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INTRODUCTION:
Good evening, and welcome to what I hope and pray will be a very special
time of worship for you as we gather in God’s house on this Good Friday
evening to recall one of the saddest and yet most significant events
that ever took place. You know, it’s been said that the difference
between Christianity and all other religions in our world can be summed
up in just 2 words: Do and Done. All other religions believe that we
are saved by what we do. We have to offer the right prayer, give the
right sacrifice, do the right works, and on that basis, supposedly, God
will accept us. Christianity, on the other hand, teaches that because
of our sins we could never do enough to save ourselves. So the only way
we can be saved is through what Christ has already done for us.
Well, as I got to
thinking about that word “Done,” it dawned on me that a lot of the key
players in the story of Christ’s Passion thought that their jobs or
their hopes and dreams were done once Jesus breathed his final breath.
So that’s going to be the focus of our service this evening, though we
will discover that no one could really say the words “It’s done,” except
for One.
I. SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 26:47-50
While he was still
speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd
armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders
of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The
one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going at once to Jesus, Judas said,
"Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him. Jesus replied, "Friend, do what you
came for." Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested
him.
MEDITATION #1: Judas
Exactly what
brought Judas to this point where he was willing to betray his Master
into the hands of his enemies is never specifically stated in Scripture,
so all we can do is speculate. Some would say it was the 30 pieces of
silver that he received from the Jewish leaders, but in all honesty,
that did not represent a substantial sum of money. In fact, that was
the price of a slave back then. So there had to me more to it than
that. And I think what it all really boiled down to was this: Judas was
disappointed in Jesus. He believed like so many of his fellow Jews back
then that if Jesus was the Messiah, then he was going to lead the nation
in revolt against the Romans and defeat them and re-establish Israel as
a great nation once again. In other words, he was looking for Jesus to
be a political leader, and when Jesus made no moves in that direction,
Judas became disheartened and betrayed the One who had really come to be
a spiritual leader. And when he gave Jesus that kiss of betrayal in the
Garden of Gethsemane and the soldiers stepped forward to arrest him, I’m
sure Judas thought to himself, “It’s done.” But it wasn’t done. For as
he observed the events of that evening unfold, he began to have 2nd
thoughts about what he had done. And he was so consumed with guilt that
he went out and hanged himself. So we pray:
PRAYER: Lord
Jesus, it’s hard for us to imagine how one who had followed you so
faithfully for 3 years could turn his back on you and give you over to
the enemy. Yet we have done the same more times than we care to
remember. Please forgive us for our acts of betrayal and help us to be
loyal to you, just as you have always been so loyal to us. In your name
we pray. Amen.
II. SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 27:1-2
Early
in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came
to the decision to put Jesus to death. They bound him, led him away and
handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
MEDITATION #2 – the Jewish leaders
Isn’t it amazing
what jealousy can do? That’s what led these Jewish leaders to pay Judas
to betray Jesus, to hire false witnesses to tell lies about him, to
throw all dignity to the wind as they spit in his face and struck him
with their fists. They were jealous of his rising popularity because
the more popular he became with the people, the more they found
themselves losing the ironclad grip that they had always had on their
peoples’ hearts and minds. And once they pressured a reluctant Pilate
into carrying out the execution of Jesus on an old rugged Roman cross,
I’m sure they took a great deal of delight in patting each other on the
back and saying, “It’s done. At last he’s out of the way and things can
get back to normal again.” But oh were they ever in for a surprise, for
3 days later the tomb would be empty, their arch nemesis would be alive,
and his followers would soon be turning the world upside down with the
powerful Gospel message that they would carry with them, beginning right
there in Jerusalem and reaching to the uttermost parts of the earth.
And so we pray:
PRAYER: Lord
Jesus, we are thankful that the Jewish leaders did not have the final
say-so in what happened to you. Though it appeared as if they had
finally achieved their goal of ridding the world of you, all they really
did was make it possible for you to conquer our great enemy death and
begin a movement that no opponent has ever been able to snuff out, a
movement that continues strong even to this day. We thank you that we
are privileged to be a part of that movement and we pray that you will
use us to lead others to know you as we know you. We ask this in your
name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
III. SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 27:24
When Pilate saw that he was
getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water
and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's
blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!”
MEDITATION #3 – Pontius Pilate
You know what we
call what Pilate tried to do there, don’t you? We call it “passing the
buck.” Though he was the one who held all the trump cards that day,
though he was the one who had all the authority, though he was the one
who could have very easily let Jesus go free and then called in his
soldiers to disperse the unruly mob, his fears got the best of him and
he caved in to the pressure of the crowd and then tried to pass the
blame onto them. I’m sure that as he washed his hands in full view of
everyone, he was thinking to himself, “It’s done. My part in this is
over.” But was it? Hardly. For his name has lived in infamy ever
since then. Every time we say the Apostles’ or the Nicene Creed, the
name of Pontius Pilate is mentioned as the one under whom Jesus
suffered. And while it’s always so easy for us to criticize and condemn
Pilate for his part in all this, how often haven’t we behaved just like
him, caving in to the pressure of the crowd, refusing to take the blame
for what we’ve done wrong, and trying to pass the buck to someone else.
So we pray:
PRAYER: Lord
Jesus, we are sorry for the times we have followed in Pilate’s footsteps
rather than yours. Please forgive us and help us from now on to accept
full responsibility for our wrongdoings in order that we might then
receive from you your cleansing forgiveness. In your name we pray.
Amen.
IV. SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 26:55-56
At that time Jesus
said to the crowd, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out
with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple
courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. But this has all taken place
that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the
disciples deserted him and fled.
MEDITATION #4: The disciples
Earlier that
evening in the upper room Jesus had warned Peter specifically and the
other disciples generally that all of them would desert him later that
night. They, of course, insisted that they would never do that. But
when their time of testing came in the Garden of Gethsemane, they failed
that test miserably. And I’m sure that as they looked over their
shoulders and saw Jesus being manhandled by the soldiers who had come to
arrest him and as they received word the next day that he was going to
be crucified and as they heard later that day that his corpse had been
placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimithea, they must have thought, “It’s
over. It’s done. All our hopes and all our dreams are buried with
Jesus in that stone-sealed grave.” But oh how things would change 3
days later when they would hear the initial reports from the women that
Jesus was alive and the risen Christ would appear to them as they
huddled behind locked doors like a bunch of frightened little mice.
Then would come more resurrection appearances, then the outpouring of
the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, then the carrying of the Gospel
to places far and near, resulting in severe persecution for them that
would lead to all but one of them dying a martyr’s death for their
faith. So although what happened on Friday seemed like the end, it was
really only the beginning of a life dedicated to serving the One who had
died for them and risen again so that they could have life and have it
abundantly and eternally. So we pray:
PRAYER: Lord
Jesus, we are amazed at how you can turn things around for your
followers, just as you did for the disciples we just heard about.
Please help us to remember that when we find ourselves faced with the
trials and hardships of life. And may those troubles only serve to
drive us to your strong and loving arms where we can find peace and
comfort and hope. In your name we pray, Lord Jesus. Amen.
V. SCRIPTURE READING: John 19:25-27
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his
mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus
saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he
said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple,
"Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into
his home.
MEDITATION #5:
Mary
I’m sure that most,
if not all of us, here this evening would agree that there is no pain
greater in life than for a parent to have to watch their child die.
That’s not the way life is supposed to work. Children are supposed to
bury their parents, not vice versa. So we can only imagine the pain
that Mary must have felt as she gazed at her son, not lying on a bed in
the sterile environment of a hospital, but cruelly fastened with three
6-inch spikes to a crude cross made of wood. The crown of thorns that
has been driven deep into his scalp, the strips of shredded flesh caused
by the scourging, and the open wounds in his hands and feet all result
in a stream of blood that cascades from his body and falls to the ground
where Mary kneels. She had been warned of this very thing years
before. Remember when she and Joseph took Jesus to the temple shortly
after he was born and the aged prophet Simeon had taken the baby into
his arms and joyfully acknowledged him to be the Messiah? But then he
turned to Mary and spoke these ominous words: "This child is destined
to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that
will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be
revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Oh, how Mary
felt that sword now. And oh how she must have thought: “It’s done. My
Son’s life is over and there’s nothing I can do about it.” So we
pray:
PRAYER: Lord
Jesus, the grief that Mary must have felt as she watched you die could
have only been eclipsed by the joy she felt on Easter morning when she
beheld you alive again. We thank you that Friday was not the end of the
story, but that the script included the great event of your resurrection
on Sunday. For we have your word and promise that because you live, we
shall live also. And we thank you for that, in your name. Amen.
VI. SCRIPTURE READING: John 13:27
As soon as Judas
took the bread, Satan entered into him. "What you are about to do, do
quickly," Jesus told him.
MEDITATION #6: Satan
Nobody wanted Jesus
out of the way more than Satan. Ever since Jesus was born, the old
devil had tried to destroy him. Remember how he used Herod to kill all
the male babies in Bethlehem 2-years-old and under? Then after his
baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness where the devil was waiting for
him and where he pulled out all his big guns to get Jesus to stumble
just once and sin, but all to no avail. Then on several occasions
during his ministry, Satan succeeded in turning the crowds against Jesus
so much so that they tried to throw him off a cliff or kill him some
other way, but each time Jesus was able to escape. Not this time
though. With Jesus’ life slowly draining from his body and then with
his final labored breath, Satan must have leaped for joy and said, “It’s
done! I’ve won! My archrival is finally out of the way and the world
is now mine to do with as I please.” But Satan’s celebration would be
short-lived, for as we confess in the Apostles’ Creed, after Jesus was
revived in the tomb on Easter morning, his first order of business was
to descend into hell, not to suffer anymore, but to show himself alive
and well to the devil and all his demons and thus bring an abrupt end to
the victory celebration they were no doubt enjoying there. And the
great news of tonight is that the victory Jesus won over Satan is the
same victory that he now offers to us and all who will receive him as
Savior and Lord. And that is why we call this day Good Friday. So we
pray:
PRAYER: Lord
Jesus, words can never adequately express how grateful we are to you for
defeating our archenemy Satan. For that is something we could have
never done on our own. I pray for every person here tonight and ask
that through the power of your Holy Spirit they will receive that
victory by faith and enjoy its fruits for all eternity in the beauty and
glory of your heavenly kingdom. In your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
VII. SCRIPTURE READING: John 19:30
When he had received
the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head
and gave up his spirit.
MEDITATION #7: Jesus
Tonight we’ve heard
many of the key players in the Passion story say, “It’s done.” But
every one of them discovered sooner or later that no, what they thought
was done, wasn’t done. Judas, the Jewish leaders, Pontius Pilate, Satan
– none of them were successful in silencing the One whose voice once
called the worlds into existence And though the disciples and Mary
thought that all their hopes and dreams that were centered in Jesus were
over and done with, Easter morning dawned with the realization that no,
that wasn’t the case either. The only one who could really say “It’s
done” that day was Jesus. And that is exactly what he did say right
before he died when he forced from his parched, swollen, blood-caked
lips the words “It is finished.” Please understand, my friends, those
were not words of defeat. That was not Jesus’ way of saying, “At last
my suffering is over.” Or, “At last my life in this miserable world is
finished.” No, those words were a cry of victory. They were Jesus’ way
of saying, “Mission accomplished. I’ve done all that I came to do. The
debt for sin has been paid in full. And those who accept my sacrifice
for sin as their sacrifice for sin can now be mine for all eternity.”
So how about it, my
friends? Have you done that? Are you daily trusting in Christ’s
sacrifice as your payment for sin? If you are, then I’ve got good news
for you. You can now say, “It’s done. My sins have been paid
for. My salvation is certain. My eternity is secure.” Let’s pray:
PRAYER: Lord
Jesus, we are so humbled and grateful to you for what this day of the
year means to us. Though we know that it was our sins that made that
first Good Friday so necessary, out of a love for us that we did not
deserve and can never begin to comprehend, you took our sins upon
yourself. You took the nails and the spear into yourself. You gave
your all for us so that you could victoriously proclaim, “It is
finished.” Help us to never take such love for granted, Lord, but to
instead offer ourselves to you as living sacrifices, eager to do your
will. In your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
FINAL SCRIPTURE READING: Isaiah 53:5-6 (slamming of the Bible symbolizes
fulfillment of the prophecy). After slamming the Bible, say: “It’s
done. The Scriptures have been fulfilled.” (followed by the hammering
of the nails)
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