Messages, Meditations, and Musings on the Life of Faith by Rev. Dr. Scott E. Olson, Interim Pastor, Christ Lutheran Church, Preston, MN

Friday, April 6, 2012

"Jesus, God's Agent of Forgiveness" Good Friday Sermon

“Jesus, God’s Agent of Forgiveness”
Good Friday B
April 6, 2012
Isaiah 52.13-53.12

Why does Jesus’ death matter? Why do we make such a big deal out of Good Friday? Why is it good that we call it good? Mark Heim says that some of the church says it absolutely knows the answer to the question, while much of the rest of the church is uncomfortable with the question. On Good Friday, we need to be uncomfortable with the question. There are at least half dozen answers to the question, all of which are helpful although some are more helpful than others are. A couple of the “answers” talk about how Jesus was a great teacher and moral example for us to learn from and follow. Another one says that Jesus sacrificed himself to appease God’s anger at our sinfulness. Still another that describes Jesus as being victorious over the powers of sin, death, and the devil.

Yet, I agree with Ted Peters there are two ideas that are more helpful about why Jesus’ death matters, even if they make us uncomfortable. They are expressed most poignantly in a section from Isaiah 52-53 called the fourth servant song: “Surely he has born our infirmities and carried our diseases; … he was wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed; … although he had done no violence … he poured out himself to death … [and] bore the sin of many.” These snippets and more helped early Christians as they struggled to make sense out of Jesus’ death.

World history and various literatures are littered with the bodies of those persons who willingly die for others, and there are even cases where the sin and guilt of a people are placed on a particular person who suffers for the lot. Yet, nowhere do we have a case, other than in Christianity, where God has emptied himself, taken on human flesh, and willingly entered the pain, suffering, and violent brokenness of a people to take it all upon himself. To say that Jesus is God’s agent of forgiveness is not entirely accurate, because God is not just some dispassionate observer in Jesus’ death. God is as fully committed to saving humanity and all of creation. It’s like the difference between eggs and bacon in a breakfast: the chicken was involved; the pig was committed. God was fully involved and committed in the death of Jesus Christ.

Our discomfort with this approach to the meaning of Jesus’ death comes because we don’t want to admit the fullness of our brokenness, not to mention our inability to do anything about it. For us, Good Friday is “pick up the rock and see all of the ugly things scurrying to hide” time and we don’t want to do it. Like Peter and the rest who denied and abandoned Jesus, we live with the tension of being both believer and betrayer. I commend you for walking the way of the cross tonight, for admitting what you already know deep inside of yourself, that whatever answer there is for our sins, it has to come from outside of ourselves.

This Lent we have been exploring the road of forgiveness and it has led us to the cross of Jesus Christ. We realize that if we are to have any hope of forgiving and being forgiven it has to come in, with, and through him. Jesus has taken upon himself all of our hurts, pains, sorrows, anger, and yes, even our reluctance to include others in God’s forgiveness. He has taken all of that and he has given us his righteousness instead. I don’t need to tell you to “Give it all to Jesus,” because Jesus has already taken it and given us so much more. “Father, forgive them,” Jesus says from the cross and indeed our Father does forgive us, all of us. Why does Jesus’ death matter? Had it all ended here, this would have been plenty, but there’s more. With God, there’s always more. Meanwhile, it’s okay to be uncomfortable. Amen.

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