Good Friday address 2
Good Friday is a day that always leaves a sense of confusion. On its most basic level how can something such as the events which we remember today be termed Good ?
We know that the reason it is good is because these events marked salvation for us. This afternoon we journey to the cross and as we journey we think of the events of 2000 years ago, and just for a brief time try to put ourselves in the middle of those events.
In this address I’d like to think of some prominent people in that crucifixion scene and that is the soldiers. They, of course, came into the scene the night before in the Garden of Gethsemane as Jesus was arrested.
The sound of the soldiers would have brought confusion and concern to the disciples who were with Jesus at the time. The disciples who heard the noise and had no idea what was going on. These men who had followed Jesus were following someone who they had worshipped - They were following someone in whom they had put all their trust.
Hearing the noise of the soldiers I expect that Jesus, their leader would have been the last person that they would expect to be arrested. Maybe they were looking at one another and thinking “I wonder what they have done?” Maybe they were assuming that they were standing in the wrong place at the wrong time and it was a case of mistaken identity.
I wonder how the disciples felt when they discovered that accompanying the soliders was one of their own. Judas Iscariot, who had also followed Jesus. I imagine that this would have only added to their confusion and their distress.
Yet into all this noise, the noise of the soldiers, the distress of not knowing what was going on - Jesus spoke. The disciples were used to hearing Jesus speak, speaking in a way that could change a situation. In one life threatening situation – the storm around them when they were travelling in a boat, Jesus had spoken and He had calmed the storm with His words - causing peace to reign.
But here in the Garden there was no peace, no calm – Peter reacted angrily, but Jesus calmed him…
Perhaps we too can be a bit like the frightened disciples – thinking we can sort things out ourselves and not trusting God is already in control…
(PAUSE)
I wonder how the sound of the soldiers affected Judas, he was with them, he knew what was going to happen, yet I wonder whether at the last moment he wished that he could go back and undo the situation ? We will never know, but maybe he felt that he was doing the right thing at this moment, maybe he felt that it was better to stick to what he knew and the authorities that he knew, that is the chief priests.
Maybe he felt that he had made a mistake in following Jesus and saw this as a good way out. Maybe he suspected that Jesus was going to be arrested and therefore staying on the side of the authorities would ensure that he did not get into any trouble afterwards.
Judas is always painted as one of the main villains of the Bible and of course he was, but maybe if we are honest we can see some of ourselves in him…
Are there things in life that we have done that we wish we could undo ? Have we made decisions, in order to protect and preserve ourselves even when it has involved hurting other people ? Have we been scared of the reactions around us from other people to the extent that we do something that we know is wrong in order to maintain our own status ?
(PAUSE)
And I wonder how Jesus felt at the sound of the soldiers. We have a picture of Jesus as the one who remains strong, we have a picture of Jesus as the one who always remains constant, our Saviour who would let nothing get in the way of bringing us our salvation. I wonder though how He felt. As Jesus offered Himself up to the soldiers, maintaining safety for His followers, I wonder if He was hurting and grieving over Judas, and over the soldiers, the High priests, and all those who had misunderstood Him.
I wonder how He felt when He was attacked for doing the best for people. I wonder how He would feel today when He looks at our lives. I wonder how He feels when we turn away from Him and follow our own paths, I wonder how He feels when people attack one another, or when His followers are attacked just for following Him and for trying to bring the best to people.
(PAUSE)
And I wonder how we feel as we think of the sound of the soldiers? As we think of our Lord and Saviour being treated in this way, do we grieve or do we get annoyed ?
As we think of the promises of Jesus that He will be with us always, as we think of all that Jesus achieved for us, are we prepared to stand up for Him ?
Are we prepared to follow Him wherever it may lead us, and are we prepared to take on the words that remind us that we need to be strong in Christ and to stand against evil. Jesus stood against evil and all that was wrong - for us. He was obedient to death, even death on a cross and all that He asks of us is that we will love Him.
Had the cross been the end of the story – had the soldiers had the last word then there would obviously be no Easter – no celebration – no hope…
But there is a continuing story of which we are part – that is why amidst the gloom of this day we can always look at Jesus and recognise hope and love – Annie Johnson Flint wrote this poem about our continuing journey….
Some of us stay at the cross, some of us wait at the tomb,
Quickened and raised with Christ
yet lingering still in the gloom.
Some of us 'bide at the Passover feast
with Pentecost all unknown…
The triumphs of grace in the heavenly place
that our Lord has made His own.
If the Christ who died had stopped at the cross,
His work had been incomplete.
If the Christ who was buried had stayed in the tomb,
He had only known defeat,
But the way of the cross never stops at the cross
and the way of the tomb leads on
To victorious grace in the heavenly place
where the risen Lord has gone…. AMEN
We know that the reason it is good is because these events marked salvation for us. This afternoon we journey to the cross and as we journey we think of the events of 2000 years ago, and just for a brief time try to put ourselves in the middle of those events.
In this address I’d like to think of some prominent people in that crucifixion scene and that is the soldiers. They, of course, came into the scene the night before in the Garden of Gethsemane as Jesus was arrested.
The sound of the soldiers would have brought confusion and concern to the disciples who were with Jesus at the time. The disciples who heard the noise and had no idea what was going on. These men who had followed Jesus were following someone who they had worshipped - They were following someone in whom they had put all their trust.
Hearing the noise of the soldiers I expect that Jesus, their leader would have been the last person that they would expect to be arrested. Maybe they were looking at one another and thinking “I wonder what they have done?” Maybe they were assuming that they were standing in the wrong place at the wrong time and it was a case of mistaken identity.
I wonder how the disciples felt when they discovered that accompanying the soliders was one of their own. Judas Iscariot, who had also followed Jesus. I imagine that this would have only added to their confusion and their distress.
Yet into all this noise, the noise of the soldiers, the distress of not knowing what was going on - Jesus spoke. The disciples were used to hearing Jesus speak, speaking in a way that could change a situation. In one life threatening situation – the storm around them when they were travelling in a boat, Jesus had spoken and He had calmed the storm with His words - causing peace to reign.
But here in the Garden there was no peace, no calm – Peter reacted angrily, but Jesus calmed him…
Perhaps we too can be a bit like the frightened disciples – thinking we can sort things out ourselves and not trusting God is already in control…
(PAUSE)
I wonder how the sound of the soldiers affected Judas, he was with them, he knew what was going to happen, yet I wonder whether at the last moment he wished that he could go back and undo the situation ? We will never know, but maybe he felt that he was doing the right thing at this moment, maybe he felt that it was better to stick to what he knew and the authorities that he knew, that is the chief priests.
Maybe he felt that he had made a mistake in following Jesus and saw this as a good way out. Maybe he suspected that Jesus was going to be arrested and therefore staying on the side of the authorities would ensure that he did not get into any trouble afterwards.
Judas is always painted as one of the main villains of the Bible and of course he was, but maybe if we are honest we can see some of ourselves in him…
Are there things in life that we have done that we wish we could undo ? Have we made decisions, in order to protect and preserve ourselves even when it has involved hurting other people ? Have we been scared of the reactions around us from other people to the extent that we do something that we know is wrong in order to maintain our own status ?
(PAUSE)
And I wonder how Jesus felt at the sound of the soldiers. We have a picture of Jesus as the one who remains strong, we have a picture of Jesus as the one who always remains constant, our Saviour who would let nothing get in the way of bringing us our salvation. I wonder though how He felt. As Jesus offered Himself up to the soldiers, maintaining safety for His followers, I wonder if He was hurting and grieving over Judas, and over the soldiers, the High priests, and all those who had misunderstood Him.
I wonder how He felt when He was attacked for doing the best for people. I wonder how He would feel today when He looks at our lives. I wonder how He feels when we turn away from Him and follow our own paths, I wonder how He feels when people attack one another, or when His followers are attacked just for following Him and for trying to bring the best to people.
(PAUSE)
And I wonder how we feel as we think of the sound of the soldiers? As we think of our Lord and Saviour being treated in this way, do we grieve or do we get annoyed ?
As we think of the promises of Jesus that He will be with us always, as we think of all that Jesus achieved for us, are we prepared to stand up for Him ?
Are we prepared to follow Him wherever it may lead us, and are we prepared to take on the words that remind us that we need to be strong in Christ and to stand against evil. Jesus stood against evil and all that was wrong - for us. He was obedient to death, even death on a cross and all that He asks of us is that we will love Him.
Had the cross been the end of the story – had the soldiers had the last word then there would obviously be no Easter – no celebration – no hope…
But there is a continuing story of which we are part – that is why amidst the gloom of this day we can always look at Jesus and recognise hope and love – Annie Johnson Flint wrote this poem about our continuing journey….
Some of us stay at the cross, some of us wait at the tomb,
Quickened and raised with Christ
yet lingering still in the gloom.
Some of us 'bide at the Passover feast
with Pentecost all unknown…
The triumphs of grace in the heavenly place
that our Lord has made His own.
If the Christ who died had stopped at the cross,
His work had been incomplete.
If the Christ who was buried had stayed in the tomb,
He had only known defeat,
But the way of the cross never stops at the cross
and the way of the tomb leads on
To victorious grace in the heavenly place
where the risen Lord has gone…. AMEN
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