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Good Friday – March 29^th, 2024 Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas Rev. Joshua Woelmer Text: St. Matthew’s Passion “Who Caused Jesus’s Death?” Theme: The causes of Jesus’s death are many, yet the result is nonetheless good for us. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Who caused Jesus’s death? This question is at the forefront of why we call this day Good Friday. It’s also a topic that God himself wants to lay out for us as he inspired the Gospel writers to write the narrative as they did. Today, we have heard from St. Matthew’s Passion. The first answer to that question, “Who caused Jesus’s death?” is one of his disciples by the name of Judas Iscariot. It is Judas who betrayed him. It is Judas who chose out of greed to sell his Lord into the hands of enemies for the price of a slave, 30 shekels of silver. And, he betrayed our Lord by the manner of greeting and endearment, a kiss on the cheek. It is Judas that we hear of later who changes his mind and tries to buy Jesus back with the same money. This is not contrition for sins and repentance in faith. It is indeed feeling bad about one’s actions, but Judas tries to fix it himself rather than repent and believe Jesus to be his merciful God. Peter is the opposite of Judas in our text. We cannot rightly say that he caused Jesus’s death. After all, he is the one who tried to free Jesus from the soldiers by striking at them with a sword. He received a rebuke from Jesus for that. However, Peter did deny knowing Jesus later in the courtyard of the high priest. After the rooster crowed, he went away weeping bitterly, being contrite and repentance for his words. Jesus would later restore him. Who next can we consider to have caused Jesus’s death? We must move to the Jews who opposed Jesus at this time. In our text, these are the chief priests, the elders, and the crowds gathered there. In times past, it was common for Christians to blame the Jews of their day for the death of Christ. We must not do that. There is almost 2000 years between the Jews of today and those that crucified Jesus. But those chief priests and crowds do bear some blame. They convinced Judas to betray Jesus to them. They hosted a sham trial with false witnesses. They called for Barabbas to be released instead of Jesus. They demanded twice in our text “Let him be crucified!” (21, 23). Then they say these ironic words: “His blood be on us and on our children!” (25). Jesus’s blood was indeed upon them and their children, but not as they think. They were willing to take the guilt for his death upon themselves. They are admitting murder here and do not mind the punishment. Yet for those who would later repent, the blood of Christ was indeed upon them and their sins. As Jesus would say in Luke’s Gospel while being crucified, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). These Jews would also mock Jesus on the cross, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God’” (42–43). Later they would try to cover up his resurrection by paying off the guards to give a false report. But in a way, the Jews are not the ultimate ones to blame. After all, they lived under Roman rule. It was a Roman governor who held the authority of capital punishment. Pontius Pilate could have put a stop to this whole affair. He even questioned Jesus and told the crowd that he had done no evil. Yet he too is to blame for the death of Jesus. He even received warning from his wife in a dream to “have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream” (19). But, although he would wash his hands of the whole affair, nonetheless washing his hands meant that the Jews could do as they pleased. Only by the blood of Christ would Pilate be able to wash blood off his own guilty hands. Are the soldiers guilty of the death of Christ? Perhaps, for even one who is “just doing their duty” is obligated to know the morality of their actions. We held this standard for the guards at Nazi concentration camps. Yet, it is from the mouth of a centurion that we hear these words: “Truly this was the Son of God!” (54). What about us, though? If we pay attention to the Old Testament reading from Isaiah, we hear these words: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed” (4–5). Make no mistake about it: each of us has also caused the death of our Lord. We are more guilty than Judas, more guilty than the Jews, more guilty than Pontius Pilate or the soldiers. Isaiah opens up for us the reason for the season, so to speak—the reason behind the death of Christ. Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions, to take them away. He was crushed for our iniquities, to forgive them. By every stripe he received from the soldiers, we are healed, for there his blood was shed. You and I are the reason Jesus went to the cross, for we would deserve a far worse death and alienation from God the Father if he did not die in our place. That leads me to the last One who caused Jesus’s death, and that is His own Father. This is clear from Jesus’s own words from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (46). Also known as the “Cry of Dereliction,” Jesus tells us that His Father forsook him on the cross. It was the Father who sent him to this world in the womb of the Virgin Mary, who acknowledge His Son’s identity in his Baptism in the Jordan and at the Mount of Transfiguration, who sent angels to strengthen Jesus in his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was the Father who poured out His wrath upon His Son there on the cross. This was the plan the whole time. This was the plan that was put in motion even when Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the Garden of Eden. God promised there to send the “seed of a woman” who would crush Satan’s head, yet by so doing would receive an injury. It was the plan of salvation laid out for Adam and Eve. This is the reason today is a good day, a Good Friday: it is the day when you were saved, when you were bought by a price. God traded His Son’s perfect life for yours, because he loves you. That is a good thing, the best thing. And just like there is forgiveness for Peter and for any of the Jews who repented, even for the Gentiles who would repent and believe in Jesus, there is forgiveness for you and your sins. Through faith in Jesus do we receive this promise of eternal life. Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen. Return to Top \| Return to Sermons \| Home \| Email Church Office

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Good Friday – March 29^th, 2024

Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church, Block, Kansas

Rev. Joshua Woelmer

Text: St. Matthew’s Passion

“Who Caused Jesus’s Death?”

Theme: The causes of Jesus’s death are many, yet the result is nonetheless good for us.

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Who caused Jesus’s death? This question is at the forefront of why we call this day Good Friday. It’s also a topic that God himself wants to lay out for us as he inspired the Gospel writers to write the narrative as they did. Today, we have heard from St. Matthew’s Passion.

The first answer to that question, “Who caused Jesus’s death?” is one of his disciples by the name of Judas Iscariot. It is Judas who betrayed him. It is Judas who chose out of greed to sell his Lord into the hands of enemies for the price of a slave, 30 shekels of silver. And, he betrayed our Lord by the manner of greeting and endearment, a kiss on the cheek. It is Judas that we hear of later who changes his mind and tries to buy Jesus back with the same money. This is not contrition for sins and repentance in faith. It is indeed feeling bad about one’s actions, but Judas tries to fix it himself rather than repent and believe Jesus to be his merciful God.

Peter is the opposite of Judas in our text. We cannot rightly say that he caused Jesus’s death. After all, he is the one who tried to free Jesus from the soldiers by striking at them with a sword. He received a rebuke from Jesus for that. However, Peter did deny knowing Jesus later in the courtyard of the high priest. After the rooster crowed, he went away weeping bitterly, being contrite and repentance for his words. Jesus would later restore him.

Who next can we consider to have caused Jesus’s death? We must move to the Jews who opposed Jesus at this time. In our text, these are the chief priests, the elders, and the crowds gathered there. In times past, it was common for Christians to blame the Jews of their day for the death of Christ. We must not do that. There is almost 2000 years between the Jews of today and those that crucified Jesus. But those chief priests and crowds do bear some blame.

They convinced Judas to betray Jesus to them. They hosted a sham trial with false witnesses. They called for Barabbas to be released instead of Jesus. They demanded twice in our text “Let him be crucified!” (21, 23). Then they say these ironic words: “His blood be on us and on our children!” (25). Jesus’s blood was indeed upon them and their children, but not as they think. They were willing to take the guilt for his death upon themselves. They are admitting murder here and do not mind the punishment. Yet for those who would later repent, the blood of Christ was indeed upon them and their sins. As Jesus would say in Luke’s Gospel while being crucified, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

These Jews would also mock Jesus on the cross, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God’” (42–43). Later they would try to cover up his resurrection by paying off the guards to give a false report.

But in a way, the Jews are not the ultimate ones to blame. After all, they lived under Roman rule. It was a Roman governor who held the authority of capital punishment. Pontius Pilate could have put a stop to this whole affair. He even questioned Jesus and told the crowd that he had done no evil. Yet he too is to blame for the death of Jesus. He even received warning from his wife in a dream to “have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream” (19). But, although he would wash his hands of the whole affair, nonetheless washing his hands meant that the Jews could do as they pleased. Only by the blood of Christ would Pilate be able to wash blood off his own guilty hands.

Are the soldiers guilty of the death of Christ? Perhaps, for even one who is “just doing their duty” is obligated to know the morality of their actions. We held this standard for the guards at Nazi concentration camps. Yet, it is from the mouth of a centurion that we hear these words: “Truly this was the Son of God!” (54).

What about us, though? If we pay attention to the Old Testament reading from Isaiah, we hear these words: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed” (4–5). Make no mistake about it: each of us has also caused the death of our Lord. We are more guilty than Judas, more guilty than the Jews, more guilty than Pontius Pilate or the soldiers.

Isaiah opens up for us the reason for the season, so to speak—the reason behind the death of Christ. Jesus bore our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions, to take them away. He was crushed for our iniquities, to forgive them. By every stripe he received from the soldiers, we are healed, for there his blood was shed. You and I are the reason Jesus went to the cross, for we would deserve a far worse death and alienation from God the Father if he did not die in our place.

That leads me to the last One who caused Jesus’s death, and that is His own Father. This is clear from Jesus’s own words from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (46). Also known as the “Cry of Dereliction,” Jesus tells us that His Father forsook him on the cross. It was the Father who sent him to this world in the womb of the Virgin Mary, who acknowledge His Son’s identity in his Baptism in the Jordan and at the Mount of Transfiguration, who sent angels to strengthen Jesus in his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was the Father who poured out His wrath upon His Son there on the cross.

This was the plan the whole time. This was the plan that was put in motion even when Adam and Eve ate the fruit in the Garden of Eden. God promised there to send the “seed of a woman” who would crush Satan’s head, yet by so doing would receive an injury. It was the plan of salvation laid out for Adam and Eve.

This is the reason today is a good day, a Good Friday: it is the day when you were saved, when you were bought by a price. God traded His Son’s perfect life for yours, because he loves you. That is a good thing, the best thing.

And just like there is forgiveness for Peter and for any of the Jews who repented, even for the Gentiles who would repent and believe in Jesus, there is forgiveness for you and your sins. Through faith in Jesus do we receive this promise of eternal life.

Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.

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