Midweek Lent (2) 2019

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: Luke 23:4
Theme: “I Find No Basis For A Charge Against This Man.”

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

You may have reflected on different occasions about whether life is fair? It’s unlikely that anyone, being honest with others and completely transparent before God, would claim they have never had doubts about whether something in their life was fair and equitable. Life isn’t fair, by human standards (it never has been), and the sooner we come to terms with that truth, the better. Was life fair for Jesus? Well, it’s pretty indisputable that in regard judicial matters Jesus didn’t get a ‘fair go’. Regarding a fair trial, the law of Moses says this, "A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed. Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established.”1 Not one credible witness could be found to bring a charge against a Jesus. And yet, Pilate condemned Him, a travesty of justice in the highest human court. The Innocent One is sentenced on behalf of the guilty. That’s the story of lent. That’s the story of how our salvation was accomplished.

Jesus utters not a single word in the interest of clearing His name. To the women who followed the gruesome procession up the Hill of the Skull He said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.”2 From the cross He said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."3 Till His last breath He thought not of Himself, but of others. From noon until 3.00pm darkness descended “while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.”4 Yet, our Saviour did not waver. He did not give up. He did not throw in the towel. He resisted the temptations of Satan. He bore the slander of His accusers.

Should witnesses come forward to testify about your sins, how would you fair? Would you be confident to answer the charges? Would there be accusations of unfaithfulness or inappropriateness about your sexual conduct? Would claims of dishonesty or deceit be laid against you? Would allegations of gossip or slander be raised? Would you be charged with incompetence or negligence in your professional or personal life? Maybe you believe you’ve kept your sins well-hidden? But what would be revealed if even your motivations were transparent to the world? Would you need a lawyer? Or two? Would you be too ashamed to even face the jury?

Pontius Pilate washed His hands. It was a symbolic gesture to try and excuse himself from any liability. It may have gained him some political capital but did nothing for his spiritual ledger. It was a move to eliminate some stress from his life. We shouldn’t be too hasty in imitating Pilate. We might hold up clean hands to the world, but God knows the score. He sees the stains. He reads the heart. His Spirit calls us to contrition and faith.

Our Lord was put on trial by both religious and secular authorities, but He didn’t receive justice. He knew He wouldn’t. Perhaps at some point in your life you felt like you didn’t receive justice. It’s a huge issue in our culture today. The demand for certain kinds of justice is a raging maelstrom that has pulled in nearly every institution in society. Some matters have involved long overdue adjudication, others have been opportunistic ventures to advance politically correct ideologies.

Maybe the justices you haven’t received or aren’t receiving are relatively minor; recognition for efforts made, appreciation from family members, or correction of misunderstood intentions? Or maybe they’re a lot more serious? Perhaps you have been or still are the victim of painful and deeply damaging actions? Maybe you feel vulnerable and even defenseless? Maybe you’re not defenseless, you just feel trapped? And maybe you fear any hope of justice will be ignored or forgotten? Remember, the Scripture says, God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”5 God doesn’t not leave things unresolved. That’s why Christ came.

It would be foolish to try and simplify or categorize the difficulty of rendering proper justice. The issues can be as tangled, complex, and delicate as the people involved. The Bible calls us to be advocates for others while also enduring injustice ourselves. It says, “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”6 And again, “Those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.”7 How can we do that? Christians believe at the deepest level and in the profoundest possible way that justice was accomplished at the cross. Understanding this really encompasses the breadth and depth of the Christian faith.

There’s a world at our doorstep for whom the crucifixion is nothing more than a footnote in history. It may evoke some curiosity or even a little sympathy for the Man. But it remains nothing but information, and for many it’s suspect information at that. Yet, without the Spirit, no one can know anything of the crucifixion’s power or benefit from it. The Holy Spirit uses information to effect transformation. The baptized are given lenses of faith that unbelievers do not yet have.

Fear that valid grievances will be forgotten is a major source of bitterness and hopelessness in peoples’ lives; ie., no one has the capacity address them, the will power, or the integrity. They would rather just forget. Jesus hasn’t forgotten. He will never forget. Soldiers who experience the trauma of war do not forget. Their faculties may fail, their memories may succumb to mortality, divine compassion may shield them from reliving the horror, but they do not forget. To forget Calvary would be to forget the reason for His incarnation and the purpose of His humiliation. It would be to forget the objects of His love. This He could never do. The Good Shepherd never abandons the sheep and runs away. The Scripture says, “I formed you; you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me”8 "I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”9

Dear friends, Jesus now towers over death like a fully equipped soldier standing over a naked infant. Death’s power is dwarfed in His presence. Its threat is brushed away like the swatting of a fly. Its terror is like the buzzing of a gnat. It has no potency. Its threat is all bark and no bite. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”10 Life may not be fair, but the Lord of Life has rendered justice and we will not fail to benefit from it, now, and in eternity. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +

Midweek Lent 3
27 March 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Deuteronomy 19:15
2 Luke 23:28
3 Luke 23:34
4 Luke 23:45 5 Ecclesiastes 12:14
6 Matthew 5:39 7 1 Peter 4:19
8Isaiah 44:21 9 Isaiah 43:25
10 John 1:5