There is a stark contrast between humankind’s instinct for self-preservation and the will of Jesus, who willingly laid down his life for us. It is the difference between a hired hand who is employed to look after a flock of sheep and the Good Shepherd. This is why Jesus’ love is so amazing, even more amazing than the sacrifice of the soldiers we remember on ANZAC day. He knows us well enough to know that it’s not in our nature to willingly give up our lives for others, but he still does that for us. Not just as His friends, or even as a soldier fighting for His country. He laid down His life for the very ones who rejected Him and nailed Him to the Cross. That’s why he’s the Good Shepherd.
Jesus is a real eye-opener. He opens our eyes to see him, our minds to understand him, and our hearts to receive him in faith. Jesus does this as the Holy Spirit opens the Scriptures to show us the love of God as Jesus dies for our sins and rises again to bring us a new eternal life. This brings us great joy. The disciple’s hearts were glad when they saw the risen Lord, and so are ours. Our hearts are warmed with the fire of the Holy Spirit and are filled with a passion to share Jesus with others. Jesus’ call to make disciples is no longer just a command, but is above all a supernatural desire to share the love of God with others in our needy world. Come, Holy Spirit, and open our eyes to see Jesus, our minds to grow in understanding Jesus, our hearts to warm with the love of Jesus, and our lips to share Jesus. Amen.
The sermon for the Second Sunday of Easter is based on the Gospel reading, John 20:19-31.
Remember receiving a test back from the teacher when you were at school. A red cross meant that you got an answer wrong. A tick meant that you got it right. The cross of Jesus seemed to all the world to be wrong. If Jesus was who he claimed to be, how could he die the death of a common criminal. But the cross wasn’t a mistake. It was God’s answer to the problem of our sin. Only God could solve the equation of divine justice, and the sacrificial death of Jesus was the way he did it. And Jesus’ resurrection was God’s tick of approval on Jesus’ rescue mission. All the promises of God: forgiveness, hope, eternal life, are yes in Christ.
Today’s gospel reading tells the story of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem on what we now know and celebrate as Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. An excited crowd waved palm and olive branches to joyfully welcome, and appeal to, the One who they believed to be the prophesied king who would save them from their oppressors. But the path that Jesus chose to follow that day wasn’t the expected one, their king came not with a display of power and pomp, but in peace, riding on a donkey. As they celebrated, they weren’t aware at the time the journey he was about to embark on, the peaks and valleys of the week to come, the purpose of His divine calling.
But as we begin today to journey the whole way with Jesus through this emotional Passion Week, we can recognise why He took the path of humility and suffering - and in the light of His love and knowing we are reconciled with God, can celebrate too, and obediently respond to His call to continue to walk with Him and follow His example of humility, service, and love to others all year around.
It’s the beginning of the AFL season for the South Australian teams this weekend. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if one of our teams won the premiership this year? What are the chances! But how long do we bask in the glory of a premiership - no longer than a season. Jesus won a much greater victory and it’s still as current today as it was 2000 years ago.
We’ve all seen those signs warning about the danger of overhead powerlines: LOOK UP AND LIVE! Being a pastor with a bit of a one-track mind, when I saw that sign for the first time I thought to myself: There’s got to be a sermon in that! And of course there is, and two of our readings today, from Numbers chapter 21 and John chapter 3, are the perfect texts. LOOK UP AND LIVE! – that’s the message we hear today. The yellow sign we often see is about danger coming from above: watch out for the power above that could zap you. By contrast, in our Christian life the danger comes from below, from around us and within us. We are in danger of spiritual snake-bite, and deadly venom can get into our lives: into our relationship with God and our relationships with one another. But look up and live! Healing and deliverance and salvation come to us from above. As Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness, so Jesus was lifted up on a cross, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
When Moses was asked to take his shoes off in the vicinity of the burning bush, he would not have had any idea that he would stand again in the presence of God on Mount Sinai and receive the 10 Commandments with such an awesome display of power. Do we take the Commandments seriously? The Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign and Jesus said - ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’– no one at the time could see or understand what he was saying. Would we have? Would we metaphorically speaking, have taken our shoes of in his presence?
"Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes; The rest sit around and pluck blackberries." - Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
While we only see in part, do we see clearly enough to understand and experience God’s immense power and love?
If we are in paid employment, we all have a position description. It tells us what our tasks are, our working condition, our hours of work and our pay. In today’s gospel reading, we are presented with two position descriptions. The first belongs to Jesus. The position is saving the world. The tasks are suffering, rejection, crucifixion, and resurrection. No human being would, or could sign up to this. Only Jesus could do it. And because of his patient and suffering love, he now calls us to be with his disciples. And our position description: forget self, carry cross, follow me. He only calls in the strength of what he has done. Our work is founded on his work.