Sermon for Good Friday, March 29, 2024
Matthew 27:38-54 38At the same time two
criminals were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39People who passed by kept
insulting him, shaking their heads 40and saying, “You who were going
to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the
cross!” 41In the same way the
chief priests, experts in the law, and elders kept mocking him. They said, 42“He saved others, but
he cannot save himself. If he’s the King
of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in
him. 43He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now, if he wants him,
because he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
44In the same way even the criminals who were crucified with
him kept insulting him. 45From
the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness over all the land. 46About the ninth hour Jesus cried
out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli,
Eli, lama sabachthani?”
which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47When some of those standing
there heard this, they said, “This fellow is calling for Elijah.” 48Immediately one of them ran,
took a sponge, and soaked it with sour wine.
Then he put it on a stick and gave him a drink. 49The rest said, “Leave him
alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save
him.” 50After Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, he gave up
his spirit. 51Suddenly, the
temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and rocks were split. 52Tombs were opened, and many
bodies of saints who had fallen asleep were raised to life. 53Those who came out of the tombs
went into the holy city after Jesus’ resurrection and appeared to many
people. 54When the centurion
and those who were guarding Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the things
that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of
God.
(EHV)
Evidence.
Dear sorrowing friends,
In our skeptical age, the world still cries out
for evidence that Jesus is who He claimed to be. Just as on that day some now call Black
Friday, and we call, Good Friday, there are many mockers in the crowd. For everyone who believes in God’s promises
of redemption, there are likely many who question whether Jesus actually ever
lived. There are a host of people who
imitate the mockers who challenged Jesus to come down from the cross to prove
that He really is God’s Son. Still,
today, there are those who demand signs and wonders before they will believe in
Jesus.
We don’t have to go back to Golgotha to hear
the mockery. It is all around us every
day. It’s in the voices of those who
demand proof outside of the Bible accounts.
It’s in the actions of the many who sneer at God’s invitation to come
hear His holy Word in our worship services.
It’s in the actions of the many who at their confirmations claimed they
would be faithful even unto death, but they no longer enter the church because faith
in Jesus doesn’t matter to them anymore.
Perhaps, it is even in us whenever we wonder about how well Jesus is
taking care of us, or when we wonder why He allows us to hurt, to still have
sickness, war, and death.
Yet, the evidence is here, right in front of
us, that Jesus is who He claimed to be.
That He really did live and die for your sins and mine. The evidence is in the historical recordings
of those men who watched the events of Jesus’ life and the actions and miracles
of the Son God sent into the world through birth from the Virgin Mary. The testimony of a multitude of eyewitnesses
should make us believe and never doubt.
The Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming Messiah were
fulfilled to the last dot and tittle.
Every little bit of Jesus’ life and death lines up with those signs to
look for.
And what does the eyewitness testimony tell us
today? We see the One who the crowds
welcomed as the Son of David nailed to a shameful cross—The One against whom no
two witnesses could find any sin or fault, being put to death in the most
horrible way known to man at the time for crimes He didn’t commit, but also for
His faithful testimony that He is the Son of God and the promised Messiah. We hear in their eyewitness reports the
mockery of the crowds who rejected Jesus.
But mostly, we hear Jesus’ voice cry out the mournful plea, “My God,
my God, why have you forsaken me?”
The true Son of God, who in His whole earthly life had depended on His
heavenly Father’s direction and strength, there on the cross suffering the
torment of separation you and I deserved for our sins.
God had declared through His prophet, “The
soul who sins is the one who will die.” (Ezekiel 18:20) Yet, so that He might save the many who were
subject to this curse, God punished His Son so that many might believe in Him
and live. And Jesus suffered all the
torments of hell so that you and I don’t have to. He took that separation from God that you and
I couldn’t escape on our own.
The skeptic still demands proof. Most of them won’t even read the Bible, and
if they do, they don’t read looking to find the truth. Rather, many look for things to
challenge. Yet, the evidence is
there. Further proof that Jesus was
carrying out His Father’s plan right to the last letter is right here before
us.
In crucifixion, most of the victims slowly
suffocate. Jesus had said He had power
to lay down His life and power to take it up again. (John10:18) Here we see Jesus speak loudly, both when He
calls out His agony, and as He gives up His life. The psalmist wrote about the Lamb of God who
makes Himself the Victim in our place, “You notice trouble and grief. You take it into your own hands.” (Psalm
10:14)
The victory of the eternal Victim is also
evident in our text. Matthew reports
that as Jesus gave up His life, the very ground beneath their feet shook in
agony of the loss. The temple curtain, that
divided the most holy place where the seat of God was kept separate from the
people, was torn in two from top to bottom, indicating to the world that our
separation from God has ended. Jesus’
power over death was again shown to the world as the graves of saints who had
believed in Jesus were sprung open and the believers restored to life. After Jesus’ resurrection, they appeared to
many in the holy city and were seen by many witnesses.
Finally, even the opponents, the enemies and
idol worshippers who nailed Jesus to the cross were convinced by what they saw
and heard. Terrified they cried out, “Truly
this was the Son of God.
Dear friends, the proof and all the evidence
anyone ever needs is all there in the holy writings. You and I can walk confident in everything
you have been taught about Jesus. As for
the others who surround us—well, we can’t argue them into believing. But the testimony of God’s Word is true, and
it is powerful. Therefore, whenever we
have the opportunity, just tell them what you have seen and heard. Tell them what the eyewitnesses said, and let
the Holy Spirit do His work.
“No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except
by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3) Still, the Good News of all that Jesus did in
His life and death to save sinners is all the power that is needed to bring
life and salvation to even the hardest heart.
The skeptic asks, “Why, if Jesus has the power
to give life and to save, didn’t He save His own life?” The answer is found in the love of God, who
gave His own beloved Son into death so that many others might truly live and
never die. The answer is found in the Son
who refused to come down from the cross until He took death away from you and
me. The answer is even more apparent
just three days hence when the grave, in which they laid Jesus’ body, is thrown
wide open for all the world to see that Jesus has conquered death and the
devil, so that we may dwell eternally in God’s presence in heaven.
To Him who lived and died for you and me, may
all glory be given. Amen.
“Now to him who is able to keep you from
stumbling and to present you faultless in the presence of his glory with great
joy, to the only God, our Savior, be glory, majesty, power, and authority
through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all time, now, and to all eternity. Amen.” (Jude 1:24-25)
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