Agape Love and the Cross

 Good Friday

Twenty-some years ago I met Bishop Bob Rimbo for the first time. It was a getting-to-know-you-meeting after I was assigned to the Southeast Michigan Synod after graduation from seminary. We talked about some basic things: what the synod was like; what my seminary experience had been like; what I had learned during internship; then we got down to the real questions.

Bishop Rimbo asked me, “Why do you think Jesus died?” My answer was quick. I said something like this: “So he could tell us in God’s own words and show us in person how much God loves us.”

As we remember tonight the sad day of Jesus’ death, we also are called to ponder why he so easily gave up his life. In John’s version of the story, Jesus is very much in charge of the way events unfold, here at the end of his life. He may not have planned out every step, but he knew the basics of what would happen.

·       Jesus needed Judas – or someone -- to tell the authorities where he would be.

·       Jesus knew that Peter would deny knowing Jesus, in fear that he too might be captured and unable to free Jesus from the hands of Pilate.

·       Jesus knew just how to provoke Pilate into having him executed.

We see clearly that this death has been the plan from the beginning. John has shown us clearly who Jesus is. He is God incarnated. Because Jesus speaks God’s words, we can believe that Jesus demonstrates for us the depths of divine love.

In John 15, Jesus says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” The Greek word for love here is agape. I talked about this last night as love in action. It can also be expressed as love given without expecting love in return. God loves us, even if we don’t love God in return, even though we can’t love God in the same way.

We grieve tonight feeling the pain Jesus felt as he was beaten and hung dying on the cross. We grieve tonight with the disciples of all ages, but we grieve with the joy of knowing this death isn’t the final answer. We grieve tonight knowing that Easter morning is coming.

But first, we have to get through tonight. The lights will continue to dim. More candles will be extinguished. A few more sad chants and songs will be sung.

Because Jesus really did die, and we really grieve tonight. Amen