Saint Luke Ev. Lutheran Church of Watertown

Good Friday, March 29, 2002

Jesus’ Seven Words From the Cross

Stricken, Smitten and Afflicted # 127 v.1-3 CW

“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34

Sometimes—it seems—forgiveness isn’t so tough. Sometimes—it seems—forgiveness isn’t so hard. You are driving across town and somebody is tailgating you. They are so close—you think you should be introduced. They come hauling around you—their engine loud beside you—they cut in front of you. You have to slam on your brakes to keep from crashing into them. Or you are at the mall and somebody pushes into you—all their parcels—their packages—they plow right into you. You look to see who is being so rude—and they look at you—give you that look through snake eyes as if to say, “What’s your problem?” And away they go. Forgive them? Sitting here in the warm glow of stained glass on Good Friday—forgive them? Of course you would! That’s the right thing—the Christian thing to do.

But what if you were rich—so rich you could literally buy anything/everything you want. What if your last name was Coors—like the Golden, Colorado Coors. Your father gets kidnapped—the classic kidnapped and held for ransom. But the guys who kidnap your father are such bumbling stupid-head kidnappers they accidentally end up killing—end up murdering your father. Then they try to hide the body out in the middle of nowhere. Finally the FBI actually catches the killer—a man named Joseph Corbett Jr. They arrest him and try him –convict him and throw him into prison.

Mr. Coors tried to visit the man in prison who murdered his dad—but they have this rule if you are in prison. If you don’t want to see somebody from the outside—you don’t have to. They can’t make you. Mr. Coors was not easily discouraged. He pestered Mr. Corbett—over and over and over again until finally Mr. Corbett agreed to see him. You see Mr. Coors was determined to tell Mr. Corbett—the man who murdered his father—I forgive you. I forgive you for what you did to my father and to my family and to me. I forgive you for Jesus’ sake! That’s the kind of forgiveness that Jesus won for you and me on the cross. That’s the forgiveness that fills our heart so we can forgive those who sin against us!

Jerusalem the Golden #214 v.1-3 CW

“Today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43

I wonder what Heaven will be like. If there was Heaven on earth—I sometimes think it would be like the Andy Griffith Show—a place like Mayberry. You know—where the sheriff doesn’t wear a gun. Where the deputy has only one bullet—and he keeps that in his pocket. Where it sometimes seems the biggest disaster is Aunt Bea making pickles with too much salt. Where the biggest crime is Barney making an illegal U-turn and Gomer yelling, “Citizen’s arrest! Citizen’s arrest!” And yet—the other day we saw just a snippet of the episode where Barney showed Opie how to shoot a slingshot. And Opie shot his slingshot at a little mommy bird and he killed her and orphaned her little baby birds. They showed the part where Opie picked up this little bird he shot—and her little head went limp. Do you know how that feels—when a helpless little bird dies? And then when Opie raises the little baby birds—but they can’t live in a cage—so Opie lets them go—and the cage is so empty but the trees are so full? You know how that feels? Sometimes you heart aches—some times it breaks—some times it’s just shattered! Even in make-believe Mayberry there is sin and sadness—pain and death.

It is by grace alone that we have the sure and certain hope of Heaven. In Heaven there is no more death or mourning or crying or pain. The old order of things—the jelly sandwich—jelly side down—hits the carpet. The squeeze the mustard—and just water runs out on your hamburger. The take a bite of the fish sandwich and the tartar sauce squirts out from the bun and stains your best necktie. These are the small frustrations that make life frustrating. There are the much more horrible things that can and do go wrong. The trip to look at Spring flowers that ends up a horrible flaming accident in the middle of the highway. The blood vessels that get clogged—the hearts that stop—the blood “clogs” that break loose and cause strokes. The fact that you hear and understand words like metastasize or suddenly you want to know all about lymph nodes and where they are and what they do—and whether it’s spread to them. Then there’s the drugs hidden in somebody’s bedroom—or the forever stops on the way home from work for drinks—or the phone numbers on little scraps of paper squirreled away. There are the painful suspicions and the hurtful lies. And it’s all too terrible. But when we come home to Heaven this will all stop. The sin—the rebellious heart and the bitter twisted sour poisonous crab apples of evil will all come to an end. There will be no more death or crying or pain. Jesus will make everything new. Jesus will make us new!

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross #125 v.1-3 CW

“Woman, behold your son. Behold, your mother.” John 19:26,27

There is a journal published in Australia—with authors who have the title Doctor in front of their name—and all sorts of letters after their name. Authors, writers, researchers who have published papers that claim people over 100,000 years ago learned about parenting from the wolves. They claim that people—with huge foreheads and massive eyebrows—with muscular arms and even more muscular legs—but very small brains were learning about family and child rearing—nurturing their offspring from the example of wolves! This makes lots of sense—if you are looking for a way to explain this world and marriage and family and child rearing—apart from the existence of our Heavenly Father!

Jesus had an earthly mother. Mary must have been very special. Mary must have been a wonderful mommy. Our Heavenly Father didn’t pick her—didn’t choose her because she deserved it. Our Heavenly Father equipped her. Mary was gifted—our Heavenly Father gave her the gifts—the ability—the attitude and the energy to be the physical mother—the mommy of the Son of God! That could not have been easy. How some of the other children must have hated that Jesus. Jesus always had his homework done. Jesus always knew his memory work. Jesus would never cheat. He would never call teachers by their nicknames—nicknames that made fun of something about their appearance or something about the way they talked or the way they acted. Jesus was always respectful. He would never listen to dirty talk. He would never bully anyone—never ever be like a chicken pick, pick, pick, picking on someone who was weak or breakable! Mary must have been a wonderful parent—but she wasn’t perfect. Remember when Jesus was just 12 years old and they went to the Temple? Remember when they started home—and thought Jesus was with them—but he wasn’t? Remember how they searched for 3 days—frantic until they found him. They should have known where to look—in Jesus’ Father’s House—doing his Father’s work. Jesus was about his Heavenly Father’s work on the cross—obeying—suffering—dying—to wash away all our sins. Even as he was dying on the cross Jesus took care of his earthly mother and the disciple he loved. Here is your mother. Here is your son. Here is our Savior!

Amazing Grace—How Sweet the Sound #379 CW

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46

We got an e-mail from my little brother about the mission work Jesus is doing in the rain forest in the Amazon in Peru. The devil tries to use the dense thick rain forest to keep the Gospel out. There was a plane the other day that tried to use the soil runway that drug runners used to use. But now that the Peruvian Air Force has been fighting hard against the drug trade—the natives who used to make money growing the drug plants have sabotaged the airfield—dragging logs out onto the runway. If we can’t use it nobody can. A plan landed the other day on an overgrown runway—by the time the plane stopped the tires were hopelessly tangled with vines and plants. Another plan was so desperate it tried to land in the Amazon River—tried to land in the river even though it only had wheels—not pontoons. The plan started to skim the water when up ahead was a raft made of precious logs being smuggled out of the rain forest. The father and son on the raft saw the plane coming toward them but there was no escape. The pilot jumped out of his plane—which crashed into the raft. They found the father dead on the raft—his arms wrapped around his son—trying to protect him!

God the Father’s arms were not—were not wrapped around his Son. No—our Heavenly Father unleashed all his white-hot anger against sin upon his one and only Son. You know how at the end of the service we have the blessing? All that precious Gospel promise of the LORD bless you and keep you and make his face shine upon you—lift up his countenance upon you—look upon you with favor and give you peace? This was just the opposite of all that! God the Father turned his back on his Son—wanted nothing to do with the one who claimed responsibility for all our sins. If you watch the news at all—there are reports day in and day out—day after day—of people doing unspeakable things to children—to their spouse—to people of different races or different religions. Sometimes you almost have to look away—when they show on the news the places where suicide bombers have blown themselves up—and scores of innocent people all around them! Jesus took responsibility for the deeds of darkness that people have done under the cover of darkness. Jesus took responsibility for the crimes against humanity that have been done in the name of religion. Jesus took responsibility for the crimes people have committed because they were in fact criminally insane—or because they were under the influence of drugs and alcohol and were not rational. Jesus took responsibility for all that is kind and just and good—and was left undone! In the anguish of heart and soul that mere mortal minds cannot comprehend Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus knew why. It was because of my sins and yours. That’s why!

A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth #100 v.1,2 CW

“I thirst.” John 19:28

What do you or I know of thirst? What do I know of thirst? I can remember being in grade school—coming inside after 20 minutes of playing softball as hard as we could. I remember standing in line at the one water fountain we had. I remember putting my lips around that little place where the water came out—sucking as hard as I could—swallowing as fast as I could wishing as hard as I could that the water would get colder and colder instead of being what seemed luke warm. I remember drinking and drinking and drinking until the next person in line would pull my shoulder and push me aside so they could get a drink If our teacher was really really being kind—we could go to the back of the line and get a second drink before we had to go back to our room and sit in our desks and study math! Thirsty? Now that I am a big person—if I’m even a little thirsty—I get something to drink. I drink fresh brewed flavored coffee from freshly ground—freshly brewed coffee. I drink cold juice in fancy combinations. I drink filtered water with ice—crushed or cubed—maybe some of each without even opening the refrigerator door. Sometimes I drink beverages in glasses that I have dipped in warm water—then chilled in the freezer so it’s creamy root beer in a frosted mug! I have stuck my finger under the faucet—waiting for the water to get cold enough—then filled a glass-drank a swallow—and dumped the rest down the drain without a thought to the waste. What do I know of thirst?

Jesus said he was thirsty on the cross. I certainly don’t think he was thirsty only at the very end of his suffering. The Psalmist talks about a parched throat—a tongue sticking to the roof of the mouth. No—Jesus’ thirst was much much more than a dehydrated lack of moisture. Jesus’ thirst was just part of what Jesus obediently endured to pay for our sins. Jesus’ request for something to drink was more than a painful call for some relief from the hurt. It was also and more importantly a fulfillment of the Scriptures. In order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled Jesus said, “I thirst.”

I was at the hospital the other day in Oconomowoc to see someone and their magical tonsils. On the way to their room they have a poster board that is an encouragement to have some of those less than comfortable tests—where they peak inside you. They had a few pictures of how Jesus made you to look deep inside—when everything is going well. They had mostly pictures of how you look deep inside when something is terribly wrong! They were pretty scary—pretty gross. Part of the point being—if this is what you maybe look like inside—wouldn’t you want to get it fixed? Just imagine if you could look inside your heart of hearts. If you could look deep inside and there just begin to see the ugliness that is sin. The truth is we are dying—fatally ill from sin and dying of spiritual thirst—spiritual dehydration. Jesus endured the torture of the cross—fulfilled the scriptures—paid for all our sins. In order that the Scriptures might be fulfilled my Savior said, “I thirst!”

By Grace I’m Saved #384 v.1,2 CW

“It is finished.” John 19:30

Finished! Done! I have lots of books at my house. I love books! You can’t judge a book by looking at the cover. But I saw a book the other day about being in a German concentration camp—and the cover of this little book was wrapped in the material of those sort of jammies they made the prisoners wear in the concentration camp at Auschwitz! I read a little bit of that book but I didn’t finish it. I started a book by Steve Martin about someone who works in a very fancy department store but I didn’t finish that either. I read part of a book by Garrison Keillor. I read about half of it but I didn’t finish that either. I have a whole bunch of pictures I took overseas. I had them enlarged. I had mats cut that compliment the pictures. I started making picture frames out of special wood—but they aren’t finished—literally. They aren’t varnished yet! I started splitting our pile of firewood. I started organizing my office. I started a lot of things—and the older I get—the more concerned I am—I might be dead before I finish them!

Jesus said, “It is finished!” Jesus finished the most important work in the whole wide world. Jesus finished washing away all my sins. That means no more doubts. It means no more fears. It is finished means all my sins—not lots or most or the first million—but all my sins are forgiven. The sins I know I did because I wanted to do them—saved up and made time and practiced and did them—like eating all the fish I could because it was all you could eat. It means the sins we did and didn’t even know we did them—like being frustrated and giving someone that—you are a dufus look—without even realizing it—you know—it just flashes in your eyes for a moment—but they saw it and know that’s what you thought. It is finished means there isn’t something leftover for me to do—to contribute even a little bit to save myself. Jesus finished the job. There’s nothing left for me to do. It is finished. The end!

God Loved the World So that He Gave #391 v.1,2

“Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.” Luke 23:46

Jesus died aware of his Heavenly Father. I heard the other day about a baseball player for the Arizona Diamondbacks. His father died. His father died—literally in his arms. His father is dead—but not forgotten—never forgotten. Every single time this baseball player named Kurt Shiller plays ball he leaves a ticket for his father. There is in every game an empty seat—one empty seat dedicated to his father! Jesus died aware of his Heavenly Father.

Jesus died conscious of his Father. His final words were words of faith and love and trust in his Heavenly Father. A very famous comedian died just the other day. They say he was one of the most creative, humorous people who ever lived. Paul Harvey said he had flown with that comedian from coast to coast when that flight used to take some 14 hours. He said they had spent countless hours together. That this man made him laugh again and again. And now that he was dead—Paul wanted to recall—wanted to recall and repeat something truly funny that he had said—but, alas—he couldn’t remember a single thing! I think that’s pretty sad! Don’t you? And yet I think it just goes to show—all that really counts—all that really matters—all we really need to know—is in the heart of the littlest believer-the littlest baptized child of God. All we really need to know—the littlest person who can talk can tell you—Jesus is my Savior from sin. Jesus died! His heart stopped beating—his breathing stopped—his eyes closed—his body was speared—blood and water came out. The ground shook. Rocks split. Graves opened and believers rose from the dead—to go into Jerusalem after Jesus rose. Jesus lifeless body was quickly washed off—wrapped in strips of cloth with spices—myrrh and aloes—about 75 pounds. They placed him in a stone cold tomb. The rolled a stone over the entrance. Thank God—Easter is coming! This is not the end!

To God alone all glory!