Yes

Jesu Juva

St. John 19:30                                                                    

 April 7, 2023

Good Friday                                                          

Dear saints of our Savior~

          This . . . means “yes.”  And this . . . means “no.”  A nod of the head . . . means “yes.”  A shake of the head . . . means “no.”  Was there ever a time when we didn’t recognize and understand that simple, non-verbal bit of communication?  It almost seems innate—like we were born knowing that this . . . means yes; and this . . . means no.  It’s the universal language of humanity.  Go to North Korea, go to New Guinea, go to Nigeria, go to Israel, go to Germany:  It matters not.  This . . . means yes; and this . . . means no.

          In the beginning, God said, “Yes.”  Yes, let there be light!  Yes, let there be living creatures!  Yes, let us make man in our image!  And at the end of six days the Lord surveyed all that He had made; and was absolutely delighted to proclaim that, “Yes, it was all very good indeed.”  And the crowning achievement of His very good creation was the man and the woman—our first parents.  And to them the Lord said, Yes, be fruitful and multiply.  Yes, fill the earth and subdue it.  Yes, have dominion over all the earth.

          There was only one exception—one rule—one thing not allowed:  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.  Regarding that one, single, solitary tree, God said . . . no, you shall not eat of it.  Adam and Eve worshipped the Lord by holding that command sacred.  Every time they steered clear of those branches and that fruit—every time they gave a wide berth the bark of that one tree—they remembered God’s Word.  They held it sacred.  They honored the Lord.  That was their worship.  That was how they feared and revered God, loved and trusted Him above all things.  Steering clear of that tree was how Adam and Eve confessed their faith—it was how they said . . . yes—yes to the Lord and to all His wonderful gifts.

          You know where this sermon is headed next, don’t you?  Yes . . . you do.  For what came next was the “no” heard round the world.  Our first parents said no to the gracious God who created them.  What God said to do they did not do.  What God said to avoid they did not avoid.  They said no to God and said yes—SAID YESSSSSSSSS—to the serpent.  And from that moment on, everything changed.  “Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Rom. 6:12).  From that moment began a precipitous fall for all of us—a sinful, downward spiral that will eventually, inevitably deposit each one of us six feet under.  Remember that you are dust; and to dust you shall return.

          Don’t be too hard on Adam and Eve.  After all, it’s true what they say:  The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  From them you have inherited a lasting legacy of sin—a nasty knack for saying no to the God who created you, redeemed you, and sanctified you.  You who know better—you who have the Law of God written on your heart and in the pages of your Bible and preached from this pulpit—how many times in your life have you insolently shaken your sinful head at the God who saved you and loved you and gave Himself for you and said . . . . No.  NO!

          He says, “Have no other gods.  Love Me, fear Me, trust Me.”  And what do we say?  “NO.  I love myself.  I trust my idols.  I’ll put my own pleasure first.”

          He says, “Do not misuse my name.  But pray, praise, and give thanks.”  And what do we say?  “NO,” as we curse and swear our way through yet another day without uttering a single syllable of prayer or praise.”

          He says, “Remember the Sabbath Day.  Don’t despise preaching, but keep my Word sacred and gladly hear and learn it.”  And what do we say? . . . No, I have more important things to do.  I have games to play and money to make and so many other priorities.

          The commandments keep coming—each one given to us with love and for our own well-being:  Honor your parents and other authorities.  “No,” we say.  Do not murder; help and support your neighbor in every physical need.  “No,” we say.  Do not commit adultery-NO.  Do not steal-NO.  Don’t lie, don’t gossip, don’t covet—No, No, No!  Forgive as you’ve been forgiven.  Honor your spouse.  Love your enemies.  Flee from sexual immorality. . . . You don’t have to say the word to mean it.  The Lord sees.  The Lord knows.  The Lord hears that sad and silent syllable you send His way every day: No.

          If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

          Is that true?  Will God forgive all our sins?  Will He truly cleanse us from all unrighteousness?  What do you believe?  Yes . . . or  . . . no?  Think carefully.  For on your answer hinges heaven or hell.

          Let me take you to the dark and terrifying place where heaven and hell truly hung in the balance.  It is nearly three o’clock in the afternoon, but it is

dark as night and deep as death.  God’s own dear Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, is naked and bleeding, crowned with thorns, impaled by sharp spikes of steel.  The skin of His back is shredded.  Each breath is a struggle.  He hangs there in your place, enduring what you deserve, absorbing what you had coming.  He is stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God.  All of your insolent rebellion—the audacity of your daily insurrections against His tender love and mercy—it all presses down on Jesus with the weight of all the stars, moons and planets.  The inscription above Him says, “Jesus of Nazareth.”  But you should see your name inscribed there.  For the crimes for which He is executed are your crimes, your sins.  That is why He came.  He will save His people from their sins.  He will forgive them.  He will cleanse them from all unrighteousness.

          Do you believe it?  Listen.  Listen to His last words:  It is finished.  Famous last words, they are.  Without those words, we might be left to wonder, “Is my debt completely paid—in full?  Can my guilt by taken away?  Can my sin be atoned for?  Can I stand before God—claiming not my own merit, but only the saving merit of my Savior, Jesus Christ?  With those final words of Jesus, you have your answer.  You have clarity and comfort.  You have confidence and peace before God.  It is finished!  All that would condemn you before our God and Father has been answered for by the bloody death of your brother, Jesus.  With His stripes we are healed.  The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

          Our Lord spoke seven times from the cross.  In tonight’s reading you heard our Lord say, “Woman, behold your son,” and “Behold your mother.”  We heard His parched lips declare, “I thirst.”  And we heard His final word:  It is finished.  But was that His final word?  . . . . No.  No, there’s more.  Listen.  Listen to what St. John tells us:  [Jesus] said, “It is finished,” and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”  John says, “He bowed . . . His head.”  That does not mean that His sacred head simply slumped forward at the moment of death.  No, this is one, final word.  This is one final, unspoken, non-verbal sign for us.  The same Lord Jesus who “lay down His sweet head” in the hay of the manger—the same Savior who “had no place to lay His head” in life—in His final word He nods that sacred head so wounded.  Remember, this . . . means “yes.”

          Are you forgiven?  Are you loved by God?  Are all your sins atoned for?  Are you cleansed of every last sin and stain?  Will you live with Jesus forever?  Do the gates of heaven stand open for you?  Can it be?  Jesus, in His final, unspoken word answers unmistakably:  “He bowed His head.”  And this . . . this . . . means “yes.”

          In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.