A, Palm/Passion- Isaiah 50:4–9a "That Sinking Feeling"

We’ve all experienced that terrible sinking feeling somewhere and at some time in our lives. 

It may have been only for the briefest of moments.  It may have lasted for a considerable amount of time.  That terrible sinking feeling may have occurred in public before many people; it could have happened when you were alone or with one other person.  You might be feeling it right now!  In any situation, this feeling gives a sense of ugliness, feeling dis-easy, your skin and mood descends into clamminess and coldness.

Impending doom, loss of control, something gone horribly wrong gives one this feeling.  The moment before impact, the moment after the doctor gives the diagnosis, so much pain you think you’re going to die, so much pain you worry you’re not going to die, watching someone suffering.  Am I God forsaken?  Are we forsaken!  That sinking feeling.

The pain of grief and loss, tears so bitter they hurt.  The loneliness after the loss, that sinking feeling.

Being caught out, publicly humiliated, guilty facing your accuser, that sinking feeling.

The calm suddenly becomes chaos, conflict with others, anger, confrontation, harsh words spoken, accusations flying, going past the point of no return, regret, that terrible sinking feeling.

The injustice of the situation, falsely accused, no one believes the truth, helplessly unable to stop the inevitable, depression, anxiety, despair, hopelessness, that sinking feeling.

Promises broken, expectations shattered, the height of joyful excitement stopped with fright and fear, desire unfulfilled, frustration, that sinking feeling.

We’ve all experienced that terrible sinking feeling somewhere and at some time in our lives.  All these contributors, from whatever it was, that’s caused that terrible sinking feeling, is a sense of death that causes the fight or flight instinct to kick in. 

When that sinking feeling occurs, do you run to God or run away from him?  Do you struggle with God, or do you give up on him?  Do you seek a knowledge of good and evil, or a knowledge of Jesus Christ, trusting in yourself, or trusting in what Jesus promises in his Word?  When that terrible sinking feeling of death touches you, how do you respond?

Feelings were running high when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.  But the tone changed, the crowd turned, victorious excitement turned into vicious incitement.  Sunday saw Jesus ride into Jerusalem in majesty, not to overthrow the Romans as expected, but to overturn the tables of the traders in the temple. 

The Jewish leaders felt fury when Jesus taught crowds, while confronting, confounding, and silencing them with the very words in which they sought to trap him.

The feelings of the disciples were sorely tested, when Jesus told them the temple would be torn down, and the coming of the kingdom of heaven will be proceeded by chaos and tribulation.  Judas feeling his way as he betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, feelings running so deep one of the captor’s ears is cut off.

That sinking feeling was present everywhere, in so many ways!  The disciples scatter, Judas regrets what he does, he changes his mind, he loses his mind, he hangs himself.  Peter too promises much, but three times fails, outside he wept so bitterly. That sinking feeling was everywhere!

The rage of the chief priests and the elders,  Pilate’s wife sends word, “have nothing to do with this man”, the crowd cries, “crucify him”, Pilate feels trapped, that sinking feeling.  He washes his hands, injustice, and Barabbas is released.  The women of Galilee watch on from a distance, they see the unfairness, they see the wrong.  O can anyone stop that sinking feeling?

See him nailed to the cross.  Six hours of suffering till he cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  He breathes his last, he hangs his head, it is finished!

Much happened in Holy Week!  High emotion, feelings flying to-and-fro!  Just like us when we have those negative sinking feelings, so too did those in Jerusalem.

These feelings led folk to fight or flee.  Even once Jesus was dead and the graves opened, and the dead came out of their tombs, and when the soldier realised Jesus was the Son of God.  That sinking feeling! 

When the temple curtain tore from top to bottom, and the Jews suspected Jesus would be stolen from the tomb, placing a guard to protect their image, rather than protect the glory of God.  That sinking feeling.

These sinking feelings are all feelings of death.  Everyone was feeling a sense of death.  People scrambling left, right, and centre, to preserve their position, their ideals, their futures, their advantage from death.  When that sinking feeling of death approached, everyone sought to protect their knowledge of good and evil!

What was Jesus feeling during Holy Week when the crowds joyously welcomed him on a donkey?  When he taught and tested in the temple?  What was Jesus feeling when he celebrated his last supper, sharing his bread with Judas Iscariot, who would betray him, and not be around to see his resurrection, believe and receive forgiveness?  With Peter, who was promising so much but would deny him, not just once, but three times?

Of Jesus we hear in Isaiah, “The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.  The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward.  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.  But the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.  He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me.  Behold, the Lord GOD helps me; who will declare me guilty?”  (Isaiah 50:4–9a ESV)

Jesus was sent into this sinking world with our sinking feelings of death.  The stink of death was constantly before him.  Unlike us, he never put it aside, tried to forget about it, while secretly worrying about it.  He never fought or fled from the situation before him, even when everyone else did. 

Jesus felt that sinking feeling.  He wept over death, he lamented over Jerusalem, he suffered under sin.  He became estranged from his Father, abandoned on the cross.  Yes, Jesus felt that sinking feeling, your sinking feeling that gives you a taste of death, and died for you.  Your sinking feeling led him to sink into death, for you to feel forgiveness, receive forgiveness, hear, and taste forgiveness, so you  believe his forgiveness!

When you were baptised into Jesus’ death and resurrection, he was baptised into your terrible sinking feelings of death!  Jesus was baptised into your guilt, your conflict with your work colleagues, your estranged family, your shame and embarrassment, your failures, the unfairness you bear, the prejudices you produce, the injustice you induce. All that causes that sinking feeling in you, Jesus was born into, was baptised into, die for, and has risen over.

When he was incarnated in Mary, he saw your mess.  When he rode into Jerusalem, he carried all your cares.  When he healed, he took on your illnesses.  When he confronted the proud and arrogant, he called out your vanity and selfish ways.  When tempted by the devil with sinking feelings, know he overcame your temptation before the devil.  Know, when the Holy Spirit allows a sense of death, in that sinking feeling, he is leading you from death to life in Jesus Christ!

Whatever it is, causing that sinking feeling of death, fall into the arms of Jesus.  Let Jesus carry you to the cross.  He is the only one who can carry us through death and into life as it should be. 

When that sinking feeling is forced upon you, at the moment you realise your good and evil is incapacitated by death, let Jesus Christ love you with his flint-like face!  Let his good over evil be your only good!  Let your death be his death!  Let his victory be your victory! Amen.

C, Easter 5 - John 13:31-35 "Love that Glorifies God"

John 13:31–35 (ESV)  When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.  If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.  Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus had just washed the feet of his disciples and revealed Judas as the betrayer.  The text before us today follows these events ending with the statement, “And it was night.” (John 13:30b ESV)

It was as dark as it could be.  Here, Jesus knows all will now take place according to the will of his Father.  He knew exactly what Judas would do.  He knew the mob would come when he was praying.  He knew what the Sanhedrin would accuse him of.  He knew what Pilate and Herod would say.  He knew what the Roman soldiers would do to him at the cross.  He knew Peter and all the disciples would be scattered.  He knew his death and descent into hell was forthcoming.

Knowing all of this he says, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.” (John 13:31 ESV)

In the darkest of times, Jesus announces that he and God the Father are glorified.  How are Jesus and the Father glorified?

Firstly, the sheer magnificence of this act of salvation is beginning to unfold.  Every Old Testament event prior to this one and every microbe of creation has been waiting patiently for this salvific event to occur.  This event will far supersede Noah’s salvation through the flood, or Israel’s rescue from the Egyptians through the Red Sea.

From the incarnation of God in the womb of Mary, the Son of God was born in the flesh of sinful humanity, was plunged in the Jordan by John the Baptist to fulfill all righteousness.   From there he walked in human weakness for forty days in the wilderness, tempted, but yet without sin.  Why? Because of the magnificent event that awaited him on the cross.

Secondly, the glory of God, concealed behind the curtain in the Holy of Holies, in the temple, was about to be brought out into the open for all to witness.  After three hours of darkness, all witnessed Jesus yield up his spirit as the curtain ripped in the temple.  After three hours of night in the middle of the day, the glory of God was released, and light shone on one who had kept the law perfectly, innocently, without self-interest, without a hidden agenda.

Knowledge of good and evil, was put right in the goodness of the guiltless Son of God, as he bore the evil of humanity on a tree, which would give humanity back its life.

Not only had all creation been waiting for this glory of God to shine, not only was Jesus born to fulfil the law and die under the law to release us from the law.  But now, thirdly, Jesus, gives us this glory to share with each other.    

However, these days are dark.  In fact, Jesus says many will be deceived in these dark days.  Many people, both pastors and parishioners, will be carried away from God, through doubt and deception as the darkness swirls all around us.

Just as it did in Jesus’ day, as he awaited the return of Judas with his accusers, we are called to trust Jesus in the same way in which he trusted his Father. 

Like Jesus we have knowledge of what will happen.  He tells us beforehand in his Word and sends the Holy Spirit to work endurance and perseverance within us as we share in his suffering.  We now turn our backs on a knowledge of good and evil and look to the knowledge of Jesus Christ found on the tree of life.

As we share Jesus’ weakness of being human, the Holy Spirit will work the faith required to show us evil in this world is sabotaged by the cross, as forecast in the Word of God. 

Because of Jesus’ victory on the cross, we can daily return to our baptism and in repentance wash ourselves of all partial and presumptuous sins, thinking we have to fix, only what God can fix.

It’s quite easy for us to fall into the trap thinking we need to fight God’s battles.  However, the truth is, rather than fight, we are called to stand and suffer as Christ suffered.

We are like, James and John, who after witnessing the rejection of a Samaritan town, were rebuked by Jesus after they asked, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (Luke 9:54 ESV) 

Jesus does not need us to be his crusaders.  We have two thousand years of evidence where working for the greater knowledge of good, not only usurps the Holy Spirit, but actually champions the accusatory work of the evil one.

Returning to the text for today, instead of calling together a posse of zealous fighters, as the night darkened at his impending arrest, Jesus teaches, and he prays.  But he begins with a new commandment which is the text before us.

Knowing all that would occur he says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” 

He called them to love as he loved.  To serve as he had just served them in all humility washing their feet, even Judas Iscariot’s feet!

However, like Peter, we are just as lacking in our perception of what truly pleases God.  When push comes to shove, our pious works are short lived and not what God wants.  Our piety leads to cutting off the ears of those who need to hear the Gospel, leaving only Jesus to restore them.  And after we do this, like Peter, all our piety goes out the window as we end up denying Christ and fleeing.

Two thousand years, since Jesus gave this new commandment, Peter flees, and we too with him.  Yet Jesus saw this on the night when he was betrayed and even right now as we realise our own self-righteousness and guilt, Jesus’ words are just as true as they were then, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.

God has been calling us to love one another as he has loved us for two-thousand years.  And yet we still struggle to know what love is. 

God struggles with us, to love us.  He also struggles within, so we love others the way Jesus has loved us.  We resist God the Holy Spirit when we exchange the work of the Holy Spirit with the presumptuous work of the human spirit, the old Adam.

Even with the best of intentions, when we desire to do God’s work, it’s not what God desires and he rebukes Satan within us, just as he had to with Peter.  Nevertheless, God is glorified, and so is Jesus, as he does this work of the cross within each of us. 

So how do we glorify God?  Especially when any glimmer of his light in these darkened times will alert the world, and the enforcers of its powers and principals bringing suffering and tribulation down upon us?

We love one another as Jesus has loved us!  We allow the Holy Spirit to work the good confession of Jesus Christ within us.  

This is the confession to the world that we are sinners being forgiven.  Not confessing in pride that we sin!  But that despite our sinful nature and the sin that bleeds from it, we have freedom to confess it.  This is, in fact, the greater works Jesus teaches we will do, in John fourteen verse twelve, which are greater than his works.

As truly confessional people, confessing sin, but also confessing his forgiveness of our sin, and our trust in that forgiveness, the Holy Spirit will bring others to seek that same forgiveness.  As we share the forgiveness with which God has forgiven us, then we will be truly loving others as God loves us.

This justifies Jesus’ death!  This justifies God’s magnificent plan of salvation in Jesus Christ.  This also justifies the work of the Holy Spirit and his being sent to us from the Father and the Son, to bring us in faith to the Father and the Son. 

Loving others as God loves us, we confess our sin to create freedom for others to confess and receive forgiveness.  And as we do, the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified.  Amen.