We have three texts for today. Our first text is Psalm twenty-seven verse twelve, “Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence” (Psalm 27:12). Our second text is Isaiah fifty-three verse seven, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). And our third text is Isaiah fifty verse six, “I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting” (Isaiah 50:6). These are our texts.
Just a reminder as we get started that this year during the Lenten Season and through to Easter Sunrise and Easter morning we are looking at some of the prophecies of the Old Testament which have their fulfillment in the New Testament in the person and work of Jesus. Yesterday we witnessed Jesus’ betrayal by one of His chosen twelve. Today we witness Jesus’ trial.
Back in the Psalms it was prophesied that Jesus would have false witnesses testify against Him, “Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence” (Psalm 27:12). Because no true nor credible witnesses could be found to testify against Jesus false witness were brought to Jesus’ trail. The law stated that a person could not be convicted on the testimony of one witness and so many witnesses were brought forward. Many people had heard Jesus preach and teach and so they brought many charges and yet they could not find two that agreed.
The closest two witness came to agreeing was concerning Jesus speaking about His own death and resurrection. The charge against Jesus was the He said He could destroy the physical temple and rebuild it in three days. Of course we know and understand that Jesus was speaking about His physical body being destroyed, being crucified and killed and then rising three days later.
The prophet Isaiah prophesies about the Savior, “ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). Jesus came to earth, true God, born in human flesh. Jesus actively obeyed all of God’s laws perfectly, never sinning even once. Jesus came actively obeying and fulfilling all the prophesies of the Old Testament, perfectly, never missing even one. And then Jesus passively allowed Himself to be persecuted. He allowed Himself to be arrested, tried, and prosecuted. He allowed Himself to be beaten, stricken, smitten and afflicted.
So, as Jesus was put on trial He did not answer His accusers. He remained silent, not defending Himself. He remained silent, not calling down throngs of angels to deliver Him.
Isaiah also prophesied, ““I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting” (Isaiah 50:6). The guards mocked Jesus. They hit him. They spat on Him. They put a crown of thorns on Him. They mockingly put a purple robe on Him.
Indeed, He was mocked and beaten. He was beaten thirty-nine times with leather straps laced with bone fragments that ripped the hide off His back. He was slapped across the face. His trials were illegal trials held at night.
As you have heard me say many times, we get it right when we point to Jesus. We get it wrong when we point to ourselves. We know we get it right when we point to Jesus because all of history points to Jesus. All of history points to the events that are unfolding in our texts, all the events that unfolded during this week we commemorate as Holy Week. At Christmas we celebrated Jesus’ birth and we were reminded that the reason Jesus was born was to die.
Jesus was true God, born in human flesh. He had to be truly God in order to be conceived and born in perfection. He had to be truly human in order to be our substitute. Jesus was conceived and born in perfection and He was perfect in all things, for us, in our place as our substitute. God’s demand from the beginning was perfection. Adam and Eve messed that up with disobedience, with their eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and so the world has been tainted and cursed ever since. Yet, God did not remove His demand for perfection, instead He offered a plan and a solution, to be perfect for us.
Jesus was born and lived in perfection. He never sinned, even once. He perfectly obeyed all God’s commands and laws and perfectly fulfilled all His prophesies. Then He took our sins upon Himself, traded His perfection for our imperfection. The price, the cost, the penalty for imperfection, for sin was and is death, human death, physical and eternal spiritual death. Jesus took our sins and paid the price, suffering eternal spiritual death and physical death for us in our place. And giving us His perfection. By faith in Jesus, faith that He gives to us His perfection becomes our perfection.
Jesus paid the complete price for our sins as well as for the sins of all people, of all places, of all times. All sin has been paid for by Jesus. Nothing more needs to be done to pay for sin. By faith in Jesus, again faith that He gives to us, we are given His glorious just reward of eternal life in heaven and He takes our just eternal spiritual death condemnation.
As we have been reviewing over the past few weeks, as we have seen the prophesies and their fulfillment, all that happened to Jesus happened according to God’s good and gracious will and according to His plan put into place even before He began creating the world. Remember, God is omniscient, that is He is all knowing. We also know that God lives in the eternal present, He is I AM. God is not I was, nor I will be, but I AM. To live in the eternal present means that for God there is no past nor future only the eternal now. The time we live in has been created by God for us. Because He lives in the eternal present He knows all things even before they happen. Thus we see God’s great love for us in that even before He began creating the world, even before we sinned, He knew that man would sin, that He would have to suffer and die and yet, He created anyway. God’s great love is seen in Jesus. Remember, we get it right when we point to Jesus.
Jesus is the Savior, the one to whom all history points. He is the One who perfectly accomplished all that God had given Him to do. And He freely gave His life because of His great love for us.
Greater love can no one have than this that they would lay down their life for another. God loves us so much that He gives His Son to give His life for us so that we have forgiveness, life and salvation. Today is Good Friday. For Jesus Good Friday means suffering and dying, which does not sound so good. For us Good Friday means God loves us.
As we once again bear witness to Jesus trials, suffering, death and resurrection we are again reminded that it was not just Adam and Eve that put Jesus on the cross, but it was us, you and me. It was for our sin, sins of thought, word and deed, sins of omission and commission. We put Jesus on the cross and he went to the cross because of His great love for us. The answer is Jesus. Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so. Jesus loves me this I know because He lived for me, in my place, because He took my sin and my place, because He suffered, died and rose for me. Jesus loves me this I know because He continues to pour out on me His good gifts blessings as He puts His name on us in Holy Baptism, as He forgives us through Holy Absolution, as He gives us Himself to us through His Holy Word and as He feeds us His body and blood in His Holy Meal, making Himself a part of us. Yes, we come to this Good Friday with heavy hearts. We are sad because it was because of us that Jesus suffered and died. Yet, we come in joy knowing the rest of the story. We come in joy knowing God’s great love for us in giving Jesus for us. And we come in joy knowing that Jesus did not stay dead, but rose from the dead defeating sin, death and the devil and making that defeat ours. So we rejoice and say, to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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