"Hope Offered By The Man In The Middle”

In Jesus Holy Name March 31, 2024

Text: Matthew 28:1,5,6b Easter -Redeemer

“Hope Offered by The Man in the Middle”

Rev. John Stott in his book: “The Cross of Christ” writes: “We can not proclaim the cross without the resurrection nor the resurrection without the cross.”

The story of Easter began long before three men died on Roman crosses outside the walls of Jerusalem. Pontius Pilate condemned two thieves and one man he knew was innocent. The Pharisees demanded the death of Jesus and Pilate gave in to their request. The three men who hung upon those crosses were united as they died a painful, lingering, agonizing death. That is not to say all three of these men were alike. The Man-in-the-middle was exceptional.

His name was Jesus. When God entered human time with His birth in Bethlehem, He who had been beyond time chose to become bound by time. He was imprisoned in human flesh, restricted by weary prone muscles and eyelids. The Son of God left His throne in heaven so that by His death He would destroy the power of the devil who holds the power of death over the human race. (Hebrews 2:14) His death and His resurrection from death and the grave is the story of Easter.

If we are honest with ourselves we know that people worry about their eternal destiny. Maybe that is why some of you came today, you want to know if there hope for life beyond this earth. People want to know what happens when our heart stops beating. Is there hope? Is their life after death. The answer is: Yes! That is why Jesus rose from death on Easter morning.

On that “Good Friday” afternoon, the darkness of the midday was frightening. The sun could not break through the glum that filled the air and hearts of those standing near the three crosses. Jesus could have stopped the soldiers as they stretched His arms on the beams. One soldier pressed a knee against a forearm, another, holding a mallet and spike in hand ready to strike. They thought it was only a carpenter’s hand. No, wasn’t this the same hand that stilled the storm? Isn’t this the same hand that healed the leper and raised the dead? Of course it was. Jesus could have clenched His fist, but He saw something else. He saw the hand of God. The same hand stretched on the cross was the hand that formed Adam from the clay. The same hand that sent locust that plagued Egypt, that sent ravens to feed Elijah. (Max Lucado He Chose Nails p. 34)

God was turning His back on His only Son, dying on the cross. His death was planned by the Creator of the Universe, the moment Adam and Eve broke God’s Commandment. The wages of sin is death for every human being. No one escapes. We all have broken God’s commandments. On “Good Friday” between the hand of Jesus and the wood of the cross was a list. A long list of our broken commandments. The list of our sins.

The blood dripping from the hands of Jesus was blotting out the list of our sins. The list of our faults cannot be read. The words cannot be deciphered. On the cross Jesus had absorbed the sins of the entire world. (Colossians 2:14) The “man in the middle” on that Good Friday offers forgiveness to all who place their trust in His death and resurrection.

The Easter event is the great watershed that ultimately divides believers from unbelievers. St. Paul confirmed this reality when he wrote in I Cor. 15:14 “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.”

You can’t have it both ways: Either Jesus actually rose from the grave or he did not. There is no middle ground regarding the “man in the middle” You cannot say He rose in spirit but not body, although some try.

Jesus came into the world so that by His perfect life, his blood shed on the cross would destroy the devil who holds people in the fear of death… His resurrection frees hearts that were held in slavery by their fear of death.

(Hebrews 2:14)

We are not here today to remember the death of a great teacher, a great prophet whose name was Jesus. We are here today because He kept his appointment with death, but was raised to life with a glorified body, with flesh and bone. His grave was empty on that first Easter, not because some disciples had stolen the body, but because God’s Spirit raised Him to life.

The man in the middle was exceptional. He forgave the people who had nailed Him to the cross. He talked to one of the men who was dying with Him. An unusual conversation. It ended with the Man- in- the middle assuring His companion that before the sun set, they would be together in paradise.