What’s Love Got To Do With It?
John 18 & 19
Good Friday
I. Here we are again for “Good Friday” service
A. as a youngster and even now – odd name for this day
1. What we remember this day was not good
tragic, brutal, a day filled with injustice
2. How could this day be referred to as “good”
B. Other countries, other names for this day
1. Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland – Long Friday
a. for some of us it feels like a long Friday
2. Germany – Friday of Mourning or Lamentation
3. Russia – Passion Friday
4. Latin Countries – Holy Friday
a. Some understand good to have a secondary meaning as holy
b. better, what is holy about death
C. Some think it was a bad translation somewhere along the way
and it should be God’s Friday
II. Really a day about love
A. Love is given to us by God
1. a deep, incredible love
B. A love that is proven by Jesus
1. Let’s think about this for a few moment
2. How did Jesus live his life?
3. He taught about loving your neighbor as yourself
a. not with a fleshy, familial love
b. but with a sacrificial love
4. He would some with a word or with a touch that conveyed
caring & love
C. His life here was all about love.
III. Teacher story “Let me tell you a story about how the deep, incredible love can effect even us.”
A. Teddy Stallard – unattractive, unmotivated 5th grader
B. Teacher – Mrs. Thompson found him difficult due to deadpan,
expressionless, unfocused stare
C. She decided look at his records, know more about him
1. 1st grade report – Teddy shows promise, but poor home
situation
2. 2nd grade report – Teddy could do better, Mother
seriously ill, receives little help at home
3. 3rd grade report – Teddy is a good boy but too serious,
slow learner, Mother died this year
4. 4th grade report – Teddy is a very slow learner but well
behaved, Father shows no interest.
D. Christmas that year – children brought presents to Mrs.
Thompson in pretty wrappings
1. Except Teddy’s – crude brown paper & loosely held
together with tape
2. Opened it – bracelet with stones missing, cheap bottle
of perfume
3. Other children snickered, but she put on bracelet and
some perfume
4. After school Teddy lingered behind and came to her desk
5. ‘Miss Thompson, you smell just like my mother and her
bracelet looks real nice on you. I’m glad you liked my
presents.’
6. That night she went home & asked God’s forgiveness for
how she treated Teddy
E. Next time class met, new teacher
1. Mrs. Thompson – no longer just a teacher, now agent of
God
2. Committed to loving the students in her class,
especially Teddy Stallard
F. Teddy dramatic improvement, end of year caught up with
rest of class
G. She didn’t hear from Teddy for a long time until one day
note
‘Dear Mrs. Thompson: They just told me I would be
graduating 2nd in high school class.
Love, Teddy Stallard.’
H. 4 years later another note – ‘Dear Mrs. Thompson, They
just told me I would graduating 1st in my class. I
wanted you to be the first to know. The university has
not been easy but I like it. Love, Teddy Stallard’
I. Finally: ‘Dear Mrs. Thompson, As of today I am Theodore
Stallard, MD. How about that? I wanted you to be the
first to know. I am getting married next month. I want
you to come and sit where my mother would have sat if
she were alive. You are my only family. Dad died last
year. Love, Teddy Stallard.
J. She went to the wedding , in Teddy’s eyes she had earned
the right to sit in a special place because she was
agent of God’s love.
K. She had learned of that love from God through Christ
IV. Love consists in this: not that we loved God but that God loves
A. The Gospel writer wrote that there is no greater love than
to lay down one’s life for another and that is how we know
what love is
B. Max Lucado wrote in his book ‘In the Eye of the Storm’
1. A fictional story about an angel trying to find another
way for the world’s salvation
2. “He looked around the hill and foresaw the scene.
3. 3 figures hung on three crosses.
4. Arms spread. Heads fallen forward. They moaned with the
wind.
5. Men clad in religion stood off to one side…Arrogant, cocky.
6. Women clad in sorrow huddled at the foot of the
hill….Faces tear stained.
7. All heaven stood to fight. All nature rose to rescue.
All eternity poised to protect.
8. But the Creator gave no command.
‘It must be done…’ he said, and withdrew.
9. The angel spoke again. ‘It would be less painful…’
10. The Creator interrupted softly, ‘But it wouldn’t be love.’
V. Good Friday gives us a picture of God’s love for us.
A. A love that is not only good, but goes way beyond good.
B. Jesus suffered because He loved intensely and personally
every man, woman,and child who ever lived and who would ever
live.
C. This is what day all about – Love
1. The intense, unending, undying, indescribable love God in
Christ
2. Christ died because He loves you!
D. That is what love has do with it.
Amen.
