Jesus’ death declares an end to violence, hatred, and power as the way to live in the world, bringing in a new age of God’s healing love.
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
Good Friday
Texts: Luke 22:51 (from Sunday’s Passion); Hebrews 10:16-25
Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
“No more of this!”
While Jesus was arrested, a disciple took his sword and cut off the ear of a servant, Luke told us on Sunday, and Jesus shouted, “No more of this!” and healed the man. Tonight, in John’s version, Jesus commands Peter to put his sword away. Matthew says Jesus reminded the disciples in this moment that he could call down 72,000 angels to stop this arrest if he wanted.
Everything about the cross is Jesus saying: “No more of this!”
Jesus wasn’t a victim, the Gospels agree. Jesus died because he said “no more of this!”
He refused to use power to achieve his purpose – that the whole creation live in and under God’s endless love. Even though it meant not lifting a hand to save himself.
This is the message of Christ, the Son of God: violence and power and might cannot bring about God’s rule and reign. Only love willing to die for another can.
Our world has always believed power is the only way to get what we need and want.
You see it in the play of children, in the tension of the workplace, in the morass of politics, in families, in congregations. People inevitably resort to force of some kind to accomplish their will. Whether on a global scale or a personal one, it’s the same, just different weapons.
But it doesn’t work. For nearly 4,000 years, since Ishmael and Isaac, Jews and Arabs have fought each other. Killed each other. Hated each other. Have they accomplished anything except more bloodshed? “No more of this!”
For the length of human existence, people have forced or manipulated their will in families, in communities. Has it ever created loving, just relationships? Or even happiness? “No more of this!”
For the length of human existence, people have used war to accomplish their purposes. Are we any safer now? Any hope we’re entering an era of peace? “No more of this!”
For the length of human existence, people have ruled others with power to get what they want and to stay in power. It’s happening today, too. Has it ever been a good thing, a healing thing, for the world? For ordinary people? “No more of this!”
“No more of this!” could change everything.
In living God’s love and willingly facing death, Jesus shows the only way that can heal all creation, bring all God’s children together, and end the violence, hate, destruction, and oppression flooding the world.
And the thing is, we’ve seen it. In the fall of the Berlin wall, the end of apartheid in South Africa, the end of British rule in India: people stood in non-violent love and changed the world. We’ve seen it amongst ourselves, too, when love and forgiveness restored relationships, families, communities.
“No more of this!” Jesus says, hoping we’re ready to recognize in our families and in our communities, in our state and in our nation and in our world, that love like this is the only way to wholeness and healing.
This isn’t up for debate. At least not for the Triune God.
Even in the grief God has over the ways humans consistently reject God’s love, worship power and violence, ignore and increase the suffering of others, over the ways we use this world for our own gain at the expense of others, even in this pain, God’s answer is not to punish us, or even force us to love.
God’s answer is to let us take the Son of God to the cross. Love willing to lose everything brings life. Such a love can break our hearts and change us. Such a love can shake us out of our blind reliance on “the way the world works.” Such a love can say, “This is the Way. No more of any of this – no swords and violence and hatred and power and everything that goes with it.”
Tonight Hebrews says, “Let’s consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.” So let’s do just that. Ponder “no more of this!” with all our hearts. What it means for you, for me, for this world. And consider how we can provoke each other to this way of love. The only way to life.
In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
