HYMN Update: As Strode the Christ to Cross and Grave

When I was a pastor without a congregation, I wrote a hymn around which I planned a sermon series for Lent. The hymn is called “As Strode the Christ to Cross and Grave,” and it discussed the testimony given by those who witnessed Jesus on His journey to the cross. When I returned to full-time parish ministry eleven years ago—thanks be to God!—I used this sermon series during my first Lent back in the parish.

A few years back, I shared the hymn and series with the pastors in my Circuit. I don’t know that any of them actually used it, but one brother asked me to add another verse to it. I’d forgotten about it over time, until I was going through loose papers in my study a few months ago. I came across the request, and of course I set it aside because I was in the middle of Lent. But—of course it happened during the Circuit pastors meeting, as it always seems to—inspiration came to me today, and I wrote a new verse around the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

Here is the updated hymn. The new verse is now verse 2. I know the accented e in “savéd” at the end of line 4 is little awkward—you try finding a true rhyme for the word “David” that fits the text, confessing Christ as the One who saves!

 

Feedback is love.

 

As Strode the Christ to Cross and Grave

 

1. As strode the Christ to cross and grave,
To bear all men’s transgression,
Men saw His mighty pow’r to save
And of Him made confession.
Hail, Jesus, David’s greater Son,
Who, in His love, heals everyone,
Delivering God’s mercy.
 

2. Palms in their hands, the people cried,
“Hosanna, Son of David!”
Only in Christ, the Crucified,
Can sinful man be savéd.
Oh, blesséd be the One who came,
Who bears the Lord’s most holy name.
“Hosanna in the highest!”

3. “‘Tis better that one man should die
Than die our holy nation.”
When Caiaphas these words did cry,
He prophesied salvation.
Though speaking as Christ’s enemy,
Unknowing, he spoke faithfully.
Christ died to save all people.

4. “Innocent blood have I betrayed,”
Said Judas to the plotters.
Our own destruction Jesus stayed
Through blood poured out with water.
That sinless blood makes our robes white
And saves us from death’s endless night.
That blood has bought our pardon.

5.  Pilate before the priests proclaimed,
“I find no fault in Jesus.”
All said, who should be greatly shamed,
“Naught but His death appease us.”
Still, Pilate knew His innocence.
He gave up Christ at truth’s expense.
Thus death became the judgment.

6. The crowd cried out, “Then be His blood
On us and on our children!”
God saw His Son’s great crimson flood,
Heard those words, and fulfilled them.
That sacrifice atoned, and thus
The blood of Christ now cleanses us.
The stain of sin is ended.

7. The thief with Christ knew his own guilt,
And of it made confession.
Yet in the Lord his hope was built
Who would forgive transgression.
He prayed, “O Lord, remember me.”
No matter how near death we be,
Christ shows His grace and favor.

8. “Truly this man was God’s own Son,”
The soldiers said in wonder,
As death’s fierce power was undone,
The veil now torn asunder.
May we, with those who saw, believe
The saving work which Christ achieved
For us and our salvation.


© 2010, 2021 Alan Kornacki, Jr.
87 87 887
Tune: AUS TIEFER NOT (LSB 607)
Occasion: Lent

 

Witnesses on the Road to Golgotha
Midweek Lenten Series

Ash Wednesday—Luke 21:1-9
The Crowd: vv.1, 2, 8

Midweek 1—John 11:45-53
Caiaphas: vv.1, 3, 8

Midweek 2—Matthew 27:1-10
Judas: vv.1, 4, 8

Midweek 3—John 18:33-40
Pilate: vv.1, 5, 8

Midweek 4—Matthew 27:15-26
The Mob: vv. 1, 6, 8

Midweek 5—Luke 23: 33-43
The Thief: vv. 1, 6, 8
 

Good Friday—Matthew 27:46-54
The Centurion: vv. 1, 8

Sermon for 4/13/11--LENT V MIDWEEK: “Witnesses on the Road to Golgotha”

This year at St. Peter our Lenten midweek services have looked at Jesus’ journey to the cross from the eyes of those who witnessed and participated in those events. Their testimony concerning Jesus, His identity, and His work—testimony sometimes given against the will of those who testified—speaks a profound word concerning the salvation Christ died to win for us. This is the conclusion of the sermon series.

The Centurion: “Truly this was the Son of God.”

Matthew 27:45-54

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The centurion was standing at the foot of the cross. He heard it all: the contempt of the crowd, the prayer of Jesus for forgiveness for those who crucified Him, the confession of the criminal and the absolution which Jesus spoke to him. He heard all of it. Perhaps he was one of the soldiers in Pilate’s court when Jesus was tried; but even if he wasn’t, he was able to read the inscription which Pilate placed over the head of Jesus: JESUS OF NAZARETH, KING OF THE JEWS. He had even heard some in the crowd say mockingly that Jesus had called Himself the Son of God. But he didn’t know how all of it fit together. And then Jesus died. Matthew wrote, “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” He wasn’t the only one who saw all of this, but of all those who witnessed these things, Matthew chose to focus his attention on this centurion. All of these things came together in the mind of this mid-ranking Roman soldier; and he said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

As a Roman who had lived his life amidst an abundance of gods, his own conception of deity would have been different than that of the Jews who were subject to Rome’s authority. Yet this centurion confessed Jesus as would a faithful child of the Old Testament covenant. The signs and wonders proved to him that Jesus was exactly who He claimed to be, and not one word that Jesus spoke went unheard. Not one word of Jesus returned to Him without doing the work for which He intended it. As the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” On top of that, though every word they said was meant to be ridicule and scorn for the Man on the cross, everything said by the crowds and by Pontius Pilate to mock Jesus was true. Jesus is the King of the Jews. Jesus is the Son of God. The Roman centurion and his soldiers accepted by faith what the religious leaders of Israel, men who supposedly had spent their whole lives looking forward to the coming Messiah, did not believe: that Jesus was the Christ, Son of God.

Why would this centurion believe when the leaders of Israel and their mob of followers would not? To answer that question, look to your own heart. Look to your own expectations of what the Messiah should be. You know what Scripture says about the Christ and what He came to do, just as the religious leaders in Jerusalem knew what the Old Testament promised about the Messiah. So what do you think? How should the Messiah act on your behalf? Should He cure your illnesses? Should He provide for your table? Should He eliminate the things that trouble you? What kind of Messiah do you expect? What kind of Messiah do you want? For the leaders of the Old Testament religion, Jesus just wasn’t cutting it. The very presence of this Gentile centurion at what should have been a religious trial and execution was proof that Jesus wasn’t the kind of Messiah they thought a Messiah should be. Apparently Jesus had not come to deliver them from the power of their Roman conquerors. Apparently He had not come to return Israel to a golden age like they had been waiting for since the reign of King Solomon dwindled away. All Jesus did was heal the sick, raise the dead, forgive sins, and preach the Gospel to a people who were hungering and thirsting for righteousness. This was not the Messiah they expected or wanted.

Look to your own heart. It gets old, doesn’t it, all this talk about forgiveness and grace and love. The cross is nearly two-thousand years old now, just as the promise of the Messiah was thousands of years old to the religious leaders who sought the death of their King. Has the shine worn off? Is salvation stale? Should we limit how often we offer the body and blood of Jesus in the Lord’s Supper so that we do not run the risk of making it seem less special than it is? Should we refrain from confession and absolution so that we don’t take forgiveness for granted? Maybe we shouldn’t baptize infants; maybe we should wait until they’re older so they understand what’s happening to them. Perhaps the cross isn’t really rugged. Maybe it’s just old.

Maybe it was easier for the centurion and his soldiers. After all, they didn’t have any preconceived notions about what a Messiah should be. They didn’t even know what a Messiah was. But somehow, when God spoke to them—both in the Word of Christ and through the signs and wonders they witnessed—the Holy Spirit worked faith in them, and they confessed Jesus for who He really is: the Son of God. And though the cross of Christ is nearly two-thousand years old, the forgiveness and salvation Jesus won for you on that cross remains fresh and new. They still speak to you today. Jesus is the Passover Lamb, the One who died so that the new Israel of the Church should not perish. He is the One who allowed His innocent blood to be betrayed into the hands of sinners, the One whose blood cleanses you from all unrighteousness. He is the One in whom no fault could be found, for He lived the sinless life that you could not live. He is the One who bore your sins to the cross, speaking the word of Holy Absolution to you while He was still hanging on that cross.

Truly, this is the Son of God; for though He hung on that cross twenty centuries ago, His redeeming work is as powerful today as it was on that dark Friday on Golgotha. He returns you to His cross in Holy Baptism, where you die with Him in sin; and in that same Baptism He raises you to new life. God does not change. The Word of God endures forever. Holy Baptism does not need your understanding to make it effective; it bestows faith. Holy Absolution removes your sins every time you confess those sins and repent of them, no matter how many times it happens. The body and blood of Jesus in the Holy Supper are a life-giving feast, no matter how many times you have received it.

Truly, Jesus is the Son of God. Though you do not see Christ on the cross, though you do not feel the earth shake or see the Temple curtain torn in two or the opening of the tombs of the saints, you have the faithful testimony of the centurion. Thanks be to God for all witnesses who spoke faithfully of Jesus and the truth of the salvation He won for you. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

And the hymn that goes with it:

As Strode the Christ to Cross and Grave

1. As strode the Christ to cross and grave,
To bear all men’s transgression,
Men saw His mighty pow’r to save
And of Him made confession.
Hail, Jesus, David's greater Son,
Who, in His love, heals everyone,
Delivering God's mercy.

6. "Truly this man was God's own Son,"
The soldiers said in wonder,
As death's fierce power was undone,
The veil now torn asunder.
May we, with those who saw, believe
The saving work which Christ achieved
For us and our salvation.


Tune: AUS TIEFER NOT (LSB 607)

Sermon for 4/6/11--LENT IV MIDWEEK: “Witnesses on the Road to Golgotha”

This year at St. Peter our Lenten midweek services will look at Jesus’ journey to the cross from the eyes of those who witnessed and participated in those events. Their testimony concerning Jesus, His identity, and His work—testimony sometimes given against the will of those who testified—speaks a profound word concerning the salvation Christ died to win for us.

The Thief: “Remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

Luke 23:33-43

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

During the reading of the Passion history you have heard a lot about the King and His Kingdom. When the religious leaders of Israel brought Jesus to the governor Pilate to request a death sentence, they raised the one charge they knew Pilate had to consider: the charge that Jesus claimed He was a king. Pilate wanted to know what kind of king Jesus claimed to be so that he could gauge whether or not Jesus would be a threat to Pilate’s political position or even pose a threat to Caesar’s reign. Strangely, the only person not concerned with King Jesus was King Herod, the son of the man who tried to have the child Jesus killed to prevent a rival king from taking his throne. Even the mob was worrying about the so-called King of the Jews, doing everything they could to distance themselves from this King Jesus and instead declare their devout and unending allegiance to Caesar. They all talked about the King, but they took neither Him nor His Kingdom seriously.

In the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer we pray, “Thy kingdom come.” And Martin Luther tells us, “God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead holy lives here in time and there in eternity.” It seems that we don’t take the kingdom very seriously, either. If it means you must lead a holy life, do you truly want the kingdom of God to come among you? If it means that you must submit to the will of God rather than your own will, do you really want Jesus as your King? If it means that you must trust God for all that you need to support this body and life—and trust Him for eternal life and salvation on top of that—do you truly welcome the reign of Christ? It’s hard to take the Kingdom seriously when you’re suffering or ill or depressed or mourning. It’s hard to take the King seriously when He’s stripped of His clothes, abandoned by His disciples, hanging on the cross.

It was not until Jesus was hanging on the cross that someone took seriously the reign and realm of Jesus. It was not Caiaphas or the priests or the Sanhedrin, for to them the idea of Jesus as King was just a charge they could bring to Pilate so they could have Jesus killed. It was not Pilate or Herod or their soldiers, for their acknowledgment of Jesus as King of the Jews was a way to mock Jesus and belittle those who brought such a silly charge against Him. It was not the mob, for the mob refused to acknowledge Jesus as their king at all. Instead, it was a criminal, usually called a thief. And not even this criminal started out taking the reign of the King Jesus seriously. Like the other criminal, this one started off with mockery for Jesus. But something changed. For some reason, as the one criminal resumed his verbal abuse of Jesus, the other stepped in. “Don’t you fear God?” he said. “We’re being punished the same as this Man, and we deserve this punishment for our crimes. But this man is innocent.” We can imagine all sorts of motives for this change of heart, but only one can explain his reaction. You see, this criminal heard the words of Jesus that begged absolution for everyone responsible for crucifying Him. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

Never had the thief heard such gracious words spoken. Nobody else had, either. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Were those words spoken for him, too? This man was hanging on a cross—the deserved end of a life of crime. He knew he deserved this punishment. He knew he deserved the mocking of the crowds. But after hearing Jesus, an innocent man hanging on a cross that He didn’t deserve, ask the Father in heaven to forgive the people who put Him there unjustly, he knew this Man hanging next to him couldn’t be just a Man. Thanks to Pilate’s inscription hanging over the head of the Christ, the criminal knew the Lord by name: “Jesus.” The name means “Savior”; and this criminal, hearing those words of absolution from the one named “Savior”, put his trust in this Savior, this One who could forgive the same people who wrongly crucified Him. He trusted that Jesus could forgive even him, a criminal and a sinner. After hearing those words of absolution, it was natural for Him to cry out to the Savior, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

This criminal on the verge of death is the first to embrace Jesus as the King of a heavenly kingdom. It didn’t matter that his life had been lived in opposition to the Word of God. It didn’t matter that his conversion happened the very day he died. Having heard the confession of sin and the confession of faith of this criminal, Jesus said to him, “Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” That is the kind of King that Jesus is; that is the kind of Kingdom over which Jesus reigns. Jesus is the King of love and mercy; He rules over a Kingdom of grace. He hears the prayers of the faithful, and He graciously answers them in whatever way is best. He begins with our cries for forgiveness and mercy; and such prayers, such confessions made in faith, are requests that He is pleased to grant. That is why He endured the cross in the first place: to pay the purchase price which would redeem sinners. He paid the wages of sin on your behalf. Through the mouth of His called and ordained servants He tells you that you, too will be with Him in Paradise. What other king could be so great as the King who dies for those He came to reign? The cross is His throne, His death the coronation. The first thief mocked Jesus by saying, “If you are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” But had Jesus saved Himself, He would not have saved anyone but Himself. In bearing the sins of the world to the cross, bearing them to death, He purchased forgiveness with His blood for all who cling by faith to His sacrifice on the cross. There is no waiting for a future glory. There is no purgatory to pass through. When you close your eyes in death, Paradise belongs to you. Forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation belong to you who cry out to the King.

Saint Paul tells us that the cross of Christ is foolishness to some and a scandal to others. To those who insist on clinging to their own works, relying on the death of Christ is foolishness. To those who despise the Word of God, relying on the death of Jesus is a scandal. But to those who cry out to Jesus for mercy and forgiveness, the cross reveals Jesus as the King—the King who will welcome us into His heavenly Kingdom of Grace with the words, “Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

And the hymn that goes with it:

As Strode the Christ to Cross and Grave

1. As strode the Christ to cross and grave,
To bear all men’s transgression,
Men saw His mighty pow’r to save
And of Him made confession.
Hail, Jesus, David's greater Son,
Who, in His love, heals everyone,
Delivering God's mercy.

5. The thief with Christ knew his own guilt,
And of it made confession.
Yet in the Lord his hope was built
Who would forgive transgression.
He prayed, "O Lord, remember me."
No matter how near death we be,
Christ shows His grace and favor.

6. "Truly this man was God's own Son,"
The soldiers said in wonder,
As death's fierce power was undone,
The veil now torn asunder.
May we, with those who saw, believe
The saving work which Christ achieved
For us and our salvation.


Tune: AUS TIEFER NOT (LSB 607)

Sermon for 3/30/11--LENT III MIDWEEK: “Witnesses on the Road to Golgotha”

This year at St. Peter our Lenten midweek services will look at Jesus’ journey to the cross from the eyes of those who witnessed and participated in those events. Their testimony concerning Jesus, His identity, and His work—testimony sometimes given against the will of those who testified—speaks a profound word concerning the salvation Christ died to win for us.

Pontius Pilate: “I find no fault in Him.”

John 18:33-40

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus of Nazareth was on trial for His life. The religious leaders of Israel had convicted Him in their court as a blasphemer, a crime worthy of death, according to their selfish and evil standards; but because they were a conquered people, the Jews lacked the authority to carry out the death sentence they desired. So they petitioned the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, to carry out that sentence for them. Pilate heard their charges against Jesus, and he focused on the one that could possibly have mattered to Roman interests: the charge that Jesus claimed to be a king. Jesus testified that He was, indeed, a king, but that His kingdom was not of this world. Instead He came to bear witness to the truth. He testified that everyone who cherishes and holds to the truth would listen to Him. Pilate’s response set the tone for everything that would follow. He asked, “What is truth?”

You see, Pilate knew the truth concerning Jesus. This wasn’t an earth-shaking confession such as Peter made when he said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Nevertheless, Pilate spoke the truth about Jesus when he said, “I find no fault in Him at all.” This was the bare-bones truth. Jesus was innocent of the charges brought against Him by the Jewish authorities, and Pilate was fully aware of that fact. But what could that mean to a man who asked, “What is truth?” In a sense, Pontius Pilate is the father of what we call post-modernism, an ideology that says reality is relative and depends on who the interested parties are and what their interest is. You see, Pilate knew the truth, but he didn’t let that get in the way of what he believed is in his own best interest. The trial against Jesus should have ended then and there, the moment he ruled that Jesus was innocent of the charges. It had already gone on longer than it should have. There was no case, no cause for criminal procedure. With all his authority as Caesar’s representative in this region, Pilate should have released Jesus without hesitation.

But Pilate was a weak man, a coward. Though he carried the emperor’s authority with him and he had the backing of the local Roman cohort, he was afraid of an insurrection during his watch—especially since the Jews were gathered in Jerusalem in greater concentration than usual because of annual observance of the Passover. A rebellion during the festival had the potential to be deadly—not only for the soldiers under his command, but also to his career. So in order to keep the peace in Jerusalem and appear powerful and merciful at the same time, he offered the crowd a choice between the just and innocent Jesus, whom he called “the King of the Jews”, and Barabbas, called a robber by John and an insurrectionist and murderer by Mark. Perhaps he was surprised when the crowd shouted for Barabbas. But because he was weak and allowed his heathen reasoning to rule him, he had no choice but to let an innocent man face a punishment he did not deserve. Pilate heard the truth, but he was not interested in the truth, nor did he belong to it.

Truth is a precious gift of God, but it is a gift that is often unwelcome, a gift that comes under constant attack. Do you belong to the truth? Do you hear and cling to the voice of Christ? It is not easy to walk in the way of truth. You know this all too well. Be angry at Pilate if you must, but do not ignore the truth. The truth is, God is a just and jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Him. The truth is, you are as responsible for Christ’s crucifixion as Pilate. You are as responsible as if you had brought the false accusation against Jesus. You are just as responsible as if you had cried out for Barabbas. You are as responsible as if you had ignored the truth of the innocence of Jesus and surrendered Him yourself into the hands of sinful men with selfish and evil motives. You bear the curse of sin, inherited from your first parents Adam and Eve. With them, you look for some kind of greater truth that what God has revealed to you in His Word. You look for the truth in the treasures of this world. You look for the truth from fellow sinners. You live in a world that denies that there is objective truth; a world that denies that there is a universal right or wrong; a world that says that what is right for you may not be right for me; a world that says what Christ calls “sin” is the product of the time in which Jesus lived, and if He lived today He would say something different—and it’s so easy to buy into the “wisdom” of the world. With Pilate you have heard the Word of truth, but in the imagination of your hearts, deluded by your own self-interests, you ignore the voice of truth, the Word of God, to pursue your own sinful desires. Jesus, the innocent King of the Jews, the Son of God, is the voice of truth. That should be truth enough.

And if that truth is not enough, then listen to this truth: On the cross, Jesus suffered the wrath of God which your sin deserved. Ultimately, the cross is not the result of vengeful Jewish chief priests or misguided former disciples or cowardly Roman governors. Even though they acted in selfish and sinful ways, they are just acting as God’s instruments to bring the innocent, faultless Christ to the cross. God is at work behind their actions to carry out His judgment against your sin and the sin of the whole world upon His Son. The cross is the result of God’s great love for you, the people He created. The cross is not a victory for the chief priests and the leaders of Israel. It is not a victory for Pontius Pilate. It is not even a victory for the devil or the world, though this world’s prince and those who belong in his domain may delight in the suffering of Jesus. The cross is Christ’s victory: victory over the devil’s temptation to save Himself, victory over the satanic desires of the chief priests, but most especially victory over the sin whose wages would condemn us everlasting death. The innocent, sinless Son of God bore that sin to the cross, dying the death your sin earned for you. Through Baptism you died that death with Him; and because the innocent Son of God died that death for you, through Baptism you are raised up with Him.

The truth is, Jesus is the innocent, sinless Son of God. The truth is, through Holy Baptism, your sin becomes His burden, and His righteousness becomes Your innocence before God. When the world asks you, “What is truth?” your answer becomes, “Jesus is the truth.” Cling to the Truth, for in Him you have abundant life. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

And the hymn that goes with it:

As Strode the Christ to Cross and Grave

1. As strode the Christ to cross and grave,
To bear all men’s transgression,
Men saw His mighty pow’r to save
And of Him made confession.
Hail, Jesus, David's greater Son,
Who, in His love, heals everyone,
Delivering God's mercy.

4. Pilate before the priests proclaimed,
"I find no fault in Jesus."
All said, who should be greatly shamed,
"Naught but His death appease us."
Still, Pilate knew His innocence.
He gave up Christ at truth's expense.
Thus death became the judgment.

6. "Truly this man was God's own Son,"
The soldiers said in wonder,
As death's fierce power was undone,
The veil now torn asunder.
May we, with those who saw, believe
The saving work which Christ achieved
For us and our salvation.


Tune: AUS TIEFER NOT (LSB 607)

Sermon for 3/23/11--LENT II MIDWEEK: “Witnesses on the Road to Golgotha”

This year at St. Peter our Lenten midweek services will look at Jesus’ journey to the cross from the eyes of those who witnessed and participated in those events. Their testimony concerning Jesus, His identity, and His work—testimony sometimes given against the will of those who testified—speaks a profound word concerning the salvation Christ died to win for us.

Judas: “Innocent Blood”

Matthew 27:1-10

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

As we have heard in our readings from the Passion History, Judas sought out the chief priests and asked how much they would offer him to betray Jesus into their hands.  They gave him thirty pieces of silver in advance, and from that moment Judas began to look for the opportunity to keep his end of the bargain.  The opportunity presented itself to Judas after the Master and His disciples partook of the Passover meal, after the Lord instituted the Holy Supper.  While Judas went to summon the soldiers of the religious leaders of Jerusalem, Jesus took the disciples to the Mount of Olives to pray; and as Jesus completed His prayers, Judas led the soldiers into His presence.  And then, with a kiss, Judas signified that this was the One sought by the chief priests, scribes and elders.  Jesus was taken away and immediate stood trial before Caiaphas and the council.  Our text for this evening records a second meeting of the council, where Jesus was sentenced to death.

             

What did Judas think was going to happen?  Did he perhaps believe that the council would hear what Jesus had to say concerning Himself and be convinced finally of the power and wisdom, the Messianic nature of Jesus?  After all, Judas knew Jesus spoke with authority, and that preaching had brought many people to believe in Him.  Or did Judas perhaps believe that Jesus would work some sort of sign, maybe that He would miraculously deliver Himself from the power of those who would have their wicked way with Jesus?  As you know, Judas was also an eyewitness to the powerful signs and wonders Jesus performed among the people during His ministry—including a miraculous departure from Nazareth when the people there sought to kill him.  Or perhaps Judas felt he could force the hand of Jesus—by betraying Him, maybe that would force Jesus to deliver Israel from the clutches of Rome.  Scripture is not clear as to the motives of Judas, nor is it clear what wrought his change of heart; but as the text explains, when Judas learned that Jesus was to be put to death, he felt remorse. 

             

What a strange and sad character this Judas is.  On the one hand, it’s easy to hold him in contempt.  After all, he was one of the hand-picked disciples.  He had spent three years with Jesus, watching Him perform signs and wonders, listening to Him as He preached the good news.  He was an eyewitness to everything Jesus said and did; but that did not instill in him any loyalty—or at least, not enough loyalty to keep him from betraying his Master and Savior.  He betrayed his beloved Teacher and Friend; and it’s all too easy to hold him in contempt for that.  On the other hand, it’s not all that hard to pity Judas, either.  Like a child who is caught in a lie, he’s not really sorry for what he’s done, but he does express remorse for the consequences.  It’s easy to pity him for that because we’ve all been there.  We’ve can sympathize, because we’ve all been caught with our hands in the cookie jar, so to speak.  And it’s easy to pity Judas because the high priest, who should have been concerned for his spiritual welfare, ignored his need for spiritual care.  In fact, those who should have been concerned for the state of his soul aided him in his sin.

             

But the real reason to pity Judas is that he did not repent.  Repentance is remorse combined with faith, and Judas did not believe in the One who could give him forgiveness.  Instead he went to the wrong person to deal with his sin.  After three years, he should have known that he could find forgiveness and peace for his soul in Jesus—and only in Jesus.  Even then, as Jesus was facing the wrath of the council, Jesus would have spoken the Word of forgiveness to him.  Even then, when Jesus was on His way to Golgotha and the cross, Jesus would have welcomed him back into the fold.  Instead, he put his hope in the same people who bought his sinful services in the first place, men who hated Jesus more than they loved to tend to the needs of sinners.  When that inevitably failed, he tried to buy a measure of forgiveness and hope by throwing the blood money down in the Temple.  And when that failed to soothe his conscience, he hanged himself.  It’s so easy to pity Judas because we, too, find ourselves looking for comfort and hope in all the wrong places.  We look for comfort in our own works—as if our own works aren’t what got us into trouble in the first place.  We cannot earn forgiveness with our works.  We cannot buy comfort with our offerings.  We cannot find peace for our souls from earthly authorities.  Those things only lead to death.  Judas despaired and killed himself, separating himself from the Lord for all eternity.  That separation will be ours, too, of we die without faith Christ.  We pity Judas just as we pity ourselves: as sinners in desperate need of a Savior.

             

The ironic thing about Judas is that he spoke the answer, the place where he should have put his hope, without prompting from anyone else.  He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”  It is in that very innocent blood of Jesus that sinners find hope and comfort and forgiveness.  Had Judas put his faith in the blood of Jesus rather than in his own works or in the evil-minded men who bought his betrayal, he would have found healing and cleansing for his soul.  What Judas did was necessary, but it could also be forgiven through repentance and faith in that holy blood which makes us clean and spotless before our heavenly Father.  This is your hope and comfort and peace as baptized children of God: the faith which you have received in Holy Baptism clings to Jesus and the forgiveness He won for you by shedding that innocent blood on the cross.  Once you could only able to feel the guilt of sin; but now the Lord blesses you with repentance—still carrying that remorse, but now also having that faith which clings to the forgiveness won by the spilling of that innocent blood.  Once your end would have been in that potter’s field with Judas, forever to be separated from the heavenly Father; but now, through Holy Baptism, you have been buried with Christ into death, so that, just as Jesus was raised from the dead, you are raised with Him into eternal life.  What’s more, Jesus gives you His holy and innocent blood along with His precious body to drink and to eat, so that your sins continue to be forgiven and you can return to your baptism. 

             

Thanks be to God that Jesus allowed His innocent blood to be betrayed, so that His innocent blood would be spilled and our filthy souls would be made white in that holy blood.  In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

And the hymn that goes with it:

As Strode the Christ to Cross and Grave

1. As strode the Christ to cross and grave,
To bear all men’s transgression,
Men saw His mighty pow’r to save
And of Him made confession.
Hail, Jesus, David's greater Son,
Who, in His love, heals everyone,
Delivering God's mercy.

3. “Innocent blood have I betrayed,”

Said Judas to the plotters.

Our own destruction Jesus stayed

Through blood poured out with water.

That sinless blood makes our robes white

And saves us from death’s endless night.

That blood has bought our pardon.

6. "Truly this man was God's own Son,"
The soldiers said in wonder,
As death's fierce power was undone,
The veil now torn asunder.
May we, with those who saw, believe
The saving work which Christ achieved
For us and our salvation.


Tune: AUS TIEFER NOT (LSB 607)

Sermon for 3/16/11--LENT I MIDWEEK: “Witnesses on the Road to Golgotha”

This year at St. Peter our Lenten midweek services will look at Jesus’ journey to the cross from the eyes of those who witnessed and participated in those events. Their testimony concerning Jesus, His identity, and His work—testimony sometimes given against the will of those who testified—speaks a profound word concerning the salvation Christ died to win for us.

Caiaphas: “One Man Should Die for the People”

John 11:45-53

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead. What greater sign could the world expect to see that would give testimony that Jesus was the Christ, the promised Messiah, the one promised by God to Adam and Eve who would crush the head of the serpent? Our text tells us that many who had seen what Jesus had done believed in Him. That’s exactly as it should have been, for only by the power of God which was His own to command could Jesus have raised Lazarus from the dead. But there were some witnesses who were not as impressed with Jesus or His power. They went to the Pharisees with their eyewitness account of the raising of Lazarus, and this caused a stir. Jesus was becoming a problem for these men. The people were seeing the signs and wonders Jesus performed, and they were believing in Him. They feared the loss of their influence. They feared the loss of their positions. And they feared their Roman overlords and their reaction to this Jesus and his influence over the people. After all, the crowds might acclaim Jesus as their king, and their Romans would surely see such a figure as a threat to their power and could use that as an excuse to destroy Jerusalem and, indeed, the whole nation of Israel. That could not be allowed to happen! They could not help but acknowledge that Jesus had the power and authority to do what He did, but they hardened their hearts against what that power and authority meant. Acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah did not serve their selfish purposes, and so they did not let themselves accept the truth.

Caiaphas was the high priest that year, and as he listened to the council he grew more and more perturbed. The council was missing the most convenient solution. Finally he lashed out. Speaking with all his authority as high priest, he said, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” Caiaphas candidly raised the possibility of the officially-sanctioned, cold-blooded murder of Jesus. He buried it under the passive word “die”, softening the harshness of his suggestion. Nevertheless he asserted that, since Jesus was the one ultimately responsible for their unrest, since Jesus was the one causing their problems, this Jesus should be killed—and killed quickly—so that Israel would be spared. This was the most obvious, most practical solution to their Jesus problem. In doing so they would rid themselves of this meddlesome Jesus; their authority as the religious leaders would be secured; and they would prove their loyalty to their Roman governor.

Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Caiaphas was right, but he was right for all the wrong reasons. The evangelist wrote, “He did not say this on his own authority.” He was high priest; and even though he was speaking selfishly in suggesting and authorizing this action with evil intent in his heart, as high priest his words had God-given authority behind them. This hateful and evil saying was actually a prophecy from God, a prophecy not only concerning the nation of Israel but also for all those who would believe in Jesus who were dispersed among all the nations of the world. He was speaking a prophecy that the sacrifice of Jesus would benefit both Jew and Gentile, all those who believed in the Christ. That should have meant something to Caiaphas. As high priest he should have been the first to rise up and give welcome to the promised Messiah, greeting Jesus as the fulfillment of everything a high priest of the Old Testament covenant was supposed to want. But Caiaphas was only interested in his own authority, his own idea of what was good for the people of God.

How do you receive the Messiah? How do you respond to His Word? You have heard the eyewitness accounts of John the Evangelist who recorded the Word and the signs and wonders of Jesus. The Church in our day still has those who, like Caiaphas and the council, hear the Word and receive the first-hand testimony from eyewitnesses like Matthew and Jon and Paul, but they disregard that testimony for their own wisdom. This is the promised Messiah, the One who crushed the head of the satanic serpent; but it’s so much easier to believe that your own works and your own desires are best. It’s so much easier to believe that you can do something to earn your salvation. It would be so much simpler if you could control your own salvation. The will of God becomes a dreadful thing, as if submitting to God’s will means that you will suffer merely for the sake of suffering.

But God has something different in mind—for Caiaphas and for you. You may remember the account of Joseph: how his brothers sold him into slavery. When everything was resolved, Joseph told his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people.” In the same way, Caiaphas meant evil for Jesus. Indeed, the Father allowed the high priest’s evil plan to succeed. But instead of delivering the council from the Romans by eliminating a popular teacher and miracle worker, the sacrifice of Jesus atones for the sins of all people, delivering you and all the faithful from sin, death, and the power of the devil.

It is expedient that one Man should die for the people. That one Man, Jesus Christ, died as the Lamb of God, the blood offering that ended the world’s need for a high priest to offer sacrifices for the people. Caiaphas got what he wanted, but he lost everything that mattered to him. He lost his authority and position, for Jesus now is the one true High Priest. He is the High Priest and the Sacrificial Offering all in one. The Temple and Jerusalem would be destroyed; but the new Israel, the Holy Christian Church, is alive. It lives, for one Man—our Lord Jesus Christ—died for all people. And because He raised you up with Himself through Holy Baptism, you who live and believe in Him will never die. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

And the hymn that goes with it:

As Strode the Christ to Cross and Grave

1. As strode the Christ to cross and grave,
To bear all men’s transgression,
Men saw His mighty pow’r to save
And of Him made confession.
Hail, Jesus, David's greater Son,
Who, in His love, heals everyone,
Delivering God's mercy.

2. "'Tis better that one man should die
Than die our holy nation."
When Caiaphas these words did cry,
He prophesied salvation.
Though speaking as Christ's enemy,
Unknowing, he spoke faithfully.
Christ died to save all people.

6. "Truly this man was God's own Son,"
The soldiers said in wonder,
As death's fierce power was undone,
The veil now torn asunder.
May we, with those who saw, believe
The saving work which Christ achieved
For us and our salvation.


Tune: AUS TIEFER NOT (LSB 607)