Good Friday – It is finished!
Series: Holy – Holy – Holy | Bible text: John 19:30
The desire to improve ourselves more and more is inherent in us humans. But unfortunately, this optimisation fails in the encounter with the holy God. Because even an optimised ego cannot stand before God on its own. The problem is so-called sin, which means missing the target. In order to restore man’s access to God, Jesus Christ died on Good Friday. He was the totally blameless sacrifice needed to bear all the guilt of the world. After bearing it all, he cries out one last time with the words «It is finished!». The Holy God sent His own Son, who died for us unholy people – all this to have fellowship with us!
It seems to me that there are only two types of advertising today. One is the advertising that suggests you can become a better you with this and that tip. It’s all about self-optimisation. You are responsible for your ego and you can become anything if you want enough. You can fulfil your every wish – it’s only up to your will. The other kind of advertising tells you that you are perfect the way you are. You don’t have to change anything, you can live your best self. It seems to me almost like a magazine that describes on the first five pages how you can lose ten kilograms of weight in one month and then follows five pages about how you don’t have to change anything about yourself because you are perfect the way you are. But there is a contradiction here in advertising, but also in our society. On the one hand, you are basically good as a human being and don’t have to change anything about yourself. On the other hand, you have to optimise yourself. On the other hand, there is agreement that human beings are not bad or evil. If someone is bad, it’s always the others, not myself.
A life for more than optimisation
But what are we humans created for? For what do we humans live? If we follow the biblical story of creation, man was created to live in communion with the holy God, his Creator. As humans, we are created for a God who does not fit into our concept. It is a God who is beyond all our thinking, doing and imagining. This God created us so that we can enjoy his presence. Therefore, the most important task as a human being is to love God. Jesus Christ was once asked what the most important commandment in the Bible was. «Jesus answered: «You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind!» «(Matthew 22:37 NLB).
Unfortunately, however, it is often the case that the world around us is not only good, but often it is difficult for us to believe that a God exists. But my thesis is that the reason why man is capable of good, although there is so much bad on earth, is because there is the absolute good. But if there is absolute good, then unfortunately there is also absolute bad. Only in the duality of good and evil can something also be classified in this way. This absolute good is the holy God. We humans were created to spend our lives in the presence of this good God, but unfortunately we lost this intimate position with God. We lost this because our ancestors wanted to be like God and distinguish good from evil. This missing of the mark is described in the Bible as sin. So when sin is spoken of, it always means that something misses its target.
This missing of the mark in us shows itself not always, but always when we do something that we would describe as bad. Because if we humans have an ideal, it is actually this: To always act well. Because no one wants to consciously act badly unless it brings an advantage. This may also be the reason why we are always trying to optimise ourselves. But optimisation does not mean that everything is good. Unfortunately, we fail to optimise ourselves perfectly. We are in the same situation as it says in the Letter to the Romans. «When I want to do good, I don’t do it. And when I try to avoid evil, I do». (Romans 7:19 NLB). Therefore, unfortunately, we either have to resort to excuses like: «I do my best, but…»; «After all, I am still better than…» or «If the other person hadn’t acted that way, then I wouldn’t have…» either. Or we realise that unfortunately there is a part of every human being that we cannot be proud of at all, but unfortunately we cannot overcome it either. The problem is that if we want to come back into the presence of God, we have to be without missing the mark. And this leads us to Good Friday. Good Friday is God’s solution to this. Good Friday is the story of a really good, holy person dying for really bad, unholy people. Yes it is the story of God giving his Son, himself 100% God and at the same time 100% man. Already in the Old Testament Jesus Christ is described on Good Friday. «[…]. His appearance was neither beautiful nor majestic, he had nothing winning to please us. He was despised and rejected by the people – a man of sorrows, acquainted with illness, someone from whom one hides one’s face. He was despised and meant nothing to us. Yet: he took our sicknesses upon himself and bore our pains. And we thought he was ostracised by God, beaten and humiliated! But because of our offences he was pierced, because of our transgressions he was crushed. He was punished so that we might have peace. By his wounds we were healed!» (Isaiah 53:2–5 NLB).
Jesus drinks the bitter cup
What Isaiah had predicted over 700 years earlier came true with Jesus Christ almost 2000 years ago. He came into the world precisely for Good Friday and Easter, but it was not an easy path for him. The path was stony and hard and cost him everything – yes, it cost him his life. Jesus» crucifixion took place around the Passover. This feast is still the highest feast of the Jews today. On this day, a lamb without blemish is sacrificed. It is a reminder of the Exodus from Egypt, when they also had to slaughter a lamb. At that time, the blood was painted on the doorposts and served as a sign that the inhabitants inside were spared by God. The innocent, faultless lamb had to die so that the firstborn sons could live in the house. This principle runs through the whole theme of sacrifice in the Old Testament. A blameless animal has to die for the offences of the people so that they themselves can live. But since people repeatedly missed their mark against God, they had to sacrifice again and again. In order to wipe out guilt once and for all, a guiltless sacrifice is necessary. A sacrifice is necessary that does not itself miss the mark. This in turn is only possible through God Himself. That is why God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world. This is what the Letter to the Hebrews says about Jesus. «Once he brought blood into that Holy of Holies, but not the blood of goats and calves, but his own blood, by which he brought us salvation that is for all time. In the past, the sprinkling of the blood of goats and bulls or the ashes of a young cow could cleanse the body of man from ritual impurity. How much more then can the blood of Christ accomplish, for by the power of God’s eternal Spirit Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. He frees our consciences by absolving us from our deeds for which we deserve death. Now we can serve the living God» (Hebrews 9:12–14 NLB).
Jesus sits with his disciples before the Passover. On this evening he institutes the Lord’s Supper, which we want to take together afterwards. After this time, he goes into a garden with his disciples. There he prepares himself for what will happen to him in the next minutes and hours. What happens there shows a deep struggle of God’s Son with God himself. «He went a little further, sank to the ground and prayed: «My Father! If it is possible, let the cup of suffering pass me by. But I want to do your will, not mine.» […]. And again he left them and prayed: «My Father! If this cup cannot pass me by, then let your will be done» » (Matthew 26:39–42 NLB). Jesus was scared to death and asked his disciples to stay awake with him, but they kept falling asleep. In his darkest hour, he was alone. The cup is a biblical symbol for a divine trial, but also for God’s wrath. The bitter cup that Jesus has to drink is the whole of man’s failure to reach his goal. Jesus Christ must bear the entire wrath of God on the cross. It is not merely the fear of death, but it is the total wrath of God and the remoteness from God of which he is so afraid. Jesus places himself under the will of the holy God, who demands this sacrifice so that his longing can be fulfilled – that people can get in touch with him again. Jesus himself says: «For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, and not to do what I myself want.» (John 6:38 NLB). Do you know why Jesus did this? Because of you! Because he loves you so infinitely!
It is done!
Jesus voluntarily allowed himself to be arrested and nailed to the cross. And so the life of Jesus Christ draws to a close. There he hung and at the end he drank a little wine vinegar from a sponge. «When Jesus had taken of it, he said, «It is finished!» Then he bowed his head and died» (John 19:30 NLB). It is finished! In the Greek it says teleo. This means to be fully attained. But what is accomplished, what has been fully achieved?
If we are socialised Christianly or are a little more involved with Easter Sunday, then we come relatively quickly to the opinion that Jesus conquered death on the cross. But this is too quick a leap to Easter Sunday. Can we stand the tension of Good Friday? Sure, after Good Friday comes Easter Sunday. But do we understand what happened there at that moment on the cross? Jesus accomplished something there that no animal sacrifice before him could accomplish. It was the one-time sacrifice that ransomed us.»[So] let us enter into the presence of God with a sincere heart and trust Him completely. For our hearts have been sprinkled with the blood of Christ to cleanse our consciences from guilt, and our bodies have been washed with pure water!» (Hebrews 10:22 NLB). Originally, the altar was sprinkled with the blood of sacrificial animals and this purified it and made it clean. What sounds like bullshit in hygienic terms is a profound ritual truth. By the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ on our hearts, they have been cleansed. They are now so pure that we can come before God and meet him.
Do you notice the tension of Good Friday? Jesus, the Son of God, died. God is dead! For you! This is not a miscarriage of justice, not a coincidence, but God’s free decision. What is your answer? God ardently desires that you answer him: «Here I am». Good Friday ends with Jesus Christ dead. He leaves the unanswered questions: Was it all for nothing? What happens to the words and deeds? Good Friday definitely burst the imagination of the disciples and the people of that time – and of today. But God would not be God if he did not go beyond our imagination. For a God whom we can grasp completely is not a God, but an imagination. Let us endure this tension, which goes beyond this Good Friday. For after that comes Easter Saturday. Can we bear the fact that not everything always passes quickly, but that there are moments of tension? How do we deal with Good Friday and Easter Saturday in our lives?
On Good Friday, the holy God dies for us humans. He dies out of love for you. All those who believe in him and have received him thereby become saints themselves. Not by their own power, but through the blood sprinkled on the hearts of the followers of Jesus. Afterwards we will take communion. In preparation for this, we will pray the Apostles» Creed. This consists almost half of the Good Friday and Easter events. In it we state as the gathered church that we believe in the «communion of saints». For Jesus Christ has paid. He has finished it! It is finished!
Possible questions for the small group
Read the Bible text: Isaiah 53 and John 19:28–30
- Are you yourself always in danger of wanting to optimise yourself? Where does this happen?
- What is your favourite missed goal? Where do you keep doing things that you don’t really want to do?
- Do you understand the importance of a blameless sacrifice for us humans? What do you think is the difference that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was enough to achieve this?
- How do you feel about the fact that Jesus struggled with the fact that he should go to the cross?
- It is done! What does this sentence trigger in you?
- Can you stand the tension of Good Friday? Why can’t you? What could be the treasure in enduring this tension?
