We Were There

Rebecca Sheridan
Good Friday, April 15, 2022
John 18:1-19:42

    Judas betrays him.  Peter reacts with violence, cutting off Malchus’s ear, and then later denies Jesus.  Caiaphas, the high priest, questions Jesus about his identity and teaching.  The religious authorities are threatened by Jesus and want him out of the way – he’s making too much trouble.  They would rather call the Roman emperor, the enemy, their king and the son of God than Jesus.  Pilate wants to wash his hands of responsibility for Jesus’ death; he won’t take too much of a stand for Jesus, and in so doing shows he doesn’t really stand for much of anything.  The Roman soldiers mock Jesus, not really understanding who he is, either.  They care more about his clothing than the man himself.  The crowd would rather release Barabbas, a bandit and a murderer, and they join in the groupthink, crying out, “Away with him! Crucify him!”  And then at his burial, we learn that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus are followers of Jesus, but only in secret; ashamed or afraid of what might happen if people find out that they are believers.
    “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” we just sang.  Sometimes it causes me to tremble, because each year when we enter this part of our holy story of faith, I see myself in the story.  I was there. We were there.  Our sin put Jesus on the cross.  And so when I don’t really understand, truly, who Jesus is and what the truth is, I find myself right there with Caiaphas and Pilate.  When I identify myself as a Christian only when it’s convenient, on a need-to-know basis, hiding my identity as a follower of Jesus when it might get me in trouble, I join Joseph and Nicodemus and Peter.  When I selfishly prioritize stuff over people or what I can gain from others’ losses, I join the soldiers in casting lots for Jesus’ clothes.  When I surround myself only with people who think just like me and watch the same cable news station I prefer and join in the mob mentality of anti-social media, I find myself in the echo chamber of the crowd that first Good Friday, shouting right along with everyone else to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus, my Lord and Savior, instead.  Were you there? Oh, I’ve been there.  I bet you’ve been there, too.
    Our reading through Luke’s passion on Sunday and now John’s tonight helps us relive the day of Jesus’ arrest, trial, death, and burial.  We can put ourselves in the shoes of those characters who we reluctantly admit resemble ourselves at least on our worst days.  Yet, listen to who Jesus says he is in the midst of a world of sinners all too willing to give him up to death:  “I am he.”  “I AM,” Jesus says.  The name in Hebrew for God which no one except God himself should speak, Jesus says, “I AM.”  Jesus is not confused, afraid or ashamed to say who he really is.  Jesus declares in the face of all who want to put an end to God’s work of salvation that this is exactly why he has come.  He is the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the world.  
Jesus again and again throughout the events of today fulfills the word of God that had been spoken of old to redeem all of us, the Pilates, the Judases, the Peters and the Caiaphases – to save us from ourselves and to offer us the possibility of new life, of a new way of being.  “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.  Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice,” Jesus says.  The truth is that Jesus does not deny who he is or betray his friends.  He does not avoid his death or say who he is only in secret.  He doesn’t go along with the crowd or misuse or abuse his power for selfish gain.  And then, on the cross, finally, Jesus says, “It is finished.”  And in that moment, after Jesus breathes his last breath and gives up his spirit, it IS finished.  All is accomplished.  At his death, Jesus calls us back to our spiritual death to sin at our baptism.  Jesus calls us back to listen to his voice, to the truth, that says who we really are - “Child of God, you are marked with the cross of Christ and sealed with the Holy Spirit forever.”  So rather than joining the cast of characters in timeless infamy of those who abandon Jesus to death, we join Jesus, the great I AM, on the road to life everlasting. With Jesus’ confidence, we also declare who we really are along with him – children of God and followers of Jesus the Christ, the son of God.  Tonight is not the end for us or for Jesus, but a new beginning, a passage from death to life.  And for more of that good news, you’ll have to come back on Easter morning!  Amen.