tell Jairus, 

“Your daughter has died.  Why bother the Teacher any longer?”  

Jesus looks at him & says, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.” (Mark 5:22-24,35-43)

Jesus arrives at Jairus’ home … takes his daughter’s hand, which is probably still warm, & says … “Little girl, I tell you to get up!”  

And she got up at once.  Jesus raises her from the dead … barely dead.

In the 2nd instance, Jesus is out & about & a funeral procession is going by.  

They’re carrying a young man to the graveyard.  (Now in that culture people were buried the day they died.  There was no way to preserve a body, 

& in that climate, it would begin to decompose right away.)  So,

Jesus goes over to the coffin, & says, “Young man!  Get up, I tell you!”  He raises this only son of a bereaved widow … also just barely dead. (Luke 7:11-15)

The situation with Lazarus was entirely different.  Lazarus was dead dead.

Martha tells us that in a couple of ways.  

1st of all, she says that “he has been buried 4 days.”

There was a superstition in Jesus’ day that the spirit of a person would hang around the dead body for 3 days in the hope that the person might be resuscitated.  But after 3 days it left.  Lazarus has been buried 4 days.

The 2nd thing that underscores his deadness is “a bad smell.”

The body, in other words, has begun to decompose.  (The King James Version graphically puts it, “Lord, he stinketh.”)  Lazarus was dead dead. 

And while there were many in this crowd who were willing to grant the fact that Jesus could pull off the occasional miracle, & might even be able to possibly raise a recently dead body to life … dead dead people were an entirely different matter.  That would require invincible power.  That would require power so awesome that it could only be described as Jesus does … 

“God’s glory.”  Jesus says to Martha,

“Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory?”

Sometimes I wonder if we don’t carry around in our minds a list of what we think Jesus can & cannot do.  We believe in Jesus’ power … 

up to a certain point, but anything beyond that … it just isn’t going to happen.

I’m not suggesting that our Lord is going to say “yes” to every one of our prayer requests, but I know this … He’s not going to say “yes” to prayers that are never prayed because of unbelief.  

Do you believe that Jesus’ power is invincible? … 

Or are there some things that you pray for, 

but not other things because they’re beyond what God can do?

3rd, this is identifiable power.

“They took the stone away.  Jesus looked up & said, ‘I thank you, Father, that you listen to me.  I know that you always listen to me, 

but I say this for the sake of the people here, 

so that they will believe that you sent me.’”

What I want you to get from this passage, 

is the inseparable link between Jesus & His Father.

1st, “Jesus looked up.”  Jesus could have prayed with His head bowed 

& His eyes closed.  I believe that looking up was a dramatic gesture on Jesus’ part to intentionally let those people know that He & God were working together on this.

Then He says, “I thank you, Father, that you listen to me.” …

“You listen to me.”  Jesus knows for a fact that God listens to Him.  So, what is it that God has heard? … What God has been listening to is the continuous communication that Jesus has been having with Him all along. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Now up to this point the volume has been kept low, but now Jesus turns up the sound so that everyone else can hear who He’s talking to.  

But this has been a nonstop dialogue that’s already in progress.

“I know that you always listen to me, but I say this for the sake of the people here, so that they will believe that you sent me.”

Jesus is telling His listeners … “I’m on a mission.  I’ve come from a place other than planet earth.  I’ve been sent.  The Father sent me.  

I’m working on His agenda.  He & I are doing this together.” (John 10:30)

This is a God thing.  Jesus is setting up the crowd for the miracle.

He just wants them to understand that when He calls Lazarus from the dead … that God is the one who has done this. (John 6:38)

When I was a boy, I used to love to watch Zorro.

The thing I especially liked was the moment Zorro rescued somebody.

He would always do what? … He’d leave his signature behind.  He’d take out his sword & go … (Z) & there’d be this huge “Z” for everyone to see,

so no one would be in the dark as to who had done this.

Jesus has taken out His “sword” as it were & swiped a large “G” in everybody’s mind.  God!  What you’re about to see is a God thing!  

The Father & I are working together in concert with each other.  (John 14:9-10)

4th, this is internalized power.

“After he had said this, he called out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’  

He came out, his hands & feet wrapped in grave cloths.”

Just a couple of amusing side notes.  1st of all, Jesus “called out in a loud voice.”  Back in those days there were a lot of traveling magicians & wizards who would mumble their “hocus-pocus” when casting a spell.  Jesus wants to distinguish Himself from those charlatans.  There’s no secret chant going on here.  No magical words are being said.  This is straight forward God power.  He speaks loud enough for everyone to hear. 

The other thing that I find kind of amusing is that Jesus uses Lazarus’ name.  “Lazarus, come out!”

Some Bible scholars have suggested that if He hadn’t used Lazarus’ name, the whole graveyard would have come alive.  If He had just said, “Come out!” … how many dead bodies would have responded? …

Let your imagination go with that thought. …

Now what made this miracle so amazing, (besides a dead man coming back to life), was Jesus’ Jewish audience didn’t have much of an understanding about the concept of resurrection.  Believe it or not, there’s very little in the O.T., (which would have been their Scripture), about it.

The Psalmist alludes to it a few times writing that the Lord’s blessing 

would be extended beyond this life. (The Psalms 16:10; 49:15)

Job states, “I know there is someone in Heaven … 

& someday I will see him with my own eyes.” (Job 19:25,27)

Daniel writes … “Many of those who have already died will live again: some will enjoy eternal life, & some will suffer eternal disgrace.” (Daniel 12:2)

And Isaiah … “Those of our people who have died will live again!” (Isaiah 26:19)

But once we get beyond those few Scriptures there’s not much else that describes resurrection.  In fact, there were 2 major religious parties in Jesus’ day … 

Pharisees & Sadducees, & the Sadducees, (religious leaders mind you), 

didn’t even believe in a resurrection! (The Acts 23:8) What’s the old joke?  

The Sadducees don’t believe in Heaven, that’s why they’re sad-you-see.

Now because this miracle was done “less than 2 miles from Jerusalem” & due to the fact that Martha, Mary, & Lazarus were a prominent family, 

& many Judeans had come to comfort them … 

there were a great # of people milling around.

I suspect there must have even been some Sadducees there.  

Wouldn’t you have loved to see the look on their faces when Lazarus came out of the tomb?  Kind of wrecks their whole theology, doesn’t it?

Resurrection!  This is a doctrine that’s personified by Jesus Himself.

“Martha said to Jesus, ‘If you had been here, 

Lord, my brother would not have died!  

But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask him for.’

“‘Your brother will rise to life,’ Jesus told her.

“‘I know,’ she replied, ‘that he will rise to life on the last day.’

(Martha has pieced together those O.T. passages 

& believes that there will be a resurrection.)

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection & the life.  

Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; & those who live 

& believe in me will never die.  Do you believe this?’

“‘Yes, Lord!’ she answered.  ‘I do believe that you are the Messiah, 

the Son of God, who was to come into the world.’”

What Jesus is questioning isn’t,

“Do you believe this theological doctrine?”  He’s asking, “Do you believe in this person standing in front of you?”  And Martha responds, “Yes, Lord!  

I believe that you are who you claim to be, the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Please note … Jesus is not just a person who does resurrection …

Jesus is the resurrection.  Jesus is not just a person who makes people alive … Jesus is the life. This is not a S.S. lesson about the doctrine of resurrection; this is about a personal relationship with the One who is resurrection & who is life.  

Do you believe in Him?  Martha announces boldly … “Yes, I do!”

“In the past you were spiritually dead because of your disobedience & sins.” 

(Ephesians 2:1)

Spiritually speaking, we are dead, lifeless.  We can’t do anything to merit our own salvation.  We’re hopeless.  We’re helpless.  It takes Jesus to resurrect us to new life spiritually.  And the day is coming when we believe that this is going to happen physically.  We’re going to be resurrected in an eternal sense.  I am so looking forward to that day!  We sang about it a moment ago.  “I’ll see the lights of glory & I’ll know He lives.”

Jesus told them, “Untie him, & let him go.”  This is inaugurating power.

We all know about inaugurations; we have them every 4 years.

It’s the beginning of something new, something fresh, something that creates expectation.  Lazarus has just been raised from the dead … 

but somebody has got to set him loose from his grave clothes.

Getting raised from the dead is only the 1st step.  Try to picture this.  Here’s this guy just raised from the dead, & He’s struggling to get out of the tomb.  And everybody is just standing there with their mouths open … nobody’s doing anything about it.  It takes Jesus to do that.  The power that Jesus gives is not just the power to start us out in the Christian life; 

it’s the power to transform our life. (Romans 12:2)

One final thought …

Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead not only as a testimony to those who lived in that day, but also as a visible reminder of His promise to us. (John 14:19)

Think about this … in just a few days after raising Lazarus from the dead Jesus Himself is going to be killed, & He’ll be buried, & then He’ll rise from the dead.  And since that’s the case … why bother with Lazarus?  

Why raise him from the dead? …

Well, if only Jesus rose from the dead … what difference does that make to us? … I mean, “yeah, Jesus is God.  Of course, He can rise from the dead!  But we’re mortals … & death is part of the deal for us.” (Hebrews 9:27) 

Every person we’ve ever known throughout our lives has or will die.  

It’s our fate.  But in raising Lazarus from the dead, 

Jesus was allowing us to have a preview of what He’ll do for us.

  “If the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from death, lives in you, 

then he who raised Christ from death will also give life to your mortal bodies by the presence of his Spirit in you.” (Romans 8:11)

Isn’t that an awesome thought? …

The Spirit of God who resides in us is powerful enough to bring us right up out of the grave!  Just as Jesus rose from the grave … we will too!  When that trumpet sounds on the last day, (1 Corinthians 15:51-52) we’ll be resurrected to be with Jesus eternally.  No grave will be able to hold us. (Romans 6:9) That’s what Paul was telling the Romans, & that’s what Jesus was telling Martha.

In a cemetery in Hanover, Germany, there’s a grave on which were placed huge slabs of granite & marble cemented together & fastened with heavy steel clasps.  It belonged to Henriette Juliane Caroline von Rüling,

a woman who didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead.  In fact,

she directed in her will that her grave be made so secure that if there were a resurrection, it couldn’t reach her.  On the marker were inscribed these words: “May this tomb bought for eternity never be opened.”

In time, a seed began to grow into a tree.  It slowly pushed its’ way through the soil.  As the trunk enlarged, the great slabs were gradually shifted so that the steel clasps were wrenched from their sockets.  This birch tree pushed away the stones, opening that grave.  The tomb has since become a tourist attraction, & even the subject of horror stories.  

Now, everyone has an idea about what happened there … 

but we know what really happened.  God laughed & said … “Seriously? …

You really think I can’t open this grave.  Just watch.”

Jesus announced … “I am the resurrection & the life.  

Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; 

& those who live & believe in me will never die.  Do you believe this?”

So, what does this say to us this morning?

The answer is given by Paul in his 2nd Letter to Timothy. Timothy was a young man who lived in the pagan city of Ephesus.  He had to struggle to live as a Christian in that polluted, pagan environment, just as we have to today in our society.  He was sometimes discouraged, sometimes defeated, 

he faced many problems.  He was afraid, & at times, timid.

Paul wrote, “Remember Jesus Christ, who was raised from death.” (2 Timothy 2:8) Remember Jesus right where you are.  He is with you. (Hebrews 13:5)

Whatever your problems, struggles, temptations, the living Lord of Glory is with us, & He knows how to lead us through whatever comes our way, 

even, if necessary, to raise the dead.  He can do anything. (Luke 1:37)

Do you believe this?

MARANA THA

Good Friday

 

Good Friday

I AM YOUR CRUCIFIED KING

… based on John 19:17-22

Listen now to Good News, as recorded by John, to us as we’ve gathered together at the Neighborhood Church for worship on this Good Friday evening.  Within our hearing comes the Word of the Lord …

Jesus went out, carrying his cross, and came to “The Place of the Skull,” as it is called.  (In Hebrew it is called “Golgotha.”)  There they crucified him; and they also crucified two other men, one on each side, with Jesus between them.  Pilate wrote a notice and had it put on the cross.  “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,” is what he wrote.  Many people read it, because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city.  The notice was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.  The chief priests said to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am the King of the Jews.’”

Pilate answered, “What I have written stays written.” (John 19:17-22) 

May my words & my thoughts be acceptable to you, 

O LORD, my refuge & my redeemer! (The Psalms 19:14)

May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification.  Amen 

This evening we’re going to be focusing on the cross.

And so you’ll know where we’re headed, we’re going to be looking at these 6 verses from John, which I’ve divided into 3 sections, 2 verses each; 

they deal with the cross as a symbol of agony, ministry, & victory.

“Jesus went out, carrying his cross, & came to ‘The Place of the Skull,’ 

as it is called.  (In Hebrew it is called ‘Golgotha.’)  

There they crucified him; & they also crucified 2 other men, 

one on each side, with Jesus between them.”  

In these 2 verses, John paints a very stark picture of the crucifixion.  Actually, he was the only Apostle who remained close as Jesus died.  The rest had run away. (Mark 14:50)

John records that Jesus carried His cross to “The Place of the Skull” … “Golgotha.”  We see images of skulls & crossbones frequently today.

It’s a symbol of death.  I don’t think it’s an accident that God chose 

“The Place of the Skull” as the setting for His decisive battle with death.

(1 Corinthians 15:26)

By the way, this is the same “mountain” where Abraham was called to offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God many years earlier. (Genesis 22:2) And if you remember the story, Isaac had to carry the wood for that sacrifice 

(Genesis 22:6) just as Jesus now had to carry His own cross.

John presents the briefest description of the scene at Golgotha that we have in any of the Gospels.  Matthew, Mark, & Luke provide more details.  

John uses the sparsest of language …

 “carrying his cross … there they crucified him.”

We’re so accustomed to talking about the cross in Church that we forget that it was actually a symbol of humiliation … of torture.  I’m afraid that more often than not, for most people, the cross is seen simply as a pretty piece of jewelry, made of gold or silver.  We’ve become desensitized.

Ponder the actual cross for a moment. … Think about the spikes that were driven into it. … A cross was used to execute criminals.  The cross would be laid on the ground & the individual would be placed on it … & then spikes were driven through their wrists & ankles to hold them in place.  

Are you picturing this? … Then the cross would be set upright, & with a jolt, dropped into a deep hole, painfully jarring the person being crucified.

It was the electric chair, or hangman’s noose, of its’ day.  

It was a horrible method of execution … not at all a pretty piece of jewelry.

Ponder that thought … an instrument for 

public execution is the symbol for Christianity.

What was God thinking? … Paul writes,

“For the message about Christ’s death on the cross is nonsense to those 

who are being lost, but for us who are being saved it is God’s power.  

We proclaim the crucified Christ, a message that is offensive to the Jews & nonsense to the Gentiles, but for those whom God has called … this message is Christ, who is the power of God & the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18.23-24)

This is still true.  There are people in the world today that see the cross as foolishness; it’s a stumbling block to them.  Even in the Church there are those who think this notion of Jesus as a sacrifice is barbaric; 

that Christ died for our sins is a primitive idea.  Well, it’s not archaic.  

It’s the Gospel.  It’s how we are put right with God. (Romans 3:25-26)

And God is the one who has done it. 

“God has shown us how much he loves us – 

it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8)

If Christ did not carry our sins on the cross …

then we still have those sins. … There’s no better way to appreciate the love of God than to look at the cross.

The cross is the symbol of agony; physical agony certainly, 

but more than that, there was spiritual agony.  Jesus took upon Himself your punishment & mine, & every other person in the world. (1 Peter 2:24)

Okay, let’s continue on & look at another 

important aspect of the cross.

“Pilate wrote a notice & had it put on the cross.  ‘Jesus of Nazareth, 

the King of the Jews,’ is what he wrote.  Many people read it, 

because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city.  

The notice was written in Hebrew, Latin, & Greek.”

In a sense there’s nothing unusual about that … 

placards were standard procedure in cases of crucifixion.

They were put above those being crucified, identifying the crime that they were being punished for.  Even so, Pilate probably did this as much to irritate & annoy the Jewish leaders as anything else.

Now each Gospel writer mentions the sign.

Matthew writes, “Above his head they put the written notice of the accusation against him: ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’” (Matthew 27:37) Mark records, “The notice of the accusation against him said: ‘The King of the Jews.’” (Mark 15:26) And Luke, “Above him were written these words: 

‘This is the King of the Jews.’” (Luke 23:38)

So, each Gospel writer mentions the sign revealing the crime for which Jesus was crucified, & basically what was on it.  

But what John adds is that the sign was written in 3 languages.

“Pilate wrote a notice & had it put on the cross.  

‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews,’ ... 

The notice was written in Hebrew, Latin, & Greek.”

I don’t know about you, but I love these little eyewitness accounts as I’m reading the Gospels … the adjectives that are provided every so often, 

which shows that the writer was right there.

Maybe it’s the newspaper reporter’s nature that I have; but this detail is particularly interesting.  For one thing, it explains why the precise wording differs from Gospel to Gospel.  The differences aren’t great, 

but it appears that Matthew translated the Hebrew words, 

Luke the Greek words, & Mark the Latin words.

Hebrew (spoken by the Jews), Greek (the speech of culture & commerce),

& Latin (the dialect of the Roman Empire), 

were the languages of the then known world.

Bible scholars estimate that there were over 2 million people in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion.  They would have come from everywhere for the Passover.  And those 3 languages would have allowed everyone to know about Jesus.  And certainly, God wanted the whole world to know who Jesus was … & to see what He came to do.

Scripture’s most quoted passage …

“God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior.” (John 3:16-17)

So, outside the gates of Jerusalem, at the beginning of Passover … 

Jesus hung on a cross for the world to see.

In preparing this message I came across an interesting poem written by John MacKenzie that speaks to this very thing.  Let me read it to you …

I simply argue that the Cross be raised again

at the centre of the marketplace,

as well as on the steeple of the Church.

I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified 

in a cathedral between 2 candles, but on a Cross, between 2 thieves,

on the town’s garbage heap at a crossroad so cosmopolitan

that they had to write his title in Latin, in Hebrew, & in Greek.

At the kind of a place where cynics talk smut, & thieves curse,

& soldiers gamble.

Because that is where He died 

& that is what He died about & that is where 

the church ought to be & that is what churchmen ought to be about.

The cross indicates our ministry.  For Jesus it was one of total service … 

& so it must be for us as well.  In fact, even while being crucified, 

Jesus continued to serve humanity.  

His 1st 3 statements from the cross were words of ministry.

“Forgive them, Father!  They don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34) 

That was directed toward the men who were crucifying Him!

His 2nd word … “I promise you that today you will be in Paradise with me” 

(Luke 23:43) … was spoken to a repentant bandit.

And His 3rd word … “He is you son.  She is your mother,” (John 19:26-27) 

were statements of encouragement for the Apostle John to take Jesus’ mother into his home.  The cross was a place of ministry for Jesus …

& it’s a symbol of ministry for us.

When Jesus summarized what it meant to be a disciple, He said,

“If any of you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, carry your cross, & follow me.  For if you want to save your own life, you will lose it, but if you lose your life for me & the gospel, you will save it.” (Mark 8:34-35)

To “carry our cross” means we are willing 

to carry on the ministry that Jesus began.

Listen to the final section …

“The chief priests said to Pilate, ‘Do not write ‘The King of the Jews; but rather, ‘This man said, I am the King of the Jews.’’”

“Pilate answered, ‘What I have written stays written.’”

The religious leaders were very upset with Pilate because of what he had written above the cross, & they wanted him to change it.  Jesus was no King.  He was just an ordinary man who had delusions of grandeur.  

“This man said, I am the King of the Jews.”

But that’s not really true.  There’s no place in Scripture where Jesus claims to be the King of the Jews.  It’s just not there.  

And in responding to Pilate’s earlier question, “Are you a king?”

Jesus simply answered, “You say that I am a king.” (John 18:37)

I’ve always been kind of intrigued with Pilate’s conversation with Jesus.  

When I was younger, I used to think that Pilate actually wasn’t that bad of a guy.  He seemed to be sympathetic toward Jesus.  And in opposition to the chief priests’ demands stated, “What I have written stays written.”

But Pilate really didn’t care about Jesus at all …or any of the Jews for that matter.  He just wanted everybody to know that he was the boss.  

Earlier he had asked, “Do you want me to crucify your king?” (John 19:15)

Now that question was full of sarcasm.  This whole trial was ridiculous to Pilate.  The Jewish people, in general, annoyed him.  He didn’t like them.  And now here’s this insignificant Jew, who could be snuffed out by a little finger of Rome … how could He be a King?  He didn’t have any power.  Pilate had the power.  And he wasn’t about to worry himself over some little, obscure, inconsequential Jewish prophet.  And yet, 2,000 years later, people all over the world know that “insignificant” man to be their Lord & Savior.

And we still remember Pilate too.  In the historic Apostles’ Creed, 

we find the statement, “Jesus Christ … suffered under Pontius Pilate.”  

He was a bad man, & it’s so easy for us to point our finger at him, 

& the Jewish leaders as well, but if we’re honest with ourselves, 

we would have been right there with them.

When I was living in Germany, I had the opportunity to visit a lot of art galleries … & so many of the great paintings depict scenes from Scripture, & especially moments of the life of Jesus.  

I remember seeing a painting by Rembrandt.  It was a scene at the cross.

When we think of the cross, we picture the soldiers who would be there. 

(Luke 26:36) Certainly there were the faithful women.  

And John, himself, was there. (John 19:25-26)

But Rembrandt takes a different approach.

As he depicts the crucifixion scene there’s a person or 2 in the shadows, 

but right there in the forefront, is a figure that seems totally out of place.

It’s a Dutchman!  It was Rembrandt himself.

You see, Rembrandt painted a profound truth about the cross of Christ, the crucifixion.  It’s not just a historical fact.  It’s a personal experience.

Mel Gibson demonstrated that truth in his movie a # of years ago now, 

“The Passion Of The Christ.”  If you saw it, you remember how emotionally draining it was.  Jesus is being brutally tortured.  And for what? … Our sins. (1 Corinthians 15:3) And then He’s nailed to the cross.  Did you know that it was Gibson’s hand that held the hammer that drove the nails into Jesus’ hands?

Jesus took my punishment, & yours, upon Himself, on the cross.  My sins, 

& yours, put Him there.  And as I think about that painting by Rembrandt, 

I see in the shadows, not only him … but me.  And it’s my hand holding the hammer, not Gibson’s, which drove the nails into Jesus’ hands.

So, on this Good Friday evening,

I want each of you to spend a moment pondering the cross.  See it for what it really is … it’s there that Jesus died in your place. (Romans 6:23)  

Picture Jesus hanging on it … nails in His hands & feet …

body bloodied from beatings & whippings. (Matthew 27:26) And there you are at the foot of the cross. … You look up at Him. … He looks down at you.

What do you imagine Him saying to you? … 

What do you imagine yourself saying to Him?

Let’s spend a moment in quiet personal reflection …

“For when we were still helpless, Christ died for the wicked at the time God chose.  It is a difficult thing for someone to die for a righteous person.  It may even be that someone might dare to die for a good person.  But God has shown us how much he loves us – it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!  By his blood we are now put right with God; how much more, then, will we be saved by him from God’s anger!  We were God’s enemies, but he made us his friends through the death of his Son.  Now that we are God’s friends, how much more will we be saved by Christ’s life.” (Romans 5:6-10)

Over the past few years I have become friends with Jim, & Raymond, & Russ.  And I value that.  And, because of the cross, I am, & you are too, now friends with Almighty God.  Ponder that on this Good Friday.

MARANA THA