Who hath believed our report:
And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
…He hath no form or comeliness…
He is despised and rejected of men;
A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief…
He was despised and we esteemed Him not…
Surely, He hath borne our griefs…
He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities…
The chastisement of our peace was upon Him…
With His stripes we are healed…
The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all… (From Chapter 53 of Isaiah)
He hath borne our griefs.
Not too many years a movie came out about the life of Jesus. There have been many lives of Christ, I suppose. This one portrayed the suffering of Christ – of Jesus, this man, this son of a carpenter – in a particularly realistic way. That is to say in a particularly upsetting way.
Today in the midst of the horrors of the war in the Ukraine some of the videos that show the reality of that horror– are preceded by a short warning statement which says that if you choose to continue you may see a video which some viewers may find “distressing.”
What do we remember – what do we celebrate – on this day we call Good Friday?
Over this Season of Lent, we will recall, we will read, we will hear read, all that this man suffered on this particular day. Much of Christian art over the years portrays graphically how he died. On the desk at home where I am preparing this message sits a small crucifix. It is medal of a dull brass color. There is no bright red blood flowing from the wounds in his hands and feet. There is no evidences of life flowing from the wound from the spear thrust in his side. And there is no warning statement, “that some viewers may find this distressing…”
How did people of Jerusalem of that day who knew all that happened on that day – who knew He was now dead – dead through dying by crucifixion – how did they react?
There is a short episode in the Gospel of Luke in which two men of Jerusalem are asked a question about what has just happened in Jerusalem.
And this was their answer. (Luke 24:21)
“…We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel…”
So what do we remember – what do we “celebrate” – about this day we call Good Friday?
That there was a man called Jesus.
And on this day, He was crucified on a Cross.
And regardless of the evil ingenuity of modern man to devise ways and techniques to hurt, to torture, to brutalize, to kill other men, Jesus on the cross has been there, Jesus, too, suffered deeply unto death.
And on that day, there were many who had known Him, who had followed Him, loved Him, who had seen His Miracles, who had heard Him speak, maybe even had laughed with Him, who had trusted Him that Light had finally broken into a to a dark and evil world…
Sometimes we find ourselves on that day, on that dark afternoon.
Maybe it is the grim news we see every day of evil rampant. Maybe it is a loneliness in a world in which seemingly there is no one who cares…Maybe it is an apparent absence of Justice or Rightness or even Goodness…
Sometimes, we too, want to say,
“…We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel – would have redeemed the world – would have even redeemed me.
He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities…
The chastisement of our peace was upon Him…
With His stripes we are healed…
…and He bears our grief – and grieves with us.
Amen.
Richard Robertson