At the Cross

My name is Mark, I'm one of the pastors and I am so glad that you are here. In just a bit, we are going to share together in communion, which is also called the Lord's Supper or the Eucharist. But tonight, this may be the most meaningful communion experience for you this entire year, because everything we're doing here together focuses us on what Jesus calls us to remember, His body and blood given for us.

But before we partake, I want to spend just a few moments following the footsteps of three people. Two were at the table with Jesus, and one very likely nearby, perhaps even looking on, because each one of these people are going to steadily bring us closer to the cross. Now the first may come as some surprise. His name is Judas Iscariot. And Judas arrives at the meal, having already agreed to betray Jesus. Now, it's just a matter of timing. So Judas doesn't stay at the table any longer than he has to.

In fact, he pulls what may be the very first dine and dash ever recorded in history. As John's Gospel tells us, "As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out, and it was night." And there in the dark, Judas clutches 30 pieces of silver for someone who at the very least was his friend. For this reason that Dante, in his inferno, his imaginary depiction of hell, he places Judas not in a hell of fire and brimstone, but one of cold and ice.

Judas' heart is so cold that when he arrives at the Garden of Gethsemane, flanked by scores of soldiers, Luke says he approached Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus asked him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?" Jesus knows the betrayal is coming, but to seal it with a kiss, that's cold. And while Judas will forever be remembered for his betrayal, the reality is we all betray Jesus one way or another.

I mean, perhaps not on the same level, but in our own ways, we betray him and so often for a good deal less than 30 pieces of silver. In our thoughts, our motives, our fantasies, which is why we're drawn to this cross. We know we all have a part putting him on it. Now, the good news is that God's grace is greater than all our sins. Do you believe that tonight? I sure hope so.

Because here's the sad truth about Judas. Judas didn't become a lost cause the moment he betrayed Jesus, because if that's true, we're all in trouble. Judas becomes a lost cause the moment that he decides he is beyond God's grace. But in this life, you never are, which brings us to Peter. Peter shows up at the meal, as he always does, confident. But then Jesus starts talking about how all of his disciples will desert him.

And Mark's gospel says in response, Peter declared, "Even if all fall away, I will not. Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." Brave words. And sure enough, at the arrest, there's Peter. He whips out his sword and he wax off the ear of the first guy he can reach. And you have to bear in mind, that guy with the missing ear, he's got a lot more armed soldiers backing him up than Peter does. The disciples had all of two swords. So this is a gutsy move.

Well, what happened to Peter? I'll tell you what happened. Jesus shuts him down. John says, "Jesus commanded Peter, 'Put your sword away. Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?'" And that's when Peter runs off into the night, where he will betray Jesus, or he will, excuse me, deny Jesus three times before the darkness lifts. Now, the explanation for this almost always has to do with Peter losing his nerve, which may well be true.

Even when a servant girl accuses him of being with Jesus, he says, "No, no. I don't know the man." You know, end of story. And again, you know, being arrested with Jesus is a legitimate cause for fear. But I wonder if there isn't something more going on. I wonder, in addition to fear, if Peter isn't also embarrassed by Jesus. I mean, what kind of leader doesn't stick up for himself? What king allows himself to be taken without a fight?

I mean, come on, Jesus. He just shows some spine. You know, it could at least go down swinging, but he just surrenders, surrenders. And so, when the third person accuses Peter of being with Jesus, Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about." Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked right up here. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him, "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.

His swagger, his confidence, gone. And not just in himself, but in that moment, in Jesus too. You see, if Judas couldn't believe in the depth of God's grace, Peter couldn't believe in the means of God's grace that it must come through the cross. So for now, this is really as far as Peter can take us. What Jesus is doing makes no sense to him, at least not yet.

And maybe some of us can relate to Peter tonight, because you had high hopes for your life. You had dreams and aspirations, and you believed that God would assist you in these dreams. Like if you were good and decent and you went to church and you made smart choices, then God would surely bless you. And just when you saw those pieces coming together of your plan, it all blew up.

Something or someone was taken from you. You found yourself wondering in the middle of the night, "What do I do with you, Jesus? Because you're making no sense to me." But again, the good news is that while Peter is denying Jesus, Jesus is set on dying for Peter. And not just Peter's sins, but my sins and your sins. Now you may not understand all of that. He doesn't ask you to understand it all.

What Jesus asks each one of us is to trust him. And that brings us finally to Mary Magdalene. Mary wasn't counted among the 12 disciples, but she is certainly no less of a follower. In fact, Mary, along with the mother of Jesus and his aunt, she follows Jesus all the way to the cross. And some people assume that Mary was a former prostitute. The Bible never says that.

What it does say is this, that Jesus cast seven demons out of her. Seven. In other words, she was completely under their control. She was living in total darkness, like being in a dungeon where there are no windows until the day that Jesus delivers her. And suddenly there's light and there's freedom and there's joy she has never known.

And so when they drive the nails through Jesus' hands and feet, it has to feel to Mary like all hell is breaking loose. In fact, it's storming back with a terrible vengeance. How does she even stay there at the cross? Keeping vigil while the crowd mocks him. He saved others, they said, but he can't save himself. And in that moment, does Mary even quietly say to herself, that's right. He saved me. Why won't he save himself?

Well, if the first three hours of the crucifixion weren't bad enough, the next three are even worse. Mark's gospel says, at noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. Why does it suddenly go dark? Why the second act? Perhaps it's because while the soldiers have dished out all the torture they can, and the markers are running out of things to say, Jesus is entering into the worst pain of all where the collective darkness and weight of all sin is put on him.

And Mark continues. And at three in the afternoon, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, which means my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Which is the darkest moment there is. And then with a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. Mark kind of fades to black at this point, saying this. Some women were watching from a distance. Among them was Mary Magdalene.

So, let's take inventory. Her life has come to this. Saved by the one she thought was the light of the world only to see him die in the dark. Really? That's it? But instead of running, instead of denying, instead of betraying, Mary waits. And she has no idea if there's anything even worth waiting for. Just hangs on to what she knows of Jesus, even though there's so much more she doesn't know.

And what she cannot know, what none of us can know in our darkest moments, is just how close we may be to the risen Christ. It's perhaps because Mary is willing to wait in the dark and to linger at the cross that of all the followers of Jesus that would see him, Mary is first. Now, we're getting a little bit ahead of ourselves.

For tonight, I'm guessing that maybe you relate to one or all three of these people because we've all betrayed Jesus. We've all buckled under the pressures of this world. We've all felt alone and lost. So, now what? Well, remember that we are in the darkness of Good Friday. And I want to invite you to please come back and hear the rest of their stories. The sun does rise in more ways than one.

But for us tonight, realize that it's for exactly these kinds of people, Judas and Peter and Mary, that Jesus died. In other words, for people just like you and me. In fact, the only difference between these three particular people is that Judas gives in and he gives up to his own self-loathing and despair when all the while I believe Jesus was waiting to welcome him back just like he would welcome Peter.

And so, the question for all of us tonight is this. Will you wait in the dark like Mary did? Will you linger at the cross? Will you thank God for all that it promises? Because he will send the dawn wherever you're at. The sun will rise. And so, while you're in the dark, take heart. Because yes, the sacrifice that Jesus made was caused by us, but it is also for us. Amen?

Let's prepare our hearts as we are about to receive communion and remember the death of God's Son. Would you bow as I pray. Heavenly Father and Lord, we thank you for the bread and the cup that we are about to receive. We are humbled to come to your table. We are humbled by the invitation. Knowing, Lord, that it was for our sake that your Son drained the cup of sin and death.

He suffered in deepest darkness and desolation for us. And so, Lord, I pray for anyone here who are in their own dark night. Maybe they walked in these doors feeling like Judas or Peter or Mary. They just need a fresh appropriation of your grace and your mercy. I'm sure we all do. Or maybe there are those among us, Lord, who they haven't yet come to know you as Lord. I pray they will tonight.

I pray that all of us will see you and your incredible love for us. For as your word says, greater love has no man than this than to lay down his life for his friends. In the matchless name of Christ I pray. Amen.