The Lutheran Hour
-
"Done Nothing"
- Download MP3 No bonus material MP3
-
Text: Luke 23:15
-
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! The words of the God-sent angel tell us that Jesus has shattered the mold of sin which was made when humankind first broke God’s laws. We who are sinners, whose hearts are evil and paths are twisted, have been redeemed by Jesus Who has done nothing wrong. His perfect life, His sacrificial death, His Easter resurrection have given us God’s gracious gift of forgiveness and eternal life.
Over the years I’ve enjoyed the company of Christian policemen. I’m sorry, policepersons. Knowing that most of us are guilty of something, and having learned to disbelieve about 90% of what we tell them, they still manage to keep a unique perspective on life.
Consider the true story of the policeman who placed himself in a perfect spot to catch speeders. Depending on your point of view, luckily or unluckily, he wasn’t catching anybody. Investigation discovered the problem: a 10-year-old boy was standing about a mile up the road. The 10-year-old boy was holding up a hand painted sign which read, “SPEED TRAP AHEAD.” Further investigation found another boy, a young accomplice, at the next traffic light with a sign which said, “TIPS FOR POINTING OUT THE SPEEDTRAP.” He had a small bucket which contained some change and a lot of dollar bills. Just goes to show, you don’t have to be old to do something wrong.
Yes, the police get to hear and see it all. I know of one policeman who, while he was on patrol, saw a vehicle rip through a red light. Although the driver had time to stop, she didn’t even slow down. When he pulled her over, the lady said she had just had her brakes repaired. It had been very expensive. She wasn’t breaking because she didn’t want to wear her brakes down! Compare that with the story of another policeman who pulled over a man who was doing over 80 MPH in a 55 MPH zone. When asked, the driver explained that a bee had been flying around his head. He had sped up to 80 because he knew the bee couldn’t fly that fast. Thankfully most of us aren’t as silly as these foolish folk. Sadly, like them we all have done something wrong.
One policeman, and I don’t know if he was personally involved in this incident, talked to me of two men who tried to steal a bank’s ATM cash machine. They looped one end of a chain around the ATM machine, and the other end around the bumper of their pickup truck. Instead of dragging away the ATM machine, they ripped the bumper right off their truck. Panicked, the two hurriedly left the scene and drove home. Officers soon caught up with the pair. It wasn’t a hard case to crack. When they left their bumper behind it still held their license plate. Now I know that you’ve never tried to steal an ATM, but that doesn’t mean you’re innocent of everything. We all are guilty of something.
You don’t have to be a policeman to know that is so. It was probably about ten years ago that one of my church members, as a special surprise for his wife, bought a bouquet of small roses from a street vendor. Wishing to make something special out of his gift, he didn’t go through the garage in the kitchen; instead, he went to the front door and rang the bell. When his wife opened the door, he was standing there with a great, big romantic smile. In his hands he was proudly presenting the roses. Without taking time to think, she blurted out, “Listen hubbie, the baby has a touchy stomach, the washing machine is broken, and your son got into a fight with another boy at school today, and now you’ve really made my day perfect by coming home drunk.” You see, she knew all of us are guilty of something.
When it came to Jesus, that was the principle that motivated the Jewish Supreme Court, the Sanhedrin. From the time the Savior had raised His friend Lazarus from the dead, they had been conspiring on how to get rid of Him. They knew that Jesus had done something wrong. They brought in witnesses against Him. Even though the witnesses were paid and coached, they couldn’t agree. In spite of the embarrassing turn, the Sanhedrin had managed to railroad the Christ and condemn Him to death.
Jesus had done something wrong as far as they were concerned; Jesus’ wrong was claiming to be the Son of God. To them, Jesus’ words were blasphemy. You can hardly blame them. If any of us, if anybody else in all of human history had made the claim to be the Son of God, it would be a blatant, bald-faced lie. But when Jesus said it, it was the truth. He was the Son of God, sent to earth so that we might be saved from sin, death, and Satan. Born of a virgin in Bethlehem, Jesus’ years were passed in perfection. Even so, Jesus was condemned to die.
Having won a dreadful and dishonorable victory, the Sanhedrin had only one very small little problem. Because of the Roman occupation, they no longer had the authority to carry out a death sentence. The law said that those who were convicted of blasphemy should be stoned. Yet the Jewish leaders knew that the Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate, would never allow a Man to be executed for something as tiny, trifling and trivial as blasphemy against a non-Roman god. More worrisome than Pilate were the crowds which had, only a few days before, welcomed the Messiah into Jerusalem. They would not be pleased if the religious leaders underhandedly assassinated the Son of David, the One Who had come in the Name of the Lord.
Still the Sanhedrin knew as all of us know, everybody has done something wrong. All they had to do was find another charge, a charge which would hold up in a Roman court. That is why, as they dragged Jesus before Pilate, they changed the charges. They accused Him of subverting the nation. They said Jesus had started a tax revolt; that He was trying to overthrow the Emperor. Those last two items – encouraging people not to pay taxes to Caesar and attempting an overthrow would have perked up Pilate’s ears. In the last months he had had some public relations problems with his boss in Rome. He was no longer in favor with the emperor. He dare not, he could not, he would not let a would-be insurrectionist slip through his hands.
Scripture records Pilate’s fancy footwork as he tried to avoid making a decision against Jesus. He took Jesus away from those who were accusing Him and conducted a private investigation. He tried to hand Jesus over to Herod, who was in charge of Nazareth, the town from which Jesus had come. He tried to placate the crowd by letting them choose who would die: Jesus or a criminal by the name of Barabbas. Nothing worked. Still, Pilate was a practical man. He knew Jesus had done something wrong. Maybe He wasn’t guilty of the charges of which He had been accused, but there could be no doubt, Jesus had done something wrong. He asks, “Jesus, what have You done?”
What a question. You’ve asked it, haven’t you? This past year, a mother of three small boys told me how she had asked a similar question. She had found proof that one of them had broken one of the rules of the house. She queried, “OK, which of you guys has been doing something you weren’t supposed to do?” That line of interrogation hadn’t produced a confession. “Not me, mom.” “I didn’t do anything wrong.” Those were the kind of responses she had received. Evening came, and as she put her brood to bed, with her hand poised on the switch to turnout the lights, she announced, “I’m going to bed soon. When I do, in my prayers I’m going to ask God who broke the rules. Don’t you think one of you boys would like to confess before I ask God?” After a few seconds’ hesitation came the reply, “I think we’d like to wait and see what God says.” All of us have done something wrong. The U.S. Congress realized that, when in 1988 they passed a law which said employers could not give their people a lie detector test without a good reason. The Senate knew, perhaps better than anyone, that everybody has done something wrong.
You too have done something wrong. I’m not going to get specific. Don’t need to. But you know, don’t you? You know what you’ve done wrong. You may hide what you’ve done from your parents, your spouse, your children, your boss, your minister, your closest friends, but you know. You know no matter what anybody else thinks, that you have, most certainly, broken God’s laws and most probably, man’s laws as well.
Knowing that is true for everybody, Pilate felt secure in asking Jesus the question, “What is it you’ve done wrong?” Pilate was throwing out a big net to see what sins he might drag in. Pilate expected a confession. Now you need to know, if Jesus had done something wrong, He would not have been God’s Son. If Jesus wasn’t God’s Son, He can’t be our Savior. If Jesus had done something wrong, if He had violated the smallest of commandments, then He is just like us and hardly worthy of our veneration or adoration. If Jesus had done something wrong, He was a sinner and sinners don’t rise from the grave. Sinners don’t save others. If Jesus had done something wrong, our faith in Him is misplaced.
Now remember, if Pilate had asked a similar question of us, we would have to hang our heads and say, “Yes, I’ve sinned.” If I asked your friends, people who normally overlook your shortcomings, what you’ve done wrong, they probably could give me a few things. If I asked your enemies, they would produce a list. Mother Theresa would have had to say, “Yes, I’ve sinned.” The world’s greatest leaders, the most gentle of mothers, the kindest of doctors must confess, “I have sinned.” That’s because we all have violated the laws of God with our thoughts, our words, our actions. Scripture is quite correct: “There is no man on the earth that does only good and never sins.”
(Eccl. 7:20) It is true, except for Jesus.
The Sanhedrin looked for something Jesus had done wrong, and they weren’t able to find it. Note that Jesus’ enemies found nothing. Pilate, a man who approached the situation with a different set of standards, a different set of priorities, was not able to find anything. His political career might well have hinged upon his ability to find something, but Pilate came up with zip. No matter who looked, the conclusion was always the same. Jesus has committed no crime, no sin, nothing. Time and again, Pilate says it, “Jesus is innocent; I find no basis for the charges; He has done nothing deserving of death.” Jesus has, in Pilate’s words, “done nothing.”
You would expect having come to this conclusion, Pilate would release Jesus. You might expect something like that to happen, but you would be wrong. Innocent Jesus Who had done nothing, was punished. Innocent Jesus Who had done nothing, carried a cross up the hill to a skull-shaped hill outside the city walls of Jerusalem. There innocent Jesus, the Man Who had done nothing wrong, was nailed into place and hung up to die. The crowds that had welcomed Him into Jerusalem only five days before, were silent. They were replaced by those who were pleased to see His pain; who smiled at His sufferings; who were happy to see Him hurting; who delighted in His dying. Yet as humankind was doing its worst, God was doing His best.
You see, Pilate was wrong. Jesus had done something. He had done a great many things. For 33 years He had been doing the will of His Father. From start to finish, misunderstood and hated, Jesus kept doing all that was necessary to save sinners. Jesus had done something. When disciples wanted to send away mothers who were bringing their children to Jesus for a blessing, Jesus blessed those children. When lepers called out to Him, He did not avoid them; instead, He healed them. When a mother mourned the death of her son, a father his daughter, Jesus brought them back to life. Jesus had been doing something when the world’s sins were laid on Him; He had been doing something by allowing Himself to be arrested in Gethsemane’s garden. His entire life He had been doing something. His entire life had been lived for us; and on Good Friday, nearly 2,000 years ago, He was dying for us.
Not so long back, I had the opportunity while I was standing in line at the grocery store, to observe two little boys about three and four-years-old who were doing what three-and-four-year-old boys do best: they were fighting with each other. The battle escalated with the older doing the taunting, and the younger fighting for position. Eventually, because he couldn’t come up with anything better, the younger said, “I hate you!” The older replied in kind, “Not as much as I hate you.” Realizing she had lost control, Mother resorted to a bit of bribery. “Boys, you know we don’t talk that way to each other. I’m not going to take my two young men to McDonald’s as long as they hate each other.” Recognizing superior wisdom when he heard it, the four-year-old capitulated, “I don’t really hate you.” But the younger replied, “I’m not hungry. I still hate you.” Yes, we all have done something wrong.
Except for Jesus. Jesus did everything right. He loved you with a love that cannot be measured. He gave to the world when there was no thanks. He healed when there was no hope, and He died without complaint. Jesus did nothing wrong and everything right – all this for you. He lived for you and died for you. And today He sends His Spirit to call you to repentance, to summon you to forgiveness, to bring you into His family. Today Jesus wishes to personalize His message. It is yours. If you already believe, give thanks. If you don’t, do not hold back, do not drag your feet at the Holy Spirit’s summons. For you Jesus did everything right, so you might be made right. This is what Jesus has done. It is enough. It is everything. Amen.
Lutheran Hour Mailbox (Questions & Answers) for April 4, 2004
Topic: Jesus’ PassionANNOUNCER: And we are back with two questions and a word of encouragement from Reverend Ken Klaus, I’m Mark Eischer.
KLAUS: Thanks Mark. OK, ask me the first question.
ANNOUNCER: Well, today is Palm Sunday, so how come you preached a sermon about the trial of Jesus?
KLAUS: An excellent question Mark!
ANNOUNCER: Thank you for supplying it.
KLAUS: OK. Here’s the reason. When I was in the parish, I always preached about Palm Sunday on Palm Sunday. For those of our listeners who might not know, Palm Sunday is the day when Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem and was welcomed by the people. They cut off branches from the palm trees to line His path. That’s what gives Palm Sunday its name.
ANNOUNCER: And the crowd was sort of giving Him the “green carpet treatment”?
KLAUS: Exactly. It marks the beginning of Jesus’ passion week which gives the pastor the opportunity to talk about exactly what Jesus did for us that we should also praise Him, God’s Son, the Messiah.
ANNOUNCER: And that’s the reason to preach about Palm Sunday. How come you didn’t?
KLAUS: Mark, this is a very busy time in the parish with all kinds of special worship services. The problem is, “The Lutheran Hour” doesn’t get to broadcast during the week. So if I don’t talk about Jesus’ passion today, I miss the opportunity.
ANNOUNCER: I understand. OK, here’s your next question. Did Jesus really die?
KLAUS: That question comes from a time I was in a movie theatre recently, and people behind me were talking about how they had heard that Jesus really didn’t die on the cross – He just passed out. Later on, He was supposed to have revived in the coolness of the tomb, got out, lived a long life in France with Mary Magdalene as His wife, that’s what they said – and it’s bothered me ever since, so I thought I’d try to answer it today.
ANNOUNCER: Please, continue.
KLAUS: Let’s take a look at what happened to Jesus physically. First He was whipped by the Roman soldiers. They used sort of a cat-of-nine-tails, strips of leather with hooks of bone or broken glass at the end. When someone was whipped by the Romans, it was not unusual for the victim to die. Jesus was beaten and crowned with thorns, and they forced Him to carry His cross through the streets. Possibly the entire cross, more likely just the cross beam on His back – the back that was ripped open and bleeding. Then He was nailed to a cross. He hung there for six hours. Then they ran a spear through His heart.
ANNOUNCER: Maybe it just looked that way. Maybe they missed His heart.
KLAUS: Mark, this was a Roman execution squad. They didn’t make mistakes. If somebody they crucified managed to live, their lives could be forfeit. Archeology records no case in the tens of thousands of crucifixions the Romans did, where somebody lived when they were supposed to die. Along with that, John records that blood and water came out of Christ’s wounds.
ANNOUNCER: And that’s significant?
KLAUS: It is. It means the blood platelets were separating from the blood serum. That only happens after somebody’s been dead for a while. In this case, that Somebody was Jesus, the Son of God.
ANNOUNCER: So Jesus was definitely dead.
KLAUS: That’s what I’m saying. So did the disciples. So strongly did they believe Jesus had died and rose, that years later when most of them were martyred in cruel ways, none of them denied that belief in the resurrection. They knew what had happened. They knew, and trusting in the risen Savior, they were able to face their own deaths with confidence.
ANNOUNCER: Well, OK, you’ve gotten your two questions in, now I’ve got one for you.
KLAUS: Shoot away Mark.
ANNOUNCER: You know how you start every Sunday’s message with the words, “Christ is risen!”
KLAUS: Yes I do. That is the resurrection greeting of Christians all around the world. Continue with your question.
ANNOUNCER: Why not say, “Happy Easter”? Is that bad?
KLAUS: Not bad but not the best either. You can check in a good dictionary, or take my word for what comes next. The word “Easter” can be traced back to Eostre, the name of the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring; to Eostur, the Norse word for the spring season; or to Ishtar, the ancient spring goddess of Near Eastern countries – that one’s known in the Bible as Ashtoreth. Either way, they were all connected to fertility festivals. I would encourage anyone who has said, “let’s keep Christ in Christmas” to also keep Christ in the resurrection as well. Next Sunday, instead of referring to an ancient fertility festival by saying “Happy Easter,” why not greet each other with the victorious “Christ is risen!” And if somebody says that to you, you can reply, “He is risen indeed!”
ANNOUNCER: Thank you. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.