There’s this joke about a conversation between two men. Both of the men were devout Christians who took part in a weekly Bible study and were some of the more knowledgeable men within the group, and they were both members of the same church congregation. One of the men was a regular attendant at his church, while the other one was a very infrequent one. One day, the man who attended church nearly every week asked his friend why he didn’t come to church that much; after all, being such a devout Christian, he knew the importance of church. His friend told him that he felt like every time he went to church, the preacher would say the same things. He felt like he was hearing the same old message each and every time he sat in the pews. The friend who regularly attended church said, “Well, if you went more than just Easter Sunday you might hear a different message every now and then.”
I tell you this joke not to poke fun at anyone who might attend a worship service this morning and yet most Sundays choose not to. I realize that there are a whole host of reasons why people have to miss corporate worship on Sunday mornings. I tell you this because it brings up an interesting point. You see, we celebrate the resurrection this day, and for good reason. We celebrate the empty tomb on Easter Sunday because it means everything to us. And that’s just it; it does mean everything to us. It doesn’t just mean everything to us today and then tomorrow it goes back to being just something else, it’s still everything. You see, the things that we celebrate on Easter Sunday (the empty tomb, the resurrection, the conquering of sin and death) are all things that should be celebrated each and every day of our lives.
Throughout our look at John’s gospel, an endeavor that we have been on now that we have been on for the better part of the past ten months, we have seen Jesus continuously tell those around him that his hour had not yet come. In our text today, we see him tell Andrew and Philip, two of his disciples, that it has finally come. He tells them that it is time for the Son of Man to be glorified. And they are confused somewhat as to what exactly this means. We know what it means. The glorification, the resurrection, of the Son is the very thing that we celebrate this day. However, our Savior doesn’t just stop with telling us that the time has come for him to lay down his life. No, Jesus goes on to say many more things about the coming hour that has long been anticipated.
One of the things that Jesus says is the paradox, or irony, of the Christian life. “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” It seems so odd that we would say that we gain our life my losing it. You see, we find life in dying, dying to self and following Christ. We know that later on in John’s gospel, that Jesus will speak in much the same manner about going away. Peter will ask Jesus where he is going. Jesus will respond by telling Peter that where he is going, that Peter cannot follow him then, but that he will afterward. For us, we have always been in the afterward. The great dividing line so-to-speak is the cross and the resurrection. If you’re going to be a Christian, you are going to have to follow him. You’re going to have to walk in the shadow of the cross. We will not only participate in his resurrection and his glorification, but we will also participate in his humiliation. That is what we celebrate this day.
Verse 27 of our text tells us that Jesus is troubled. The word used here carries with it a sense of horror or revulsion. In other words, Jesus is horrified by what he is facing. Yes, he is horrified by what he knows is to come, what he is going to do and what he is going to endure. However, what is he going to do, ask the Father to save him and have him not go through what he is about to experience? In Luke’s gospel, a text that we looked at Thursday evening, we’re told that Jesus prayed and wept so hard that he began to sweat blood, our Savior’s perspired blood over the agony of facing what was before him. However, this is what Jesus was sent into the world to do. All we have to do is look at the final works of Jesus here as he says, “Father, glorify Your name.” He doesn’t ask for his name to be glorified, but he asks for the Father to be glorified by the satisfaction of His justice upon the cross. When the Son paid the debt owed for sin, God would be glorified.
There are three occasions in the Gospels where the Father spoke from heaven, and this is one of them. The Father speaks to Son and tells him that His name is and will be glorified. All the people around hear this voice and they cannot tell whether it is a voice or whether it is thunder or an angel. Jesus tells them that this voice was speaking to him, but that it was spoken aloud so that they could all hear it. You see, the Son of Man is soon to be lifted up. The throne of grace, the ruler of all nations, is taking his rightful place, and yet the people still do not understand. They do not understand how he can be the Son of Man, the Messiah, and yet he is speaking about his death. You see, this king is not like any other king. This king wears no crown of gold, but only a crown of thorns. This king has no golden chariot pulled by magnificent stallions, but only a cross, drug and carried by himself upon his back. This king has no great military conquests to speak of, yet he has conquered the ultimate enemy of death. This is what we celebrate this day.
Our celebrations should not end, however, with this day. The words of this text, the words of the various accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection in the other gospel accounts ring just as true tomorrow as they do today. They ring just as true in six months as they do today. Today is Easter Sunday, a day truly worthy of celebration. However, Jesus’ resurrection is just as real at all times as it is on Easter Sunday. Our cries and celebrations and mottos of “He is Risen” on Easter Sunday are very much warranted, but how many of will wake up tomorrow morning and shout “He is Risen?” How many of us will go to our Facebook accounts if you into that and post something about Our Savior exiting the tomb? How many of us will gather our families together for a time of celebration and rejoicing like we typically do on Easter Sunday next weekend just because? I’m not trying to downplay the significance of Easter and the days leading up to it, not at all. What I’m trying to get at is that what we celebrate this particular Sunday is something that is very much real and active every other day of the year as well. Jesus means everything to us yesterday, today, and forever. There is no point in time when the cross means any more or any less to any one of us. There is but one shepherd, and he reigns supreme over all the earth, at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment