From Heaven you came,
Psalm 22
Man of sorrows
Matthew 27: 33-54
Amazing love what sacrifice
Prayer:
Lord God, we thank you that we can come to you in our poverty, and yet you accept us. You do not wait to see the size of our gift, nor does your welcome depend on our merits, You treat us, not as petitioners who must put up a good case, but as children with a secure place in your heart.
It is all too easy for us to take this for granted and presume upon it. Help us to remember what it cost you to treat us in this way. We can only guess at the pain and grief we cause you by the way we repudiate your ideals for us, or give them only lip-service, and by the way we treat one another. We believe the cross of Jesus is the measure both of our shame and your love. Help us to keep theprice of our redemption before us, and make us more ready to serve you, whatever the risk, and whatever the cost. Amen.
The head that once was crowned with thorns
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
What sort of week have you had? I usually consider that thew more people I have upset during a week, the worse it has been. Since I am currently at home all day, the opportunities to upset large numbers of people have disappeared (Susannah and the boys may disagree!) By any standards, Jesus had had a bad week. Since the triumphal entry into Jerusalem, what we know as Palm Sunday, he had upset a lot of different people:
1) He had upset the Zealots, those who had hoped that he was to be a freedom fighter who would rid them of the hated occupying power, the Romans. His entry on a donkey had removed any illusions that they might have had that he was that kind of Messiah.
2) He had upset the religious leaders. He had challenged their monopoly on interpretation of the law and the prophets. Further he had rejected some of their understandings, by allowing the chuildren and the disabled to have equal access to God.
3) He had upset the Romans and the civil authorities. He was a challenger to their power and position.
4) We cannot be sure, but he may have upset the owner of a certain donkey.
5) Finally he had upset Pontius Pilate. He had refused to give him straight answers, and had denied any opportunity that Pilate had offered to be let off the hook. He couldn’t be categorised.
But all this had been predicted. Jesus knew that he would be rejected, that he was not wanted as king. (e,g, Matthew 23:37)
The predictions came with a promise, the promise of return or resurrection. However, his followers seem to have missed this, perhaps it was too big an idea for them to grasp. And all seemed lost.
And for many, this feeling of loss is compounded by Jesu’s words “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” and the final words “It is finished.” Jesus is portrayed as despairing in his final moments.
All of the Jewish people who were present when Jesus spoke these words would have recognised them as Psalm 22, and would have known the rest of the Psalm. They would have known that Psalm 22 is not a song of despair, but as we have read today, is a song of hope and triumph. The story of the rest of the Psalm is played out in the story of the crucifixion.
The cry of “It is finished” as reported by John can be translated as “It is accomplished” or “It is consummated”. The statement leaves scope for doubt as to what exactly has been accomplished or finished. The stories we have from his life, and the prophecies in the old testament leave us with the clear message that Jesus’s mission was to restore the relationship between mankind and God. Part of the message of Palm Sunday is that the obstacles which people had placed in the way of some people had been removed, that the disabled and disadvantaged were just as much a part of God’s kingdom as everyone else. Jesus is saying that in his death, the work of reconciliation between mankind and God has been accomplished.
As we considered on Palm Sunday, crucifixion was not that unusual an event in 1st century Palestine. For many,it would have been a sign of failure.
But in this case, God did what he has done many times in history; he took the ordinary and made it extraordinary. He took what many (most?) observers regarded as failure, and turned it into success.
In the Jewish religious observances of the day, in order to atone for sin, people had to offer a sacrifice. The details of this were laid down, and one important aspect of this was that the lamb or dove had to be perfect, without blemish. A second rate offering was not aceptable. It is only a sacrifice if it is the best that can be done.
In the death of Jesus, God took what was ordinary; the death of a man, and turned it into the extraordinary; the sacrifice of that which was perfect for the atonement of the sins of all mankind.
It is especially extraordinary because of its effectiveness. It is once and for all, unlike the sacrifices required by the law, there is no need to keep repeating them time and again. It is only when later writers attempted to explain what was a pretty mind-blowing event, that they were inspired to relate it to sacrifice (e.g. 1 Corinthians 5:7) Centuries of study have not made this any easier. Wesley wrote “Tis mystery all, the immortal dies”
The important thing is that in the death of Jesus, the barriers were removed, the relationship was restored. It is reported that the curtain in the temple, that which separated the ordinary people from the Holy of Holies, the Sanctuary, was ripped in two “From the top to the bottom”. Alternative ways of saying this might be: from above to below, from start to finish. The word translated “from the top” is the same as “again” when Nicodemus is told of the need to be “born again”.
In the accepting of Jesus as a sacrifice, God had brought success from failure; he has accomplished his mission; he has restored a broken relationship; he has given us “Beauty for ashes”(Isaiah 61:3).
Years ago, I went to university and I soon encountered the Christian Union. Oneof the first questions I was asked was “Are you saved?” When I replied that I was, I was asked “When were you saved?” Because I was unable to give a specific time, date and place for my conversion I was left with the impression that they did not think I was saved. Having had time to consider the matter more carefully, I now realise that my answer should have been “I was saved at the same time as you were!” the answer of course is “at 3-00p.m. on Good Friday, 33 A.D.”
The best is yet to come.
See you Sunday
Christ Triumphant
Please use this modern setting of “Give me a sight O Saviour” as a meditation
Give me a sight o saviour (modern setting.)
Prayer:
We thank you, Lord, for all the sacrifices people make for one another.
We thank you for parents, who put aside their own comfort so that children may be fed, clothed and educated.
We thank you for those who give up their own plans in order to look after sick or elderly relatives.
We thank you for those, killed or injured or made homeless in war, helpless and unwilling victims, who nevertheless suffered that we might live.
We thank you for those who for the gospel’s sake have left home, sacrifieced prospects, undergone persecution and even laid down their lives.
Above all, we thank you for the death of Jesus Jesus, who gave himself that we might cease to crucify each other and our own conscience.
Lord, we acknowledge that we are in debt to very many people. Help us not to fritter away the life and opportunity which have been so dearly bought for us by so many others. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Prayers taken from “More contemporary Prayers”.
Lift High the Cross
Please try to find a few minutes at 11-00a.m. on Easter morning to join with the rest of the congregation to repeat the Lord’s Prayer.
No comments:
Post a Comment