Sermon: The Good Friday Experience

Sermon: The Good Friday Experience

Scripture Lesson: Matthew 16: 21-25 “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”

Introduction: As followers of Jesus, we need to embrace Good Friday, which is a little bit like saying we need to embrace torture. From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men." Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it."

To the disciples and many of us, the suffering of good Friday seems almost out of place. The ministry of Jesus was going so well, the crowds were massive and the miracles were astounding. After Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, the crowd said, blessed is he who come in the name of the Lord. One look at Lazarus was a testimony to his power. The popularity of Jesus was at a all time high. His disciples could see themselves in positions of authority, yet they must face the setback of Good Friday. Nothing prepared them for the suffering of Good Friday on the road to Resurrection Sunday. Good Friday is the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus, but there’s more to it than remembering; followers of Jesus are called to embrace the Cross, carry it and follow Jesus.

First, Jesus’ Good Friday Experience Seems Out of Place. We, followers of Jesus are eager to embrace the resurrection, witness His miracles, expect victories and triumphs, but Jesus calls us to the Cross too. The famous sermon says, "It's Friday, but Sunday's coming!" More properly, the point of the story is that Friday is the road to Sunday. There's no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. There is no resurrection without the Cross. The story Good Friday reminds each follower of Jesus that for each of us, there's a Good Friday! Everyone Has a Problem with the Cross.

The very idea of Good Friday causes us concern. The problem is that both the power and wisdom of Jesus led him to the Cross. It seems to be a contradiction of everything he had done before. Those who had seen his power wondered why he seemed powerless at his greatest time of need. Those who saw his wisdom and wondered how someone so full insight could miscalculate this moment so badly. Everyone who heard his teaching missed what Jesus and his Father were saying: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone, but if it dies, it produces many.”

John 12:24, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.”

On Good Friday, we see not just Jesus’ words were parables, but his very life was a parable. It wasn’t just the people of Jesus’ day who had a problem with the Cross. The people we speak to today have a problem with the Cross. Religious people want miracles and power without suffering and trials. Intellectuals want wisdom and truth without disappointment and opposition. What God offers us all is first the Cross. The earliest believers called the Cross “the wisdom of God and power of God.”

1 Corinthians 1:23-24, “but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”