` Good Friday - 2005

Good Friday - 2005



Todd A. Peperkorn, STM
Messiah Lutheran Church
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Good Friday (March 25, 2005)

TITLE: "Born to Die"

In the name of the Father and of the † Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Our text for this Good Friday is from St. John chapter 18:37, Jesus words to Pilate: You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.

Every mother and father, when they first hear they are going to have a baby, start to dream. They dream of what this child will be like, who they will look like, what kind of a personality they will have. They dream about the great deeds he or she will do, perhaps who they might marry. In a flash, new parents might even dream of being grandparents someday, of all things. But the one thing that new parents don't want to dream about is when their child will die. It is not a pleasant thought, and yet in this tragic and sinful world, even these thoughts and fears can come into a mother and father's head.

Today is March 25, or exactly nine months before Christmas. The ancients believed that you were destined to die on the day you were born. Well, today we almost see it with our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you remember the words of the Angel Gabriel, "...you shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David."

Mary heard the word from the Angel Gabriel and knew that her Son would come for a purpose, a holy purpose, a purpose that goes way beyond what any other child would grow up to be or do. Mary's Son would grow up to be the king. Notice He would not grow up to be a king, one power among many, to fight and work and shuffle his way around like the kingdoms of this world. No, Jesus was to be THE king. He is the one. He is the Messiah.

What does this throne of the King look like? That is the question Pilate asked of Jesus. What does the eternal throne of David look like? King Jesus entered into Jerusalem as the king of peace, on a donkey. King Jesus heals the sick, feeds the multitudes, raised the dead. King Jesus forgives His enemies, all of them, even Pilate, even you. This King leads by going into death first, so that His holy subjects may follow after Him and follow His path through death to life eternal.

When we hear the account of Jesus' death, it moves us to many things. It moves us to mourn our sin, and to recognize that it was your sin and mine that put Jesus on the cross. This is good and right, and as we hear God's Word and ponder this holy mystery, we should remember that it was our sin that put Jesus there.

But beyond that, Jesus death demonstrates to poor sinners like you and I that in this holy kingdom, things are different. Things do not work as they do in the world. In this holy kingdom, the little lamb was sacrificed for us. In this holy kingdom, God's banner is unfurled against all of Satan's mighty legions, and the banner, the sign of God's eternal victory over our enemies, is the cross. This symbol of Jesus death is for you and I the sign of life and light. It is the sign of hope for hurting sinners. It is the sign of peace between God and man.

Jesus Christ is your king. For this reason He was born. For this reason He died. And for this reason He rose again on Easter morn. So come and mourn your sin, but more than that, come in faith and trust that the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses you from all sin. Believe it for Jesus' sake. Amen.



Edited on: March 25th, 2005 10:54 am
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