FIRST WORD: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34
I don’t suppose you’re surprised to hear Jesus forgive. That’s what he came to do. It was his mission just as a UN peacekeeper’s mission is to keep the peace, not stir up trouble. But what did Jesus mean: “…forgive them, for they know not what they do”? Well, the soldiers didn’t realize that Jesus really was a king—their king. The religious leaders didn’t realize that he really was the Son of God. So did their ignorance make their sin forgivable? No. Ignorance is not innocence. Otherwise Jesus would not have bothered to seek forgiveness. Even though they didn’t know what they were doing was wrong, they were still on the hook for their sins.
How many sins have you committed in ignorance? The not-so-funny joke that cut. Being quick to speak when what your friend needs is for you to listen. You may shrug your shoulders at such self-centeredness but Jesus does not. Like the diner who not only apologizes for his companion’s rudeness to the waiter, but also leaves a generous tip, so Jesus not only begs forgiveness on our behalf he provides it with the payment of his blood.
HYMN RESPONSE: How Deep the Father’s Love (vs. 1-3)
SECOND WORD: “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43
Have you ever been invited to a formal gathering like an art auction at an upscale gallery? If so, did you know how to dress and how to act? For example was it OK for you to hold a glass of champagne in one hand while clutching an hors d'oeuvre with the other? Or did that make you look unsophisticated? In a situation like that it’s nice to hang out with someone who has been there before and knows the ropes. That way you won’t feel so out of place.
How wonderful then it must have been for the criminal on the cross to hear Jesus say, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” There would be no slinking in the back door of heaven for this one even though his conversion came just hours before his death. He was to be received as a full citizen of heaven and a full-fledged member of God’s family, for he would enter heaven with Jesus. That was the Savior’s promise.
And yet that’s all the criminal received: a promise. Jesus didn’t give him any visions of heaven, nor was he immediately whisked off the cross. No, there was still pain to endure, including the breaking of his legs. But he could endure all that because Jesus had given him his word: you will be with me in paradise.
And that’s Jesus’ word of promise to you too. Someday the pain and suffering you’re going through now will end. And in its place will be paradise—a place so much better than a 5-star resort because heaven won’t just be a place you visit for a couple of weeks. It will be the place you belong…forever…with Jesus.
HYMN RESPONSE: What Grace Is This! (Hymn 715 choir vs. 1 & 2; congregation vs. 3-6)
THIRD WORD: “Woman, behold your son; son, behold your mother.” John 19:26, 27
Is Jesus ever too busy to see and attend to your needs? The Third Word from the cross declares an emphatic “No!” to that question. Although Jesus should have been crying out to his mother for comfort, it is the suffering Jesus who comforts and cares for his mother. He gave his disciple John to her as a son who would care for her from that day forward.
But didn’t Mary have other sons? Where were they? James and Jude would even become pillars in the church, but for whatever reason they weren’t standing with their mother at the cross. Perhaps John is given charge of Mary because he was there—he was present to the needs of the people around him.
Are you also present to the needs of the people around you—even if these people are not your relatives and so are “not your responsibility”? Oh but Jesus uses disciples like you and me to comfort and care for those in need. We are the Savior’s hands offering help and the Savior’s voice offering words of encouragement. It is through you and me that the people of this world come to learn that no, Jesus is never too busy to care for them.
HYMN RESPONSE: What Wondrous Love Is This (Hymn 120 vs. 1, 2)
FOURTH WORD: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46
“Why me?” It’s the age-old question. “Why am I suffering?” But as one bed-bound Christian recently said to me, the better question for us sinners to ask is “Why not me? Why have I escaped so much pain and sadness even though I must cause that daily to my God?”
Indeed, we’re like the boy who walks around with his shoelaces untied so it’s amazing that he doesn’t trip and fall with every third step he takes. Likewise why doesn’t our life fall into a tangled mess more often considering how we daily unravel our relationships with our lies and half-truths?
But that wasn’t the case with Jesus. Everything was so neat and tidy in his life that six months before his crucifixion God the Father declared on the Mt. of Transfiguration: “This is my son whom I love.” But that’s not how Jesus was treated on Good Friday—like the beloved Son of God. Instead he was forsaken by God and punished by him so that Jesus cried out “Why!?”
Jesus knew why: because our sins clung to him like so many pages from a dirty magazine so that God turned away in disgust. But even then Jesus did not waver in his faith. He still called the divine: “My God!” This is the only time a God-pleasing prayer wafted up from the depths of hell. This was no sinner spitting out God’s name in protest. This was the perfect believer who held on to his God even as he was being beaten down by that same God.
It’s with the same confidence that we too can cry out to God, even when it feels as if he’s beating us. No matter what you’re suffering, it isn’t hell. It isn’t because God already put Jesus through hell for your sins when he turned his back on him at the cross. He did that so his face, his loving face, is now turned towards you.
CHOIR: Psalm 22
FIFTH WORD: “I thirst.” John 19:28
If you’ve done any coaching, you know that a question players often ask is “Can I get a drink of water?” And sure, it’s a good idea to give lots of water breaks especially if you’re practicing out in the hot sun. So how many water breaks did Jesus get on Good Friday? We know of only one. Sure, he was offered a mixture of myrrh when first crucified, but Jesus would not accept it because he knew its purpose was to dull the pain, and Jesus wanted to be fully alert for the work ahead.
It wasn’t until everything was done to win our salvation that Jesus asked for a drink. Such was his singular determination—like the contractor who refuses to take his coffee break or even stop for lunch because he wants to finish the job.
Are you so determined in your service to the Lord? Or are you more like the contractor who goes through the motions of work, and has a ready excuse as to why yet another break is needed? Do you go through the motions of forgiving others by saying the right things, but refuse to let go of the hurt that wells up in your heart every time you think of the individual?
We can be singularly determined in our service of the Lord and others because we’ve come into contact with the refreshing waters of baptism. God’s promises there have quenched our thirst for acceptance and recognition. Through baptism we’ve been accepted by God—adopted into his family. And therefore like his Son can attack the tasks he gives to us with singular determination.
HYMN RESPONSE: O Sacred Head, Now Wounded (Hymn 105 vs. 1, 4, 5, 6)
SIXTH WORD: “It is finished.” John 19:30
Is your work ever done? No. There are always more meals to make, more homework to do, and more reports to write. Your work is never done. But it wasn’t that way with Jesus. With his Sixth Word from the cross, Jesus declared that his work was done and his mission accomplished.
Of course not many people realized this. Instead his enemies thought that he was finished, done for, defeated. Even most if not all of his followers thought this. But Jesus did not say, “I am finished.” He said, “It is finished!” What a difference one letter can make, but that is the result when you put the “t” of the cross next to the “I” of Jesus. You get mission accomplished—the mission of paying for every last one of our sins.
There is nothing left for you to do to gain entrance into heaven.
What a comfort to know that even if nothing else seems finished in your life, there is one job that is totally complete thanks to Jesus: your salvation.
HYMN RESPONSE: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (Hymn 125 vs. 1-3)
SEVENTH WORD: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Luke 23:46
These were Jesus’ last words…and they can be your last words too. Thanks to Jesus’ suffering and death, God is not your condemning judge. He is your heavenly Father who has promised to care for you eternally. Death is not a frightful leap into the dark. Death is not an enemy that needs to be cursed. The darkness of death is no more scary than your mother’s embrace after you’ve been tucked into bed with the lights out.
But even now while you are still alive God is your loving Father into whose hands you can commit yourself. So what is it that is burdening your spirit today? Failed relationships? Finances? Fear of being without your parents? Place it all in your Father’s hands and find rest.
Jesus bids us to do just that in the next hymn.
HYMN RESPONSE: Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled (Hymn 759 vs. 1-3)
The seventh candle is extinguished.
After a period of silence, a loud noise representing the rending of Christ’s tomb is heard and the Christ candle is lit to foreshadow Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday.
PRAYER
OFFERING
CLOSING HYMN: Rest, O Christ, From All Your Labor (Hymn 718 vs. 1-3)
