Sermon - Good Friday

High on a hilltop overlooking the beautiful city of Venice, Italy, there lived an old blind man who was a genius. Legend had it he could answer any question anyone might ask of him. Two of the local boys figured they could fool the old man, so the caught a small bird and headed for his residence. One of the boys held the little bird in his hands and asked the old man if the bird was dead or alive.

Without hesitation the old man said, "Son, if I say to you that the bird is alive, you will close your hands and crush it to death. If I say the bird is dead, you will open your hands and the bird will fly away. You see, Son, in your hands you hold the power of life and death."

Today we focus on the crucifixion of Jesus.. In witnessing this event through the pages of scripture we are often asked to understand what part we play.. what would our role have been at the crucifixion? The correct answer is that we were the ones who crucified Jesus. We were the ones who nailed him to the Cross. Most have understood this… Rembrandt, in his painting, The Raising of the Cross, has one clear figure lifting up the cross of Christ.. himself. Mel Gibson in the movie the Passion of the Christ, when it came to the scene of the soldier holding the nail to Jesus’ palm he could think of no one more suited for the job than himself. We are the crucifiers of Christ… but our roles do not end there…

John’s Gospel version of the Passion tells us.. “There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them.”.. yet when we go to Luke’s Gospel we hear the words that were spoken by these two criminals… Luke writes… One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” … But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”… “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Both knew that the wages of sin is death.. yet the first.. even though he had knowingly sinned.. believed that he was being unfairly treated… However, the second knew his sin well.. and knew that as awful as it was.. he was being treated fairly. The first cursed God… the second called on God’s mercy…. The result of their actions… The first received eternal death.. and the second received eternal life…. Yes.. we are the ones who crucified Jesus, but we are also one of these two thieves… as the wise man outside the city of Venice said to the boy, “You see.. in your hands you hold the power of life and death.”… Not the life or death of a bird.. or of another human being.. you have the power of life and death for yourself.

At some point in our lives.. we are all given the opportunity to recognize our need for God’s grace.. we are given the opportunity to turn to Jesus and say to Him the same words that the second thief spoke, “Remember me.”… and in the instant we speak those words .. the fact that we were responsible for crucifying Jesus is remembered no more.. and those blessed words of Jesus are spoken to us.. “Amen, I say to you, today, you shall be with me in paradise.”

There is a Christian band named Third Day. A few years back they came out with a song titled “The Thief.” Today in closing I would like to share the lyrics with you…



I am a thief, I am a murderer,
Walking up this lonely hill.
What have I done? I don't remember.
No one knows just how I feel;
And I know that my time is coming soon.

It's been so long, oh, such a long time,
Since I've lived with peace and rest.
Now I am here, in my destination,
I guess things work for the best;
And I know that my time is coming soon.

Who is this man? This man beside me,
That they call the King of the Jews.
No, they don't believe, that He's the Messiah,
But, somehow I know that it's true.
They laugh at Him in mockery,
They beat Him till he bleeds,
They nail Him to the rugged cross,
And they raise Him, yeah, they raise Him up next to me.

My time has come, and I'm slowly fading,
But I deserve what I receive.
Jesus, when You are in Your kingdom,
Could You please, please remember me.
Well He looks at me still holding on,
And the tears fall from His eyes,
And He says I tell the truth,
Today, yeah, you will live with Me in paradise, woah yeah.

And I know that my time, yes my time, is coming soon, woah yeah.
And I know that my time, yes my time, is coming soon, woah yeah, yeah
And I know that paradise, paradise is coming soon.