Sermon: Luke 19: 28-44 The Coming King

Knock knock. - who’s there? Cows go - cows go who?
No, cows go ‘moo’.

Knock knock - who’s there? Little old lady - little old lady who? I didn’t know you could yodel!

Knock knock - who’s there? Etch - etch who? Bless you!

Knock knock - who’s there? Boo - boo who? There’s no need to cry, it’s just a joke!

I love a good knock knock joke - maybe if you have a good one (better than mine) you can tell me after the service. But the idea behind a knock knock joke is really simple. Someone is arriving at the door. The person inside asks ‘Who’s there?’ Then the person tells them who it is.

Someone arrives, people ask who’s there: who is it, the person tells them.

Our Bible reading today is a bit like a knock knock joke. Someone is arriving, people are wondering who it is, and then he tells them. Only, there isn’t a door the person is arriving at - it’s a city, the city of Jerusalem. So who are they? ‘Who’s there?’

The person is Jesus, but in the story we’re told three things about Jesus - who Jesus is, who’s there, at the entrance to the city.

Now, today is Palm Sunday, the day that Jesus arrived in Jerusalem before his death on the cross on Good Friday, this coming Friday. And if you know how Family Fortunes works, what would be the top answers for things linked to Palm Sunday?

You might expect palm leaves to be high on the list. (Luke doesn’t mention them - like something that happens, different people remember different things, and Luke’s witnesses don’t mention the palms that John mentions). Definitely high on the list would be the animal - the donkey, or in the word used in the reading, the colt.

We’re told that when Jesus comes near two villages just before Jerusalem, he sends two disciples to go and bring a donkey to him. We’ll see why in a wee moment, but for now, look at what they’re told to say when they are untying the donkey - ‘The Lord needs it.’ Jesus is first of all, the Lord. He’s the one in charge, the ruler of the universe, Lord of all. Yet he needs a donkey.

When the donkey is brought to him, Jesus gets on it. Some have put their cloaks (coats) on the donkey for him to sit on, others put their cloaks on the road, like a red carpet when the Queen arrives.

So they move along the road, until they come to the Mount of Olives. The road goes down the valley, and rising in front is the city of Jerusalem. The disciples ‘began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen.’ They had seen the blind man given his sight; lepers cleansed; lame men walking; deaf men hearing; even the dead raised to life. They sing and shout. And look at what they say:

‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!’ They’re answering the knock knock by saying that Jesus is the king, who comes in the name of the Lord, on God’s behalf. That’s why Jesus was riding on the donkey. He was acting out the promise of Zechariah 9:9; he was saying that he was the true king of Israel, coming in peace.

Now some in the crowd didn’t like what the disciples were singing. They thought that the disciples were wrong to call Jesus king. They didn’t see Jesus as Lord or king, they just saw him as a Teacher. They say: ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples!’ Tell your class to be quiet! Tell them to stop saying these silly things!

But do you see what Jesus says? ‘I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’ Jesus says the very stones would shout out if the disciples were silent. Have you ever heard a stone shouting? Me neither. But Jesus says that if everyone was silent, if everyone stopped singing God’s praise, then the stones would cry out.

Now why is that? Why would the stones shout out? Remember what we’ve seen so far? Jesus is the Lord; Jesus is the king. But Jesus is more than both of those.

As Jesus rides along, you’d think he would be happy. He has a big crowd of people cheering him along, singing praise to God. He is coming as the true king, and Lord. Surely this is a happy moment. But look at verse 41. Jesus is crying, weeping. He’s sad. He sees the city, and he bursts into tears.

Why is this? Well, Jesus knows what is about to happen. He knows that even though everyone is cheering for him today, welcoming him as king, in just a few days everyone will turn against him. They’ll not cry out ‘hosanna’ any more. Instead, they’ll cry ‘crucify.’ They’ll want to get rid of Jesus.

Jesus is coming to bring peace, and if they accepted him, they would have peace. But instead they reject him. They don’t want to know him. And in the end, that will lead to trouble. The city will fall, enemies coming against it, the whole thing destroyed.

Why will this happen? Look at v44. ‘They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognise the time of God’s coming to you.’

Do you see what Jesus is saying here? He has said he is the Lord, he is the king, but now he is saying that he is... God. Jesus isn’t just a Teacher, as the Pharisees thought. Jesus isn’t just a good man, as some people think.

Knock knock - who’s there? Jesus, the Lord. Jesus, the King. Jesus, who is God. Jesus knocked on the door of Jerusalem, but they didn’t want him. They put him to death. They got rid of him.

Jesus comes to us as well, to this church, to our homes, to us as individuals. He knocks on the door of our hearts. Will we reject him, like Jerusalem, and want nothing to do with him?

Or will we welcome him in? Will we sing his praise? Do what he asks us? And receive the peace that only he can give, because he came, to live for us, and die for us.

Knock knock. Who’s there? Lord, King, God. Will you open the door and let him in?

This sermon was preached at the Church Family Service in Aghavea Parish Church on Palm Sunday 20th March 2016.

Sermon: Matthew 21: 1-17 Hosanna to the Son of David

Did you hear about the minister who stood up to begin a service? He noticed there was a problem with the equipment and so he said: ‘There’s something wrong with this microphone.’ ‘And also with you’ came the response.

We’re used to hearing responses all the time, and not just in church. Just think of the chorus of ‘Stand up for the Ulstermen’ sung at Ravenhill after Ulster score another try. Or (even though it pains me to say it) a chorus of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ when Liverpool score.

This morning, we’re looking at the response of the crowd to the events of the first Palm Sunday. Most weeks, our response, the application, comes towards the end. You might even be able to tell when it’s coming, and you can tune out, so that you don’t have to think about doing anything in response to God’s word. This morning, though, we see the response first, if that’s not to put the cart before the horse.

The response comes like a chorus twice in the passage. Did you notice it earlier when the passage was read? Or can you see it now as you look at the passage? It’s in verse 9 and verse 15. ‘Hosanna to the Son of David.‘ It’s a cry of praise and a cry for salvation all in one go. It’s almost if we were to cry out ‘I’m praising you because you’re saving me, Son of David.’ But that’s a bit of a mouthful, so Hosanna is much easier.

I wonder if that is your response to Jesus - I’m praising because you’re saving. As we come towards Good Friday and Easter, what is your response? Hosanna to the Son of David was the chorus echoing Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. Will it echo around Aghavea and Fermanagh today? What did the crowd see? What prompted them to cry out?

Recently we had called with our nieces, and they were playing a game of ‘snap.’ I’m sure you know how that works. When you see two things the same, you shout ‘snap’. They had animal pictures - elephants, giraffes, lions, penguins. When you saw two elephants in a row, you shouted snap!

If you look closely at the Bibles, you’ll notice that the passage is a mixture of block text and of inset text. Those inset bits are bits of the Old Testament. Matthew includes those quotations to help us play a game of snap. When you see something in the Old Testament, and something that Jesus is doing, then it’s a snap - Jesus is saving, so we’ll be praising.

If we were to do a Family Fortunes question: name something associated with Palm Sunday, I’m fairly sure the donkey would be the top answer. Matthew tells us the details of how the disciples got the donkeys (there were two of them). But look at what else he tells us just before the first bit of inset text: ‘This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying...’

The prophet (Zechariah) had spoken about the King of Zion coming, riding on a donkey. This wasn’t a regular occurrence. Kings rode on war horses, not on donkeys. But here, the prophet had spoken about a king coming on a donkey. And here, now it is happening. Snap!

As Jesus rides along the road on the donkey, the crowds lay down their cloaks and also branches. They recognise who is coming, so they begin to shout out. And what is it they shout out? The respond in praise, by shouting out scripture. Hosanna comes from Psalm 118, and the crowd go on to use another verse too: ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ They are recognising that Jesus is the one coming in the name of the Lord, on the Lord’s business, as the king. The Old Testament promise of one who would come is being fulfilled. Snap! Hosanna to the Son of David. We’re praising because Jesus is saving.

But then Jesus makes it to the city. He enters the temple. But he isn’t there to pray. Instead, it’s quite surprising what he does. You see, we sometimes have in our minds a ‘gentle Jesus meek and mild’ type of Jesus, a stained glass Jesus. You can’t really see Jesus doing what he does next. Verse 12: he ‘drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold doves.’

Imagine for a moment the chaos of the scene - the thud of tables overturned. The rattle of coins being spilled. The shouting and confusion. The scramble. Now why does Jesus do this? He explains it in verse 13: ‘It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer but you are making it a den of robbers.’

The space for prayer had been taken up by the selling of animals and the changing of money. People were profiting by cheating those who wanted to come and pray. You know the way if you were to head over to Cavan, you would need some Euro? Well, those who ran the temple insisted that you had to use temple money. You would have to exchange your pounds or euros into temple money, at unfair rates. The temple was open for business - but not the business of prayer. The Lord has come to his temple and thrown out those who were far from the Lord. As he does that, he makes space for the blind and lame to be cured. He is restoring and reforming, battling against corrupt religion.

The chief priests and scribes (that is, the people who run the temple), they don’t like it. They are angry - and even more angry when they hear the children’s chorus. The children have heard the adults praising, and they pick it up and sing it too. That’s why it’s great to have families in church - as the children see parents and adults praising, they too will pick it up.

In verse 15 the children are now crying out ‘Hosanna to the Son of David.‘ They are responding with praise, but it’s bringing anger to the religious leaders. They confront Jesus asking: ‘Do you hear what these are saying?’

It turns out that this too is fulfilling scripture, a verse from Psalm 8 where ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself.’ Even the infants are praising, because Jesus is saving. But what about you? When we come together, are you singing out your praise? It doesn’t matter if you haven’t a note, you can still sing and make a joyful noise!

In this one short passage, Jesus fulfils four different Old Testament scriptures. Over the course of his life he matched over 300 different scriptures - snap, snap, snap. Jesus has come to save, but will we praise?

The crowds on that first Palm Sunday welcomed the King with shouts of praise. Yet all too quickly the cry was crucify. They turned against him - yet that was how he would fulfil all the scriptures; this was how he would save.

Will you praise him today? We can only praise him when we know that he has saved us. Jesus has done all that is needed. We just have to accept it. Will you praise him today? Let your Hosanna ring out - not just today in church, but every day, in the way you live your life, in the choices you make, in your words and ways. Hosanna - Jesus is saving, so I will praise him. Amen.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Palm Sunday 13th April 2014.

Sermon Audio: Holy Week in Luke's Passion

I'm just getting round to sorting out the sermon mp3s from Holy Week now, so here are a complete set, all from Luke's Gospel:

Palm Sunday: The Royal Visit Luke 19:28-44

Monday: The King Betrayed Luke 22:39-53

Tuesday: The King Denied Luke 22:54-62

Wednesday: The King Tried Luke 22:63-23:25

Maundy Thursday: The King's Feast Luke 22:1-23

Good Friday: The King's Welcome Luke 23:32-43

Sermon: Luke 23: 32-43 The King's Welcome

As we gather on this Good Friday, as we’ve heard the Passion of the Lord Jesus, we quickly realise that Jesus is at the very centre of human history. Jesus is the most important person who has ever lived - indeed, history itself is all about Jesus. Just think of how we mark time. We speak of BC and AD - Before Christ and Anno Domini, the year of the Lord. Now, while some very clever scholars try to speak instead of BCE - Before the Common Era - it still amounts to the very same; the dividing point, the centre point of time is Jesus Christ.

In our reading tonight, we saw how Jesus was at the centre of humanity. He was crucified between two thieves - one on his right and the other on his left. Jesus is in the centre, with the two crucified criminals showing us the two different reactions to Jesus. You see, there are only two ways to respond to Jesus, and the thieves crucified with Jesus demonstrate those two possibilities.

The first criminal, well, he went with the crowd. Luke tells us that the people watching sneered at him. ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.’ (35) They remembered the miracles Jesus had done; they thought they were just clever tricks - if he couldn’t get himself out of this situation. It would be like a champion lifeguard who had rescued lots of other people from drowning, who then drowned himself.

The soldiers joined in. ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’ They read the sign above Jesus’ head; they reckoned he should be able to rescue himself, come down from the cross and go free, if he was so important. And so, we listen in as the first criminal mocks Jesus. ‘Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ If you’re really the Christ, you should be able to save not just yourself, but me too. Did you notice that each of the groups and also this criminal used the word save?

Save yourself - come down from the cross. Get yourself out of this mess. And while you’re at it, save me as well. He reckons that Jesus should get him out of this spot of bother - to show that he is the Christ. Yes, Jesus is the Christ, the king of the Jews - but in order to save others, he cannot save himself.

So the first criminal mocks and sneers, and rejects Jesus. In another gospel account we’re told that both criminals had mocked Jesus, but here Luke records that later on, the second criminal changes his tune. Whether it was as he watched Jesus die - praying for the soldiers who crucified them - he knew there was something different about Jesus. He and his mate were hardened criminals. They deserved all that they got. They were being punished for their deeds. But Jesus ‘had done nothing wrong.’ In the way Jesus dies, he recognises that Jesus doesn’t deserve to die like this. You see, the wages of sin are death but Jesus hadn’t sinned; hadn’t done anything wrong.

The second criminal then cries out to Jesus: ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ (42). The sign above Jesus’ head declared that he was the king of the Jews. It was a further attempt to mock - look at the so-called king of the Jews, and what we have done to him. At this very moment, Jesus, is like no king the world had ever seen. He wears a scarlet robe of his own blood, flowing freely from the beating and scourging he received; on his head, he wears the crown of thorns. His royal throne is the cruel cross. Yet this man cries out: ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’

Despite the circumstances, this man recognises that Jesus is the King. And so he entrusts himself to this King. He seeks to join his kingdom, by naming Jesus as his king. And as he does so, he receives an amazingly wonderful promise: ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’ (43). Jesus, by his death on the cross, the righteous for the unrighteous, has introduced his kingdom, and opened the way for sinners like you and me, and this penitent thief, to be with him in paradise. All we need to do is to trust in Jesus, who endured the punishment for our sins. He gives this promise to us as well - that we too will join him in paradise.

The dying thief, in his final moments, is rescued from his hellward path and instead given heaven. You might hear this and think, there’s still time - I’ll wait until my dying moments, until my deathbed in my 99th year. But can you be certain of that? Would you risk that day in the future if you’re not certain of tonight or tomorrow? The first bishop of Liverpool, JC Ryle writes of this passage: The penitent thief shows that it is possible to receive Christ just before death - but there were two thieves that day, and only one received Christ and was welcomed into paradise. Which do you identify with? Will you reject Christ? Or will you trust him as king and receive his welcome?

This sermon was preached at the Good Friday service in Aghavea Parish Church on 29th March 2013.

Sermon: Luke 22: 1-23 The King's Feast

If you were able to choose your last meal, what would it be? The internet is the source of all sorts of information, and there are several pages dedicated to documenting the last meal requests of prisoners on death row. From a family bucket KFC meal, through to lobster tail and steak; bacon and eggs through to pizza, with ice cream. If you were to pick your final meal, what would it be?

In our reading tonight, we find Jesus eating his last meal with his disciples. It is this very night, on the night that he was betrayed, that he gathers in the upper room with his disciples. The disciples don’t seem to realise that it is such an important occasion, but Jesus makes clear that this is a very significant meal. It’s a dinner that they will never forget. Indeed, it’s a meal that we continue to remember and commemorate as we join around the Lord’s table tonight. But why is it so important? Why do we still celebrate the Lord’s supper?

The early part of the passage is taken up with the arrangements for the meal. A couple of weeks ago there was a special TV programme following the Queen around during her Jubilee year. At one point, she came into the royal banqueting hall to inspect the arrangements, and made the staff move all the fruit bowls as they were too near (or else too far away). She was making sure everything was ready in her role as host.

So too Jesus, here, is the one who plans the meal. He sends his disciples into the city, where they meet a man who leads them to the upper room. There they make all ready. But this is no ordinary meal. This is the Passover, the highlight of the Jewish year, when God’s rescue of his people from Egypt is remembered and celebrated.

The preparations having been made, the disciples and Jesus gather in the upper room. It is only at this point that Jesus declares that this night is full of more significance than normal. You see, far from Jesus being carried along by circumstances, as if he is a prisoner of fate and things just happened without him knowing; Jesus has been planning and preparing for this night.

Look with me at verse 15. ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it (again) until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ You see, Jesus knows that he is about to suffer. He knows that the cross is just around the corner. But this is not just sentimental emotionalism. It’s not just, oh it’s good to have this. Rather, he takes the Passover and uses it to explain what is about to happen; and points forward to the coming of his kingdom.

As we listen in to what Jesus says and does, he points backwards to the Passover in the past to explain the present, and point to the future.

Passover was a big occasion, a yearly festival, a bit like our Christmas dinner. In it, the Jews remembered the rescue God had provided for their ancestors. The Israelites had been in Egypt - they moved in when Joseph was prime minister at the end of the book of Genesis, and leave in the book of Exodus. but between the end of Genesis and the start of Exodus, about 400 years have lapsed. While they were once important, by the time of Exodus they were slaves. They cried out for God to rescue them, and God did it through the Passover.

The Passover was the last of the ten plagues in Egypt, when Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to ‘let my people go.’ In the Passover, God gave instructions to Moses and the children of Israel. They were to take the Passover Lamb, and kill it. The blood of the lamb was applied to the doorposts and lintel of their houses. Inside, they shared in the meal of roasted lamb and bitter herbs, with the unleavened bread - because they were ready for the road; waiting for the call to go.

During the night, the angel of the Lord came through the land and struck down every firstborn in the land - from Pharaoh’s palace to the lowest slave. Each firstborn son died, except in the houses of the Israelites, where the blood of the lamb was visible. A death had already occurred. The lamb had died instead of the firstborn son. Pharaoh sent the Israelites away; they were free because of the Passover.

That’s the meal that Jesus and his disciples were celebrating. But now Jesus declares that what happened in the Passover was pointing all along to what he would do as he suffered on the cross. Now I don’t know about you, but sometimes families have special rituals when it comes to family meals. It might be watching the Queen at Christmas before opening the presents. It might be crackers, then meal; or meal then crackers; or deferring dessert until after a snooze.

There was a set ritual for the Passover. The meal was a re-living of the events of the first Passover. But then Jesus does something new, something different. He portrays his suffering in terms of the bread and wine.

He took some bread and says: ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ The bread symbolises his body, broken, given for his disciples. In his death, we are given life. In his wounds, we are healed. This is what we remember as we meet together around his table. Jesus is the real Passover lamb, who died in our place, bringing us salvation - not just rescue from Egypt, but rescue from everything that enslaves us - sin and death and hell.

So with the cup, Jesus takes it and declares: ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’ Jesus’ blood was shed for us on the cross; he institutes a new covenant - not of law, but of grace. His blood was given to release us from the law and to set us free to serve him.

As Jesus suffers and dies, so he brings in his kingdom. So as we take bread and wine, as we remember him, it’s not just as we might remember an old school friend who we haven’t seen in a while. Rather, we remember with gratitude and joy what Jesus achieved for us as he suffered. We not only look back, but we also look forward. The royal feast is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. This bread and wine is just a sample of the celebration we will have when we see Jesus face to face in his heavenly kingdom.

Jesus says that he will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Neither will he drink the wine until the kingdom of God comes. By his death on the cross, Jesus has ushered in the kingdom. He has made the way for us to come and to share in the royal feast. The king has done all that is necessary.

The invitation is extended, as we share tonight to do this in remembrance of him - not just remembering back to the cross (the fulfillment of the Passover), but also remembering forward - looking to the completion of all things, when Jesus returns and welcomes us into his heavenly home. Will you come and share with him?

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church at the Maundy Thursday service on 28th March 2013.

Sermon: Luke 22:63 - 23:25 The King Tried

As we’ve journeyed with Jesus this week, we know all too well what lies ahead. We’ve heard the story many times before, we know (even if the first disciples didn’t know) that the cross awaits on that first Good Friday. It’s so familiar to us, though, that sometimes it’s good to be able to stop and think, to ask questions, to watch in slow motion replay. If you’re watching a football game on TV, they’ll show the build-up to the goal, how it came about. Gary Lineker and his mates on Match of the Day will analyse the series of passes and dummies and shots that led to the goal.

In a similar kind of a way, our reading tonight helps us to see the build-up to the cross. Why was it Jesus was crucified? What led to Jesus being nailed to the cross? How did it come about? And what does it mean for us?

We begin with the men holding Jesus (63-65). They’ve arrested him, taken him prisoner, but there is no due process here, no fairness, no hint of being innocent until proven guilty. Rather, the guards mock him and beat him. They have heard that Jesus is regarded as a prophet, so they blindfold him, asking him to prophesy, to say which of them was hitting him. Jesus is scorned and insulted.

From there, he is taken to the assembly of the elders (the Sanhedrin), which could not meet at night, so they wait for the very first glimmer of daylight in order to not break the law. How ironic, given what happens next. Do you see what they say? ‘If you are the Messiah, tell us.’ (67) Yet Jesus makes the point that if he did tell them, they would not believe.

They sit in judgement over Jesus; they have already decided that Jesus must die. It’s the action they have worked towards for so long. Yet the tables are turned, as Jesus continues: ‘But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God’ (69) Jesus will be seated in the place of judgement; he will try them, but they refuse to listen; they refuse to believe.

They continue by asking if he is the Son of God, and his answer is enough for them. They don’t pause to consider if he is speaking the truth. They refuse to contemplate that Jesus is actually the Son of God, the Messiah. They have the ‘evidence’ so called, they can now take him to Pilate. The build-up continues.

It’s obvious, though, that the charge of being God’s Son won’t mean anything to the pagan Roman governor, Pilate. Instead, they claim that Jesus is leading the nation astray, telling people to withhold taxes from Caesar, and setting himself up as king.

For Pilate, a troubled governor who had already upset the locals in Jerusalem and caused bother for Caesar, this wasn’t what he wanted to hear. The Romans wanted to keep the peace, to control the Jews, but every so often there would be a new uprising. Pilate had to keep control.

When he asks Jesus if he is the king of the Jews, Jesus answers ‘You say so.’ Pilate’s opinion is that ‘I find no basis for an accusation against this man.’ He is not guilty. Why didn’t he stop the proceedings here? Why didn’t he release Jesus? The crowds don’t like it. They press on, mentioning Galilee. Pilate reckons he has his escape route.

King Herod, ruler of Galilee, was in town for Passover. If he’s from Galilee, then he can be Herod’s problem. Herod was delighted. For a long time he had been wanting to meet Jesus - not to hear his teaching and believe his message, but simply to see a sign. He was interested in miracles - he wanted a Paul Daniels type performance, but Jesus refuses to answer his questions, and performs no sign. Even with the false accusations of the chief priests, still Jesus remains silent.

The innocent prisoner is mocked by Herod; they dress him up in an elegant robe and send him back to Pilate. Again, Herod found him not guilty (15). Why wasn’t he released? The way of the cross continues.

Pilate once again declares Jesus’ innocence. ‘he has done nothing to deserve death.’ (15). Surely he should be released? But no, Pilate’s offer is to have him flogged and then released. Can you imagine the uproar if a government decided that suspects released without charge first got a flogging to send them on their way? Perhaps Pilate is trying to compromise with the crowd.

But the chief priests and the crowd’s opposition has turned into an avalanche. We’ve escaped the snow here, but in County Down and County Antrim, the snow remains - it wouldn’t take much on one of the hills to start an avalanche, but it quickly grows and builds until nothing can hold it back. So it is here with the crowd.

Pilate offers to flog and release; they shout back: ‘Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us.’ (18). Pilate addresses them again, but he’s shouted down: ‘Crucify, crucify him!’ (21). Momentum is growing; the snowball is hurtling down the hillside, bringing more snow with it.

For the third time, Pilate maintains Jesus’ innocence: ‘Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death.’ (22). Their loud shouts continue, ‘their voices prevailed.’

Pilate has given in to the mob rule. He condemns the innocent and hands him over to be crucified. The one who is not guilty is treated as the guilty one. The cross stands waiting for the Lord Jesus.

We’ve watched the slow motion replay. We’ve seen as the guards mocked Jesus; the elders condemned Jesus; Herod mocked Jesus; Pilate gave in as the crowd pressed for his death. Each person and group contributed and to the death of Jesus, the cruel cross. The repeated verdicts of the innocence of Jesus highlight the injustice of his death. To simply observe the human actors with their motives and desires and agendas as they collide and conspire could lead us to despair. Except we know that through it all, God is still in control. Herod and Pilate and the chief priests are all responsible for their actions, but even in this darkest of days, God is working to bring about his purposes.

The cross is the ‘cup’ Jesus asked to pass from him, but to which he submitted. It is in the cross that Jesus saves us, as he substitutes for us.

Consider Barabbas. He was a condemned man. A murderer and a rebel. He deserved the punishment that was due. He waited on death row. The cross had his name on it. Yet this guilty man walked free. Imagine that as he took off his prison clothes and walked out in freedom, that he watched as Jesus was nailed to the cross. He could truly say: ‘He died in my place.’

We may not like to hear it this way; we may not like the comparison, but we are Barabbas. We each of us deserve the death penalty. We stand rightly condemned. Yet Jesus has taken our place. He has died the death we deserve - the innocent for the guilty. The choice remains - will we cry ‘crucify’ and reject Jesus, or will we receive the pardon he provides, and worship the crucified Lord, who died that we might live. Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church at the Holy Week midweek service on Wednesday 27th March 2013.

Sermon: Luke 22: 31-34, 54-62 The King Denied

I wonder if Youcef Nadarkhani is a name you’re familiar with. Pastor Youcef had been held in prison in Iran because he is a Christian. His charges were apostasy (that is, converting from Islam), and evangelising (telling Muslims about Jesus). The court promised to release him if he were to recant his Christian faith. The pressure to deny Jesus must be massive, and yet, still, he holds on.

If we had time, we could share lots of other stories of Christians across the world who face similar situations. I don’t know about you, but it seems as if we have things so much easier here in Fermanagh. It’s not illegal for us to meet together; we aren’t in danger of the secret police interrupting our meetings.

Yet there may still be pressures to deny Jesus. They may be more subtle; but they will still come. It might be as you call in at a friend’s house on the way home and they tease you about coming to church on a Tuesday night. Or in your workplace as they ask what you did at the weekend, and you share all sorts of things, except where you were between 11 and 12 on Sunday morning. Or a friend might challenge you about something the Bible says - you don’t really believe that, do you? The pressure is to conform, to avoid embarrassment, to not be put on the spot. So you smile, and dodge the question.

But in case you’re feeling guilty; just before you switch off; take heart. You see, rather than the Bible portraying perfect people and honourable heroes; God in his grace gives us the full picture - as Oliver Cromwell requested when having his portrait painted: ‘warts and all.’

We think of Peter as one of the heroes of the faith - the bold, outspoken, courageous, first off the mark leading disciple. We look at him and think that he must be in a league of his own; so high above us in rank and power; he wouldn’t do the things that we have done. Yet look at him as our reading ends tonight. ‘And he went out and wept bitterly.’ (62). But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s go back to the start, and see how this develops, and what it means for us.

Back in verse 31, Jesus is still in the upper room with his disciples, They’ve shared in the Last Supper, and suddenly Jesus shares some surprising words with Peter (also called Simon): ‘Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail.’ (31-32)

Jesus tells us that Satan has prayed. He has asked the Father for something. He has demanded to sift the disciples like wheat. Now when I hear of sifting, it normally makes me happy - it means that Lynsey is busy in the kitchen with a sieve and some flour, which means that in a little while there’ll be some cakes or buns to sample. Good times. But imagine being the flour in the sieve. You’re shaken around, bumped about. It wouldn’t be so pleasant.

For the wheat being sifted, it was to be shaken up so that the chaff would be removed and the wheat held in the sieve. But it’s Satan asking for the disciples to be sifted, to be buffetted, so it’s not in order to improve them, but rather to test them, to see if they will give up on Jesus. All the disciples will be sifted, but Jesus tells Peter that he is praying for him, that his own faith may not fail.

Immediately we see the effects of the sifting. Peter boldly declares that he is ready to go to prison and to death with Jesus. Ah yes, the Peter we know. Yet Jesus tells him that before the cock crows, he will have denied Jesus three times. We’re not given Peter’s response, but I’m sure he doesn’t believe it.

But it’s one thing to declare that we love Jesus and stand with him in the upper room where it’s safe. It’s another thing on the dark hillside of the Mount of Olives, or by the fire in the courtyard of the high priest’s house. It’s one thing to sing our praise to Jesus here in church, but another thing by the fire of a friend. What will happen?

Jesus is arrested (as we saw last night) and taken to the high priest’s house. The rest of the disciples aren’t mentioned, it seems they have fled. Peter still follows, at a distance. He hasn’t given up yet. Peter joins the crowd by the fire, he’s settling into his place, getting warmed, when the first accusation comes.

‘Then a servant girl, seeing him in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man also was with him.”’ Perhaps the servant girl had been among the crowd; She may have watched as Peter swung the sword and lopped the slave’s ear off. She knew Peter. He quickly denies it: ‘Woman, I do not know him.’ Was Peter afraid? Did he think he would also be arrested? What was he doing?

Time passed, and again the accusations came. Again, he insists that he was not one of them - a follower of Jesus. An hour later, a third man insists, ‘Surely this man also was with him; for he is a Galilean.’ We’re in Jerusalem, among the city slickers. Galilee was away to the north, a more rural place, with a different accent. It would be like someone from Fermanagh being in Belfast, the accent would give (us) away. Straight away, Peter denies it; straight away the cock crowed.

Straight away, ‘the Lord turned and looked at Peter.’ We’re not told what the look communicates, but I’m sure you can guess. As Jesus looks at Peter, Peter remembers Jesus’ words, his prediction of denial. Peter went out and wept bitterly. Such a contrast, in such a short period of time - I am ready for death and prison; I do not know him.

It might make us wonder then, of the two prayers that were mentioned, which was answered? Was Satan victorious - he had asked (demanded) for the disciples to be sifted like wheat. They have all abandoned Jesus, and even Peter has failed and denied his master. Are we pawns in Satan’s hand? Thankfully not. You see, Satan does not have power over us by himself. He is on a leash; he had to ask and be granted the opportunity to sift the disciples. His testing of them still lies within the power and sovereignty of God. In the heat of the trial we can easily forget that God is still in control.

But more than that, Jesus’ prayer was answered. It might look as if it wasn’t - Peter denied Jesus, after all - but this was a momentary stumble; this wasn’t a final, fatal fall like Judas’ in his betrayal. Rather, here’s what Jesus prayed: ‘I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.’ (32)

Jesus knew that Peter would deny him; yet even before the fact, he paves the way back; he gives him the job of strengthening his brothers when he has turned back. Peter continues to encourage and strengthen us as we read of his slip and his stand. This episode is written for us, to show God’s grace in Peter’s life. Just seven weeks later, Peter would stand in the very same city and declare that Jesus is the Messiah - he would not deny Jesus again. So if you’re feeling the heat; if you’re under pressure; if you’re being sifted - remember that Jesus is praying for us too, that your earlier failures are not final. In Jesus we have the victory.

This sermon was preached at the Holy Week service in Aghavea Parish Church on Tuesday 26th March 2013.

Sermon: Luke 22: 39-53 The King Betrayed

I wonder if you’ve ever experienced betrayal. To feel the sting of disappointment; to be let down by a close friend - well, as the saying goes, ‘with friends like that, who needs enemies?’ Perhaps you can identify with David in Psalm 41: ‘Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.’

It might have been years ago, yet the pain remains. How do you respond to such betrayal? Does it open your eyes to the dangers of relationships; a prompt to close everyone out and rely only on yourself? Does it stoke the fires of bitterness and self-pity?

As we turn to our reading this evening, and think about betrayal in this Holy Week, your mind probably quickly lands on Judas. Just as the name ‘Lundy’ in the Ulster mindset refers to any traitor because of the governor of Londonderry, Robert Lundy, during the siege - he wanted to open the gates and surrender - so Judas is now part of the popular vocabulary for a traitor, a betrayer.

But as we look at our text, we find that none of the disciples of Jesus cover themselves in glory - each of them are, to some extent, found to be in betrayal. The scene is the Mount of Olives. It’s now Thursday night, just after the Lord’s Last Supper (which we’ll return to on Thursday). Gone are the crowds of Palm Sunday, it’s just Jesus and his disciples.

In the first verse (39), the disciples are doing well - they follow Jesus. That’s what disciples do - follow their master and learn to do as he does. But (on the Mount of Olives) it’s all downhill from there. You see, the disciples follow, but fail. Jesus tells them to ‘pray that you may not come into the time of trial.’ (40) The disciples fall asleep.

They’re exhausted; because of grief; but they have failed to pray, failed to obey. The disciples needed to pray, so that they would be ready for what lay ahead, but instead they slept.

Are there times when we are similarly prayerless? The Lord tells us to pray; gives us encouragements to pray; gives us the words to pray; gives us the Spirit to help us in our prayers, and yet, and yet, we simply don’t. How much easier we will fail & fall if we ignore the means of prayer.

What a disappointment that must have been to the Lord Jesus when he returns to the disciples and finds them asleep. Even now (46) he urges them with the same words, but it appears that it is too late.

You see, while he was still speaking, we find a crowd coming towards them. In words that are the most ironic and disappointing, we read that ‘the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them.’ Here we have one of the twelve - one of those who should have been following Jesus, was instead leading - leading a crowd coming to arrest Jesus.

As if that weren’t bad enough, he approaches Jesus to kiss him. The sign of friendship, love and greeting is instead a sign of betrayal, of rejecting the king. All his three years following Jesus, his privileged position among the twelve, all thrown away - sealed with a kiss.

Why would he do this? Earlier in chapter 22, we’re told that Satan entered into him (22:3), and that Judas went to the chief priests to offer to betray him. They’re delighted, as they were wanting to get rid of him, and so they offer some money as a reward. How great a price, to throw away his privilege for so little money. To hand over Jesus for a little gain. Could it be that we would so cheaply throw it all away? Is there a danger that we would also do away with Jesus for the sake of some gain?

As the disciples realise what is happening before them - and remember that they were sleeping just before the crowd arrived - they suddenly jump in to defend Jesus. They ask ‘Lord, should we strike with the sword?’ (49) but before waiting for a reply, they strike.

The slave of the high priest is on the sharp end of the sword, and loses an ear. Could this be the time of trial they were to pray to be ready in - yet they stampede in, trying to fix things in their own way. They fail to follow Jesus’ example. He tells them ‘No more of this.’

Perhaps you can identify with this approach. We wade in to sort things out, because obviously God isn’t in charge; he needs us to take matters into our own hands with our own strength. Yet it’s just as much an example of faithlessness and prayerlessness as the earlier sleeping was. Whether through inactivity (sleeping) or through overactivity (swording), we can fail to follow the Lord Jesus. What is it Jesus would have me do?

Now, imagine for a moment that you were Jesus. How would you respond? You’ve been betrayed outright by one of the twelve and the other eleven haven’t been much better. What would you do? In contrast to what I suspect would be our natural reaction, Jesus instead continues to obey his Father, and continues to follow the path laid for him to bring about our rescue.

The King has been betrayed, but he is not swayed from his plan. Even as the disciples were snoozing and snoring, Jesus was praying. ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done.’ (42) He knows the pain that lies ahead; he knows the suffering that awaits. He asks if it might pass him by - and yet for our sake he prays: ‘not my will but yours be done.’

Jesus submits to the Father’s will, remaining steadfastly committed to the way of the cross, for us. He surrenders himself to obedience for the sake of the disobedient.

More than that - although flowing from it - is his grace instead of rage. The disciples lashed out, but Jesus heals the slave’s ear, even in the face of the hostile crowd. He shows grace to those who least deserved it, who were out to get him.

That grace is shown to us who also were the cause of Jesus’ death. At one time we too were against Jesus and rebelled, but his grace was effective towards us, and led to our healing; our being made whole.

Just as Jesus submitted to the Father’s will, so he now submits to the crowd, willingly surrendering to them, even though they carry him to trial and death. He had been in the temple teaching each day and they hadn’t touched him. They waited for this moment on the dark hillside, taking him in secret. As Jesus says: ‘But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.’ (53)

The human actors were intent on destroying Jesus, but they weren’t the only enemies that night. The powers of darkness were also out to get Jesus, to do away with him. Jesus, the King, submits himself to imprisonment and death, by the kiss of betrayal, to destroy his enemies and bring rescue to repenting rebels. Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

This sermon was preached at the Monday night of Holy Week, 25th March 2013 in Aghavea Parish Church.

Christ in the Passover: Book Review

One of the benefits of the Church Calendar is the yearly remembrance and reflection on the key aspects of the life of the Lord Jesus. So, every winter, we recall the great miracle of the incarnation, the wonder of Jesus being born as a baby. Similarly, while our focus is always on the cross, Holy Week can be a special time of meditation on the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of Glory died.

To help me with these annual events, I like to do some seasonal reading. During Lent, I was able to read John Stott's book, The Cross of Christ. In this Holy Week, which is also the time of Seder, or Passover for the Jews, I read the short book 'Christ in the Passover' by Ceil and Moishe Rosen.

As you might have realised by their names, Ceil and Moishe (Moses) are Jews, but Jewish believers in the Messiah Jesus. Through the short chapters, they trace the development of Passover from the first one in Egypt through the period of the first and second temples, to the contemporary Seder meal. This was a particularly helpful insight into the Jewish background of the Lord's Supper, and helped me to better understand the concept of Passover.

One such insight was that 'The verb "pass over" has a deeper meaning here than the idea of stepping over or leaping over something to avoid contact... The word used here is pasah from which comes the noun pesah, which is translated Passover. These words have no onnection with any other Hebrew word, but they do resemble the Egyptian word pesh, which means "to spread wings over" in order to protect.' (p. 22) Hence the Lord's weeping over Jerusalem wanting to gather them as a hen does her brood under her wings.

There was also an interesting discussion into the tradition of the matza (unleavened bread) whereby three pieces are set apart, and during the meal, the middle one is broken, part of it is hidden, then later on found, and then everyone shares in a part of it. The resonance seems to be the three persons of the Trinity, the Son broken, buried, and raised, and all individually sharing in it. This may come from the time when Jewish Christians were still part of the whole Jewish family before they were removed. This same eating of the unleavened bread is at the point when the Passover Lamb would have been eaten (when the Temple was still in existence), and so there's another resonance with the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

All in all, an interesting book, and one I'm glad I read. I'm not sure how I got my hands on it - possibly at a free book giveaway in college, but one to think through again in the years to come.

The Wondrous Cross

And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. (Luke 23:33)

Music for Good Friday

In a slight change to the regular 'What's on your iPod' feature, we'll not look at an alphabetical series today. Instead, because it's Good Friday, here's a playlist from my iPod on 'The Cross.'

All we like sheep - Handel's Messiah
God so loved the world - Stainer's The Crucifixion
I Stand Amazed in the Presence of Jesus the Nazarene - Summer Madness 1999 *
Jesus Paid It All - Passion
Jesus' Blood - Delirious?
Nothing But the Blood - Matt Redman
O Sacred Head surrounded by crown of piercing thorn - Bach's St Matthew's Passion (in English)
Oh To See The Dawn - Summer Madness 2006
Surely he hath borne our griefs - Handel's Messiah
Thank You for Saving Me - Delirious?
Thank You for the Blood - Matt Redman
The appeal of the Crucified - Stainer's The Crucifixion
The Wonder of the Cross - Robin Mark
You Are My King (Amazing Love) - Newsboys
You Led me to the Cross - Matt Redman



* This was the hidden bonus track at the end of the CD.

It Started With A Kiss

Through Holy Week we've been reflecting on the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. So far we've seen the problem of the chief priests, the solution when Satan entered Judas, and the fear of each of the disciples that it might be them.

Following the Last Supper / Lord's Supper, Jesus leads the eleven to the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane. Having prayed fervently, sweating drops of blood, he calls the sleeping disciples to come. 'While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him.' (Luke 22:47).

What great irony in this scene:

The kiss, a sign of friendship, devotion, greeting, subverted by Judas to be the sign of betrayal.

Judas, one of the twelve, a leader in Jesus' movement is the one leading the enemies of Jesus to arrest him.

The crowd come with swords and clubs to arrest an innocent, peaceful man.

One of the disciples lashes out with a sword, and hacks off an ear, only for Jesus to heal it instantly.

What do we make of these things? What grace we see in the Lord Jesus as 'even my close friend, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.' (Psalm 41:9) Wasn't this what he had been praying about in the garden, 'not my will, but yours, be done.' (Luke 22:42) And yet this was what he must endure to fulfill the Father's will, to save sinners like you and me.

Why did they come at this time, when he had been teaching every day in the Temple? Surely that would have been more convenient. Yet: 'This is your hour, and the power of darkness.' (Luke 22:53)

Great is the darkness. But Jesus has overcome!

Sermon Audio: Galatians 6: 12-16

Here's the sermon recording from last night's preach. Boasting in the cross of Christ, because it is the end of our pride, our death to the world, and the source of the new creation.




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Sermon: Galatians 6: 12-16 Boasting in the Cross

Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of Christ. So says Paul in our reading tonight. That word boast means to glory, to revel, to be totally captivated and only interested in. Now, it might sound strange to you for Paul to say that - that he boasts, or glories in the cross of Christ.

After all, the cross is a gruesome symbol of death. It would be like someone today saying that they glory in the electric chair, or that they boast in the hangman’s noose. How could Paul be so interested in the cross? As we look at the Bible tonight, it might be useful to have it open, we’ll see just why Paul boasts in the cross. We’ll see that the cross abolishes our pride, makes us die to the world, and brings the new creation.

To understand the passage, we have to understand the context of the Galatian letter. Following Paul’s missionary journey through the region, which is in modern day Turkey, false teachers had come along, saying that for believers to be real believers, they had to be circumcised too. In seeking to promote the Old Testament Law, they were creating real pressure for these new Christians. So Paul writes his letter to the Galatians telling them to stand firm in the faith, and to reject these Judaizers.

As Paul shows, the Judaizers weren’t actually interested in these believers, just in how things appeared. We see three reasons why they wanted the new believers to be circumcised: 1. to make a good showing in the flesh (12), 2. in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross (12), and 3. to boast in your flesh (13).

The Judaizers focus is entirely on the externals, through formal religion. You see, these were Gentiles who had heard the good news of Jesus, and believed in him. But the Jewish believers were insisting on circumcision, to make them real proper believers. These Judaizers were wanting to keep in with the rest of the Jewish community, who had rejected Christ but sought to maintain the law and traditions.

By forcing these Gentiles to be circumcised, they could say to their fellow Jews and point to the fact that they were coming under the covenant of circumcision. By doing this, the Judaizers were seeking to avoid the scandal of the cross - seeking to avoid being persecuted for the cross.

Rather than faith in the cross, they had faith in the cross plus circumcision. A kind of “Jesus plus” idea. I don’t know if you have been in McDonald’s recently. When you place an order, they’ll say, do you want fries with that? The burger is never enough - they want you to take the fries too. Similarly, the Judaizers were saying that faith in Jesus wasn’t enough - you also had to go through the act of circumcision.

So when other Jews came along, these Judaizers could point to the Gentile believers being circumcised, and so they wouldn’t be persecuted for faith in the cross. Instead, their confidence is in the circumcision, in the flesh of the Galatians. It all centres on human pride - what we do to earn merit and favour.

Now, thankfully, there isn’t anyone going about today saying that we should be circumcised to be real Christians. Yet there are still people who try to earn God’s favour through what they do. For example, some might say that if you’re baptised, then you’re saved. Like circumcision, it’s an outward symbol, which may or may not reflect the internal situation. Or maybe it’s believe in Jesus plus go to church twice on a Sunday, or believe in Jesus plus sing in the choir, or ... whatever!

The cross, on the other hand, cuts through all of our pride. They might boast in the flesh, but Paul will only boast in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rather than trying to show God how great we are, the cross cuts through our pride, and shows that we can do nothing. It’s only by the sin-bearing death on the cross that saves us. As Paul says in chapter 3 - no one can be saved by their law keeping, because everyone is a law breaker, and a curse is upon them.

‘Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us - for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.”’ (Gal 3:13) It takes the death of the Lord Jesus to save us. It takes only the death of the Lord Jesus to save us.

Yet we can’t leave it there. We can’t just observe the cross as an objective thing, seeing that Christ has died on the cross. Because, as Paul goes on to say, we’re also involved. Look at verse 14. ‘But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.’

The cross is not just something that happened to Jesus - we are also involved, when we are united with Christ. As well as abolishing our pride, the cross is also an end to our sin and our death to the world. Remember what Paul wrote to the Christians at Rome? ‘Do you not know that all of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death?’ (Romans 6:3). Paul’s point here is that we have died to sin, or as he says here, the world has been crucified to us. But also, we have been crucified to the world - we have died to the world’s standards and opinions.

Do you see how revolutionary this is? The Judaizers were living to make a good show in the flesh, to look good to the other Jews. Having been crucified with Christ, we have died to these external pressures, and they no longer mean anything to us. Rather than worrying what people think of us, we have died to the world, so that we live for God, and to please God.

It’s what Paul had written earlier in 2:20: ‘I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.’ Do we live in fear of what other people think of us? Of how people judge us based on their external, legal, or self-righteous standards? Paul’s saying that they shouldn’t concern us - we are to live for God alone!

Our third point builds on this one, as we see that the cross brings the new creation. Throughout the passage, these Judaizers had their focus on circumcision, all on the externals. To be right with God, they were saying, you had to do all these things. But read what Paul says in verse 15. Because we have died to the world, and the world has died to us, we boast in the cross, ‘For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.’

It doesn’t matter if you are circumcised. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t circumcised. What matters, what counts, at the end of the day, is a new creation. The new creation comes about by the cross of the Lord Jesus, and is an internal work. The cross of Christ is the place where we find new life, real life, in the new creation.

Lanzarote is a volcanic island. Vast stretches of the country are covered with ash and lava from the last eruptions. The lava is a symbol of death and destruction. Cesar Manrique was an artist and architect who lived on the island. One day, as he was walking, he found a series of volcanic ‘bubbles’, and he began to build his house inside these bubbles. Everyone thought he was mad - the lava meant death to them. Yet now, the house is famous - tourists go to visit. Out of the point of death has come life - out of the lava comes a living.

Similarly, we glory in the cross, the symbol of death, because we find in it the end of our pride, the end of what others think of us, and the beginning of life, real life, new creation life, not because of what we have done, but because of what Jesus Christ has done for us.

As the hymn says:

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

Pride, opinions, our achievements, our goodness, all must be sacrificed on the cross, crucified, so that we can always, only, and ever glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. May this be so!

This sermon was preached in St Elizabeth's Dundonald on the Wednesday in Holy Week, 8th April 2009.

Is It I?

Continuing our theme of betrayal, we come to the Lord's Supper. This is the final meal with the disciples, and the chief priests are waiting for Judas to hand Jesus over.

Following the institution of the Lord's Supper, Jesus tells his disciples that one of them will betray him. He says, "For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!" (Luke 22:22)

As we read the Gospels, we know from very early on that Judas is the one who is going to betray Jesus. As Jesus calls his twelve disciples, we read 'and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.' (Luke 6:16) We know, but the disciples don't.

It's significant that when Jesus tells them one of them is going to betray him, the other eleven don't immediately point to Judas. They don't know it's him. Instead, they instantly think that it could be them. As Luke writes, 'And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.' (Luke 22:23)

Or, as Matthew writes, 'And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, "Is it I, Lord?"' (Matthew 26:22) They were all fearful it could be them. No one suspected Judas.

To all intents and purposes, he was as much one of the twelve as the rest. Indeed, he had some responsibility, being the keeper of the common purse - the treasurer of the group. On the outside, he was a good member of the church, never missed, always present, maybe even a member of the Select Vestry. Yet on the inside, he was ruled by Satan, used by Satan, and betrayed his Master.

On Sunday, I was talking to the Confirmation Class about the church, and was explaining the difference between the visible church and the invisible church - between the outward attenders and the Lord's people. We can't know the hearts of our brothers and sisters, but the Lord surely does.

Judas may have made a show of his membership of the twelve, but ultimately, he was found out when he completed his evil work of treachery and betrayal. May our outsides and our insides match up!

Betrayal

Yesterday we thought of the difficult situation the chief priests were in. They feared the people; they hated Jesus, and wanted to get rid of him. Yet with the crowds in the city of Jerusalem for Passover, they have no way of getting at Jesus.

At that very time, enter stage left, Satan. The enemies of Jesus are friends of Satan's. So he gives them a little kick-start in their plan to kill Jesus.

'Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd.' (Luke 22: 3-6)

Why did Judas do it? Some, looking on the human level, think that he might have been trying to instigate events to give Jesus the opportunity to start a fight. Maybe he was provoking the showdown when Jesus would defeat the Romans and lead the rising (rebellion). Maybe he was disillusioned with how things were going with Jesus. Maybe he had given up, and was out to gain some money.

Maybe all these. Yet Luke gives us an insight into what was also going on at the same time. Then Satan entered into Judas. Demonic and diabolical distraction encourages Judas to betray Jesus for a handful of coins. Satan's grand scheme to destroy Jesus advances to the next stage.

The chief priests are glad. No wonder, as they can see things moving on in their favour - one of the inner twelve have defected, and they can now see the arrest shaping up. It's just a matter of waiting.

Yet this episode may make some tremble. Can Satan enter a Christian, and influence them? I don't think it possible, as it appears that Judas was not converted, he wasn't a believer. Rather, when the believer is in Christ, then there is security and protection in the strong name of Jesus.

Mapping The Passion

When reading about the events of Holy Week, it can all seem unconnected. We read the various place names, but can't really see how they connect. How near is Bethany to Jerusalem? Where was the Garden of Gethsemane, and the crucifixion site? Thanks to the ESV Study Bible, the Passion can become more geographically relevant, using Google Maps. Check out the Passion Week interactive map and maybe even use it as you read through the Gospels. Zoom in and see what those locations look like now. Above all, think on the Saviour who walked these streets, and carried our sorrows as he goes to die for our sins.

Link highlighted by Irish Calvinist.

Hanging On His Words

It's Holy Week again, the run up to Good Friday, and the remembrance of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. Before dashing straight to the passion narratives, I thought it would be good to see what Jesus was doing in his final week before the cross.

Following the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday, he entered the Temple and drove out those who were selling. The place of prayer had become the place of robbery. Jesus purifies the temple, restoring it to its original purpose. Yet this act increases the attentions of his enemies.

Monday to Thursday, he was teaching openly: 'And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him, but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were hanging on his words.' (Luke 19: 47-48)

That's a great image, isn't it - hanging on his words. They were waiting with baited breath, hanging like washing on a line, caught like fish on a hook, wanting to hear what he was saying, listening intently to his teaching.

Who wouldn't? It was Jesus teaching, after all.

Well, the chief priests weren't so keen. But because of the crowds, they couldn't get near him to do him in.

And that's before he starts telling the pointed parables directed against them!

No small wonder that by chapter 22, they're wanting blood. 'Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people.' (Luke 22: 1-2) What will the chief priests do? They've no way to advance their plan. Find out tomorrow!

'It is finished' - John 19:30

Why is Good Friday called that? What makes it so good? Tonight we come to the cross, having looked at John's account of the passion every night this week. We ascend to Calvary mount, to Golgotha, that place of the skull to behold the cross of Christ.

To some, Good Friday was a great day. The Jewish chief priests and elders had a good day. Their rival, that troublemaker, Jesus, was out of the way. they had persuaded, or pressured, Pilate into crucifying him.

The soldiers had a good day. After all, it was work as usual, crucifying another few Jewish peasants. Just what they deserved. There was a bonus though. That mysterious one they called the King of the Jews had some items of clothing, which the soldiers divided among them [fulfilling Scripture as they did so]. One lucky soldier even got the seamless robe.

Pilate might even have felt like he had a good day. Having been bullied by the Jews into crucifying Jesus, he won a minor victory against them after they complained about the sign on the cross. It was the custom, you see, to erect a sign over the crucified to proclaim their misdeeds, to discourage anyone else from getting involved in similar antisocial behaviours. The Jews complained because Pilate had written 'Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.' They preferred 'this man said he was the king of the Jews.' But Pilate won, refusing to change the script, saying 'what I have written, I have written.' The sign proclaimed, in three languages - the languages of the worlds of religion, wisdom and empire the kingship of Christ.

For the followers of Jesus, though, it was a bad day. Most had fled before the day came to pass, but still the women followed closely, and the beloved disciple (John). Their Master, Rabbi, Teacher, Friend, had been tried and shown to be without fault, yet was cruelly crucified. Their hopes of seeing David's kingdom restored had come to nothing. Jesus was dying on a cross. It was a bad day.

So why do we call it Good Friday? What is so good about Jesus dying on the cross? Well, think about the words in the title - 'It is finished.' This was not the cry of anguished desperation, of resignation. This was not the cry of defeat.

Rather, as Jesus cries out 'It is finished' he declares his victory. He proclaims that the suffering due to us for our sins has been endured, paid for, finished.

Recently I was out for a meal with the family, and it came time to pay. I went up to the till, gave over the money, and do you know what they did with the bill? The guy took it, and impaled it on a nail. When the bill went on the nail, it showed that it was paid. Completed. No more needs to be done. The bill is satisfied. No more claim over me. No debt outstanding. Finished.

Good Friday is called Good Friday, because Jesus died in our place, taking the punishment due for our sins, paying the debt that we could not pay, and it is finished!

Behold The Man. Behold Your King! John 19:5, 14

We're continuing our studies in John's Gospel through this Holy Week. Tonight we're going to look at 19:1-16. Last night we looked at the start of Pilate's trial, and we're still there tonight.

First, notice the injustice of the situation. Pilate has already declared that he has found no guilt in Jesus. He has done nothing wrong. Innocent of all charges. Yet he sends Jesus off to be flogged! Is he trying to satisfy the bloodthirsty crowd roughing Jesus up a bit and then release him? The account is sparse - 'Then Pilate took Jesus and flogged him.' (19:1) Not in the Bible do we find the extreme violence, the drawn out details of the flogging, as we find in Mel Gibson's 'The Passion of the Christ.' Rather, we see the highly ironic actions of the soldiers, who, just like Pilate, fail to recognise the king in front of them.

Watch as they twist together the crown - of thorns. The thorns pierce his brow, the blood trickling. Then they produce a purple robe, fit for their 'mock' king, as they bow in false homage.

It is in this state, crowned with the thorns, in a royal robe, that Pilate brings Jesus out to show he has found no guilt in him. Beaten, flogged, crowned. Behold the man!

What love he shows to us, in enduring all this for us. Behold the man!

And yet, the ordeal is not over. The chief priests aren't satisfied with all that has happened. Crucify, is their shout. the flogging wasn't enough, they want Jesus dead. Pilate again tries to prevent it, asking why he should die, when he hasn't done anything wrong. The crowd shouts that he has made himself the Son of God. How wrong could they be! He didn't make himself the Son of God, he was the Son of God!

Notice that this is what puts the wind up Pilate. To hear that Jesus is, or claims to be the Son of God, makes him worried and afraid. What is really going on? Who is this prisoner? Back he goes again to interview Jesus for the final time. Where are you from? But Jesus doesn't answer. Like a lamb before its shearers is silent, so Jesus doesn't speak.

This seems to infuriate Pilate all the more. After all, does he not realise who Pilate is? As representative of Caesar, he has power over Jesus, either for life or death. But Jesus reminds him of the real authority in the world. Caesar rules because all authority has been granted by God. this would not happen without the Father's consent and plan. But there will be consequences - 'therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.' No doubt about it - the Father willed what happened as he gave his only Son to be lifted on the cross. But those responsible will bear the consequences and penalty of the sin.

Pilate is worried. From now on he seeks to release Jesus, but the crowd become more restless, and all the more insistent that Jesus must die. After all, if Jesus claims to be a king, then he sets himself up against Caesar. And if Caesar wouldn't like that, then how can Pilate tolerate it?

Here we come to the moment of decision. Here we come to the crucial (literally - crucial has its etymological roots in the word cross) moment in Pilate's life, and also in the life of the Jews.

Last night we saw that the Jews chose Barabbas over Jesus. Would they remain in their choice?

Pilate declares 'Behold your king.' Recognise your ruler. See your Messiah, the desire of the ages. Choose life. Choose him.

How devastating the answer of the Jews. 'We have no king but Caesar.' Caesar, remember, was the head of the occupying army. Caesar was an unclean Gentile, whose palace they could not enter to remain clean to eat the Passover. Yet here they chose the world over Jesus. They chose the kingdoms of this world against the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They finally and completely decide against Jesus.

How sad. How terrible. In our sin, we choose to rebel against the rightful rule of God. Here, the crowd that day continued in their rebellion, choosing against Jesus.

Please do not choose against Jesus! He is the one who bore your sin. He is the one who carried your burden to Calvary. He is the one who loves you so much that he died in your place.

The decision has been made. Pilate sides with it. Jesus is handed over to be crucified.

Behold the man, and behold your king. Will you stand for him?