Reading: Mark15: 1-15, 25-41

Over the last two years Prue and I have both lost both of our parents. We wondered how it would affect our children, losing all four of their grandparents in less than a year and a half. But their reply was that they felt themselves immensely privileged to have still had all four grandparents into their late 20s and early 30s. It was a sad time for us all, but they had come to the end of remarkably full lives and it just felt right that they should go to be with the Lord at that time. When someone naturally comes to the end of a full life we take our leave of them and are grateful for their lives and for the priviledge of having known them.

But when someone young dies we usually feel very different. Practically every day we read in the papers of someone dying young, whether through illness, or fire or accident. When that happens, we think of the sadness and heartache of that person’s family and friends and our hearts go out to them. And we ask ourselves – “Why?”

And it is even worse when someone dies through deliberate violence. We read of yet another soldier killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. We see on the TV the aftermath of yet another suicide bomb in Iraq, and we’re told that that same day several others were detonated in crowded places and we hear of the death toll – 20, 30, 50 more killed. We hear of a boy bleeding to death after being stabbed by school bullies, of a young man about to be married murdered for his mobile phone, of a police woman shot during a robbery, of young people shot in gang disputes.

I don’t know about you, but reading of such deaths fills me with a deep sadness. I read of someone who should have had years of living ahead of them, but whose life has been snatched away, and I cannot understand it. I ask. “Why?” It seems so senseless. I think not only of the family and the friends who have to find a way to cope with the grief, but of the life that has been taken. Who was that person? What has his or her life held up to that point. There was the joy of their birth, the family and friendships of childhood, going to school, college, university maybe. There were times of joy and sadness. There was the process of growing up. There were hopes and dreams for the future. There was all the potential of what that life could hold. And then it was taken away, often with no warning. What was it all for? What was the reason for such a waste? WHY?

And I feel so relieved that I have never had to serve in the forces and faced the awesome responsibility of having ended the life of another human being. And yet I am aware that other people have done just that on my behalf.

And this morning we remember once again the death of a young man, in his early thirties – who had reached out to the hurting, who had healed the sick, who had touched the outcasts, who had taught peace and forgiveness. And the authorities, feeling threatened by him, had had him arrested, tried in a kangaroo court, beaten up, handed over to the Romans, accused of rebellion, sentenced to death, whipped until he had no strength to resist, forced to drag a heavy wooden cross through the streets to the place of execution, nailed to the wood through his hands and feet, and hung up so that the world could watch him die in agony, struggling for every breath until his heart gave out. And we ask, “Why?” Was it actually the most significant event in the history of mankind, or was it, like so many of the deaths we read about, for nothing? And we struggle to make sense of the answer – that he went through it all willingly – for you and for me.

Reading: Isaiah 53: 1-12

Why? Why did Jesus die? Normally when an event of significance occurs, the pundits look back with 20/20 hindsight and seek to explain what has happened. But in this case we are going back in time to see how the prophet Isaiah explained the death of Jesus over 700 years before it actually happened. He tells us that it was God’s will for Jesus to die in this way, that he was to be the sacrifice for sin, the guilt offering, the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. He was to suffer, to take upon himself our sin, our rebellion against God, and to die in our place, taking the punishment that should have been ours.

But how could God the Father allow his Son to be treated in such a way? It has been suggested that this was the worst ever example of child abuse. But we must remember that God is one. Even before time began, God knew that we would sin and go against his ways, but he loved us so much that he determined a way for us to be saved from death. And the way was for him to die in our place. And God the Son was part and parcel of that decision. And he came as a man, Jesus, leaving behind all the power of heaven, to show us the love of God in his life and in his death for us, taking our sin and paying the penalty in his own body, to set us free.

Last night John led us through the Passover meal that goes back another 600 years before Isaiah. He showed us how the people of Israel remembered the way God rescued them from Egypt, how the first born of every family died, but the houses where a lamb had been killed and its blood painted onto the door frame of the house were spared. And so Jesus came as the lamb that was to die for sin, giving his body, pouring out his blood. And at that Passover meal with his disciples, Jesus gave them the bread and the wine, symbolising his body and his blood, so that we would never forget what he has done for us.

But this was not an easy thing for Jesus to do. He went from that meal to the garden of Gethsamanewhere he prayed that if it was possible the cup should be taken away from him. What Cup? At our evening service a couple of weeks ago, we saw a video of a very large black American preacher by the name of Reggie Dabs. And he spoke about the cup that Jesus was to drink. Every thing that we have done or said or thought that was wrong went into that cup. Everyting that we are ashamed of went into that cup. All those things for which we can’t forgive ourselves went into that cup. The worst things that we or anybody else has done went into that cup. The contents of that cup was the foulest brew that anyone could imagine. And Jesus prayed that if possible that cup would be taken from him so that he would not have to drink it. But there was no other way. And Jesus drank it. Every last drop. And the sin of the world became part of him. He was made sin for us. And he took our sin with him to the cross. And he died there, carrying our sin, for us, in our place.

And because he died, we can be forgiven. We can have a new life. We can be reconciled to God. We can have peace with God. We can have hope in our hearts. We can be God’s children. And why? Because that’s how much God loves us. Enough for Jesus to to die for us, taking away the penalty and power of sin from our lives, separating our sin from us as far as the east is from the west. That is why Jesus died, for you and for me.

Readings: John 3: 11-17; Matthew 16: 21-28

Why did Jesus die?

On Sunday morning, we thought about Jesus coming as King to Jerusalem, riding on a donkey. We thought about how we should respond to him, crowning him King of our lives.

Today we see him come as Saviour. We see Jesus nailed to a cross, dying, carrying our sin. And again, Jesus is asking us to make a response to him. But what possible response can we make to someone who show such love to us?

Our reading from John 3 tells us how when the people of Israel were travelling through the desert they rebelled against God. They were attacked by poisonous snakes and they cried for help to Moses. Moses asked God what he should do. God told Moses to make a snake out of bronze and hang it on a pole. And then anyone who was bitten by the snakes could simply come and look at the bronze snake and they would be healed. But they had to make that effort to look at the snake.

Just like the bronze snake, Jesus was hung up on a cross where anyone could see him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Just as the Israelites had to look at the snake on the pole, so we must look to Jesus. How? By believing in him.

But what does that mean? Believing in Jesus isn’t simply believing the facts about him. It’s about acting on what he tells us. It’s about turning away from our sin, and turning towards him. It’s about trusting in him, taking the risk of following where he leads and committing our lives to him. It’s about taking up our cross, recognising that we have been crucified with him, that we can’t save ourselves, but receiving the wonderful gift of forgiveness and freedom and life from him.

And this isn’t just for people who have never come to Jesus before. We all need to remember that the only source of forgiveness is at the cross. It is so easy to come to the cross and receive forgiveness and then to go away thinking, “I’ve been forgiven, but now I’ve got to try really hard and live right and not make any mistakes, or else I’m in dead trouble.” We all go wrong, and we all need to keep coming back to the cross for forgiveness. We all need to make our response to what Jesus has done for us.

Why did Jesus die? If you have responded to him in repentance and thanks and received the gift of forgiveness that he has bought for you at such a price, then his death is the most significant event not only in human history, but in your life. But if you are going to turn your back on him and reject his love and his sacrifice, then as far as you are concerned he died for nothing, and it was all a tragic waste. Please, don’t let it have been for nothing. Take this opportunity to respond to the love of Jesus this morning.

So let’s take some time to do that now. I’d like to invite you to make your own response to Jesus who died for you. And there are a number of ways you can do that. You may like to go out into the entrance and contemplate the Easter Garden, and remember the price that Jesus paid for you to be saved from your sin. Or you might like to focus on the banners on the wall at the back – Jesus blood - poured out for you – God’s redeeming sacrifice. Or you might like to come and kneel at the cross here, and place your sin at the foot on the cross to receive forgiveness. Or you might ask someone to pray with you and help you to appreciate how much God loves you. Or you might prefer to sit quietly and commit your life to Jesus who loves you and gave himself for you. The band are going to be singing. You may like to sit and ponder the words of the songs, or join with the singing. It is up to you. This is your time to respond to Jesus this Good Friday morning.

Close

Let’s stand and sing together that last verse – “Were the whole realm of nature mine…”

Blessing

We would like to invite you to join with us in a witness to our neighbourhood. We are going to follow the cross around this part of Prettygate, and stop outside the shops on the commons for as prayer, and then return here. I know some of you are in a hurry, but if you are able, do come with us as we demonstrate to the people of our community that that our hope is in Jesus and that we are ready to take up our cross and follow him.