Sermon – John 19: 14-30 – Lifted Up

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Sermon – John 19: 14-30 – Lifted Up
Pitts Creek and Beaver Dam Churches
March 28, 2010

Listen to this sermon.

We have arrived Palm Sunday, the final Sunday of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week. Each Sunday, for the last six weeks, we have been accompanying Jesus on his journey to the cross. Today we arrive at our destination as Jesus is lifted up on a cross. This is the type of death Jesus had told his disciples he would have. And we know that his hour has come to be glorified in his death, resurrection and ascension. Today is the climatic scene in the Gospel of John as the people we have met over the last few weeks come together for one last appearance in John’s gospel at the foot of the cross.

But before we look at all of this please pray with me. “Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy Heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

John 19:14-30 14 It was the day of Preparation of Passover Week, about the sixth hour. "Here is your king," Pilate said to the Jews. 15 But they shouted, "Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!" "Shall I crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king but Caesar," the chief priests answered. 16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 Here they crucified him, and with him two others-- one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." 22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written." 23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 "Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did. 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," 27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. 28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

At the end of play the actors usually come forward for a curtain call. Each character comes though the curtain to the applause of the audience. This continues until all the characters are on stage. If the acting has been really good the audience rises for a standing ovation and the loud clapping continues until the audience is exhausted. A description of a curtain call seems to be what John has described here in the middle of the nineteenth chapter.

All of the major characters we have been reading about for weeks, Jesus, Pilate, the religious authorities and the disciple that Jesus loved make appearances. But missing from this group are Judas and Peter. Both of these have walked out of the light into the darkness of unbelief, Judas by his betrayal of Jesus and Peter by his denial of being a disciple of Jesus. For the moment both of these remain in the darkness. Peter will soon return to the light of belief and eternal life. But Judas will always remain in the darkness of unbelief and death.

This gives us great hope that even though we or our friends or our families may walk out of the light of Christ and into the darkness of death, the return to faith is possible. Just keep praying for those who have lost their faith that they will one day return to the light and receive the gift of eternal life.

Pilate is present at the foot of the cross. And he is speaking the language of belief. He calls Jesus the “King of the Jews” and proclaims this in three languages on a sign for all to read. But, even though he confesses his belief with his lips he does not believe it in his heart. He continues to put his faith in the Emperor of Rome, not in the King of Israel. While speaking the language of faith with his lips his heart is still in the grip of darkness. This is a warning for all of us. Although confessing our faith with our lips is good, it is not good enough. We must believe in our hearts what we say with our lips. Only by believing in our hearts do we enter the light and receive the gift of eternal life.

The religious authorities are also there at the foot of the cross. These are the leaders of God’s people. They know the scripture better than anyone else because they are the teachers of Israel. They lead worship and perform the sacrifices. But we see in John that they are hypocrites. They proclaim in worship that God is King, but they believe that Caesar alone is their king. They serve the Emperor of Rome, not the God of Israel.

This also should be a warning for us. We must not put our trust in the number of Bible studies we have taken and taught, our church membership and ordination, or our education and titles. These things are important, but will not give us eternal life. Only our faith in Jesus allows us to walk in the light of faith and receive this wonderful gift.

The disciple that Jesus loved is also at the foot of the cross. He was with Jesus’ mother and two other women named Mary. Since this disciple is unnamed we can fill in the blank with our names. We are the disciples whom Jesus loves. We are the one who believe and walk in the light. And we have been given the responsibility of caring for God’s people. This is our task in life: to love others just as Jesus loves us.

Our scene ends with Jesus’ death on the cross and we are introduced to a new character whom we have not seen before. This character comes into John’s story at the moment of Jesus death, and remains with us even till today. It is the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ final gift for us given at the moment of his death. The coming of the Holy Spirit is the culmination of Jesus’ ministry on Earth, his glorification. Jesus had realized that the hour had come for his death, resurrection and ascension because this would unleash on the world the power, the love and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.

And this is where we are today. We have assembled at the foot of the cross. We confess with our lips and believe in our hearts that Jesus is the Son of God. And the Holy Spirit is here with us in worship to help us see Jesus in the reading and proclamation of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit is here to comfort us in our own times of trouble. And the Holy Spirit is here with us to empower us to love as God loves us and to incorporate us into the holy family of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

As so the scene that John has described has come to an end. Jesus is dead. His body nailed to a cross. Pilate and the religious authorities have gone home to the darkness of unbelief. The disciple that Jesus loved has taken the women home to care for them in the light of faith. But John has two more characters he wants us to know about. These are Jews who have been walking in the darkness of unbelief. But as a result of Jesus’ glorification and the coming of the Holy Spirit they now believe and have come into the light. Here is what John says about these two Jewish leaders, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.

John 19:38-42 38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus like the other religious authorities at the foot of the cross walked in the darkness of unbelief. But they saw Jesus’ miracles. They recognized Jesus in scripture. They were empowered by the coming of the Holy Spirit to become disciples of Jesus Christ, walking in the light of his glorification, and believing that Jesus is God. And they loved Jesus so much that at the risk of their own lives they removed Jesus from the cross, anointed his body for burial and placed him in a tomb.

This is an example for us to follow: to be filled by the Holy Spirit with so much love for Jesus that we care for Jesus body, the church. And this love for Jesus is why believers contribute their time and money to build up the church by inviting more and more people to believe in Jesus Christ.

And all of this leaves us alone at a tomb. Jesus is dead and buried. It is a tradition in Israel to place stones, instead of flowers on graves. So this Thursday evening at 6:30 PM we will gather in at Pitts Creek to share in the Lord’s Supper and place a stone on Jesus’ grave. On Friday at noon we will gather with all the Pocomoke churches at Bethany Methodist to remember the last words that Jesus had spoken. And next Sunday as the sun rises over Pocomoke at 6:30 in the morning we will gather at Cypress Park, and later at Beaver Dam and Pitts Creek, to hear the exciting and surprising conclusion to this story in the Gospel of John.

Lord Jesus. We thank you for permitting us to accompany you on your journey to the cross. We thank you for the gift of your spirit and your love. Prepare us this week for the wonderful news we will receive next Sunday. We pray this as your faithful disciples. Amen.