When Christ Went to Calvary

Isaiah 25:9 (NIV84)

9 In that day they will say,

“Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us.

This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

The first Easter Sunday wasn’t the bright and sunny affair that it is today – at least, not at first.  The women walk to the tomb that Easter morning in the haze of Friday’s darkness, faced with the grim task of finishing Jesus’ burial.  The disciples are confused and afraid. Judas is dead. The attitude of the disciples on the way to Emmaus sums it up, “We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.” (Lk. 23:21)  Jesus had made some grand promises. He seemed to be the culmination of God’s promises to all of Israel! They were so sure that they lived in the day of which Isaiah spoke in Isaiah 25:9. But a seemingly dead Jesus only made fools of them.

However, for as gloomy as that day started it, turned out to be the day of God’s salvation.  You remember the rest of the story. The women would find an empty tomb and later a risen Jesus!  The disciples would gather in fear but find peace in a Jesus who appeared to them! The disciples on the way to Emmaus would find that the man they talked to on the road was none other than Jesus himself!  Jesus had risen just as he said, and that changed everything. As Isaiah wrote, “Surely this is our God, we trusted in him, and he saved us.” The gloom of that first Easter morning gave way to gladness as they saw that they lived in that day – the day of God’s salvation.  God had kept his promise.

We live our lives on the promises of God.  We drive to work in the security of God’s promises to send his angels to protect and to be with us Himself.  We comfort our consciences in the peace of the cross and the payment made for our sins there. We face death with the confidence that just as Jesus rose, so will we.  But our sinful nature makes cowards of us. Wherever there is a promise of God, there our sinful nature finds a way to work doubt. To work in us a fear that we’ll see the day when we regret putting our trust in him.

But in those times remember – we live in THAT day.  The day Isaiah spoke about. The day of the empty tomb and a risen Jesus.  The day marked by the fact that God does what he promises. He lived, died, and rose for us.  All to keep the promises he made. And He lives to continue to keep those promises to us for the rest of time.

PRAYER:  Risen Savior, you came in fulfillment of your promise.  You lived, died, and rose in fulfillment of your promise. And you will come again in fulfillment of your promise.  Lead us to live our lives in the shelter of your promises. Amen.

Psalm 60:12 (NIV84)

12 With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

We cannot win this fight alone.  As David looked at the enemies that surrounded Israel, he knew that they couldn’t do it – at least not alone.  Israel’s strength had never been the sum of her armies, chariots, and commanders. It had always rested in the promises of God. There, and there alone, was their only hope of victory.  They could not win this fight alone.

Nor can we.  We may not face off against the Edomites in the Valley of Salt – as Israel is noted to have done in the introductory notes of this Psalm.  Nor do we find ourselves engaged in a struggle against Aram Nahariam and Aram Zobah – as David was. The names and places of our struggles may change, but struggles they remain as we daily face off against our own enemies.  Perhaps there is a specific situation that comes to mind – an illness, a situation at work, a fractured relationship. Perhaps it is just the daily grind of battling sin within and sin without. Perhaps it is the daily battles we fight as we face off against temptation and battle a sinful nature that is all too willing to rush into sin.  Or perhaps, it is that one great battle we all face – the battle against the death that is always pursuing us from the shadows. In any case, we cannot win this fight alone. We don’t stand a chance.

But this past Holy Week, we didn’t celebrate a God who stayed at a distance to watch us do battle with our enemies.  No, we celebrated a God who stood shoulder to shoulder with us in battle. A God who stood shoulder to shoulder with us beneath the sway of tyrants as Pontius Pilate beat and condemned Jesus to death.  A God who stood shoulder to shoulder with us against the devil, who incited Judas to betray Jesus and whose voice can be heard in the shouts of the crowd that day. A God who not only stood shoulder to shoulder with us in this sinful world but who bore the weight of our guilt.  A God who stood shoulder to shoulder with us even unto death – as he died on that cross and was buried in that tomb. He came to this world to stand shoulder to shoulder with us, and finally to take our place in this battle.

And in him, we win.  We celebrated on Easter with shouts of “Christ is Risen!”  The God who stood shoulder to shoulder with us even unto death, walked out of his tomb victorious.  The only thing left buried in that tomb was your sin, your guilt, and even your death. He won. And through faith, that victory is yours.  With God, we win.

PRAYER:  Lord, I thank you for winning the victory over sin and death for me.  I thank you for offering that victory to me in the promises of your Word, the waters of my Baptism, and the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper.  Continue to work in those means to keep me in that victory all the days of my life. Amen.

John 3:16 (NIV84)

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so…” Maybe you grew up singing that song. Maybe you still sing it with your family. Whatever that song is to you, its words are full of meaning. “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so…” Jesus loves me! We know that without a doubt in our minds. And how? Because God himself tells us right here in today’s passage.

Some call it “the Gospel in a nutshell.” John 3:16 is likely the most famous passage in the entire Bible, one of the few that’s recognizable just by its numbers. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

You still sometimes see someone at sporting events holding signs that say very simply John 3:16 because it summarizes the message of the bible so beautifully.  Jesus died for the whole world, and everyone who believes lives eternally. Jesus loves me, this I know….

But here’s the test of perspective:  Do you know John 3:14? Can you recite 3:15?  How about 3:17 or 3:18? Those verses tell us a little more about the world Jesus loves. It’s a world where God’s own people, the Israelites, grumbled and complained against him. It’s a world where people willingly reject the name of their Savior. It’s a world unto which a Savior shone the light of his love, but its people still continued to give their love to darkness.

God loved a world like that. When his own people rejected Him, God had Moses lift up a bronze snake to save them from poisonous venom. But God’s purpose was greater than that. He was pointing his people to a Savior who would release them from a far deadlier bite.

As the snake was lifted up in the desert, so Jesus was lifted up on a cross. God so loved a world that rejected and hated him, that he gave it His most prized possession, His one and only son.

Jesus spoke today’s famous passage about the whole world to only one person. Nicodemus was his name, and he was initially attracted to Jesus because of his miracles, but he wanted to know more. So Jesus told him; told him how God loved the world; told him how God so loved him.

On the cross, we see exactly the extent of that love. And that’s why we can confidently sing, with Christians all over this world, “Yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so!”

PRAYER:  Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your son into this world to release us from our sins. Lead us to share your love with this world more and more each day, that all people might come to know the love of their savior. Amen.

1 Timothy 1:15 (NIV84)

15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

Is there someone in the Bible with whom you can really relate? Maybe someone whose experiences in life sound a bit similar to your own? Maybe you identify with Moses, who wasn’t sure of himself when God gave him a really important calling. Or maybe Martha, who wanted to serve Jesus, but sometimes needed a reminder that she just needed to stop working and spend some time in God’s Word. Maybe your struggle is more like that of Elijah, who was prone to bouts of depression. Maybe you relate well to John the Baptist, who slept outdoors and ate insects.  Maybe not.

But how about the writer of today’s verse, the Apostle Paul.  Can you relate to him? He wrote 13 books in the New Testament, went on three different and difficult missionary journeys, raised people from the dead, gave birth to brand new churches, restored life to dying people, served as traveling pastor to countless different congregations, defended Jesus in front of powerful governments and hostile crowds who wanted to kill him, and, in his spare time, he made tents. Can you relate to Paul?

Probably not. Paul was one of the greatest missionaries, church starters, letter writers, all while being one of the greatest theologians the world has ever seen. Maybe you can’t relate to God’s Apostle in those ways, but you do relate to him in another way.

God looks at you in the same way he looked at the Apostle Paul.  In Paul’s letter to a young pastor named Timothy, Paul describes the two ways we can relate to Paul and every Christian for that matter. He says, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

We know Paul sinned.  In his early life, Paul sinned against God and His Church in very open and public ways, which is why so many people in the early church didn’t want to accept him.  So Paul openly admitted it. He says, “I am the worst.” Notice he didn’t say, “I was the worst,” as if after the Holy Spirit brought him to faith, his sin was now gone. “I am the worst.”

What Paul said was true. That title belonged to him.  Just as it belongs to you and to me. Paul called himself the worst of sinners because he knew that any little sin, no matter how it compares to the sins of anyone else, separates you from God.

But Paul also knew something else. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.” Are you a sinner?  Then you can relate to Paul in that Jesus Christ went to Calvary to save you. Do you think you’re unworthy of your callings? Paul was too.  Do you think you’ve done some terrible things in your life? Paul did too. And he wasn’t shy about talking about it. He didn’t hesitate to tell others about his sin because it only emphasized all the more the grace, mercy, and power of God, in the resurrected Christ.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, we praise you for your forgiveness in Jesus. Like you did with Paul, tell us the truth about our lives.  Convict us of our sins so that we might repent and, in Jesus, see the forgiveness that is freely ours. Amen.

1 Corinthians 15:52–57 (NIV84)

52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We love stories about transformation. Flip on the TV and someone is taking an old, out-of-date home and turning it into a person’s dream home. Wallpaper is replaced by shiplap, new flooring is installed, and new lighting and fixtures brighten up the space. Suddenly what was old is new again. In just half an hour we saw something ugly transformed into something beautiful.

Easter promises a transformation that is instant. TV shows can take a complicated project that might take weeks or months and edit it down to just half an hour. However, even that is too slow as compared to the instantaneous transformation that God promises. No commercial breaks and no filler shots. Instead, it will happen in the blink of an eye and you and I will be new again.

Easter promises a transformation that is complete. This transformation is more than just shiplap, flooring, and fixtures. This transformation means that our bodies, however imperfect they may be now, will be perfect like they were meant to be. There won’t be any more sickness, disability, or death. The aches and pains, the stress and heartache, the death and sadness will all be gone. Instead, you and I will enjoy living as we were meant to live in a perfect eternity.

Easter promises a spiritual transformation. Our entire being and souls will be made perfect. We will live and serve without sin. No longer will jealousy, selfishness or anger harm even the best of our intentions but we will know love and obedience like God knows love and obedience. Sin with its temptation and guilt will not afflict us any longer. We will be holy and perfect and truly at one with God.

When you watch some of those remodeling shows you sometimes wonder why the previous owner did what they did. What were they thinking with that shag carpeting and all that paneling on the walls? When the remodelers get done it seems like the home is finally the way it was meant to be. The transformation that you and I will experience will be the same. More than any questionable design decisions from the seventies, you and I were never meant to experience things like death, heartbreak or disobedience. We brought these terrible things onto ourselves but we were never meant to experience them. And so in the ultimate transformation, you and I will experience life as it was meant to be. With the power of sin, death, and the law broken, we will be transformed and will be as we were always meant to be.

PRAYER:  Father, you will transform our lowly bodies to be like your heavenly body. Keep our hearts and minds set on that day that we may look forward with perfect confidence and eager expectation. Amen.

Luke 24:1–8 (NIV84)

24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.

“You have to eat all your vegetables before you get dessert,” says the exasperated parent. “We can’t leave until this project is finished,” the manager tells employees eyeing the clock. “We aren’t going out to recess until everyone is done with their work,” the teacher tells impatient students. It may be difficult but the expectations are clear: complete the work and then the reward will certainly come.

On Easter morning the women go to the tomb with work to do. When they arrive they are perplexed as there is no sign of Jesus’ body. An angel appears and asks the women what they were doing there. The angel tells the women that the tomb was a place for dead people. They would not see Jesus there because he had finished his work of dying and now he was alive, just as he said he would be.

Jesus came to this world with work to do. God had set forth a plan in eternity to save his people. He had to be born into this world and live a perfect life in our place. Never once did he sin or disobey a single commandment. He needed to be handed over to wicked men where he was crucified and he died, offered as an innocent sacrifice for guilty people. Three days later he had to rise from the dead showing that his saving work was over.

Since Jesus was not in the tomb that Easter morning we can have confidence that God’s saving work is completed. He had finished what his Father had sent him to do. With suffering and death behind him, Jesus would put the final stamp on our salvation by rising from the grave. He had done what he had set out to accomplish. He had finished what he told the disciples he would do.

Some days I feel like a pretty incomplete project. I look at my life and see the mistakes I continue to make. I am confronted by sin that habitually plagues me. I suffer the effects of living in a fallen world. All of these things can make me wonder if there is something more I have to do to. Easter assures me and reminds me that my salvation is complete. Nothing more can be done to save me because Jesus has completed it all. Jesus has finished the task of redeeming me and he has done everything he said he would do. He is not at the tomb because he has finished his work of defeating death. The work of my salvation is done and Jesus is alive.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, you sent Jesus to accomplish the work of my salvation. He has done everything well for me. Give me faith and peace to trust in Jesus’ completed work. Amen.

Matthew 28:1–7 (NIV84)

28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

Jesus was dead. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary knew that quite well because they had been there and watched as he took his final breath upon the cross. They knew that Jesus was dead and so they had gotten up early to walk through the still cool and dark air to go and prepare Jesus’ lifeless body as it lay in its final resting place. Jesus was dead and so they were going to the tomb where he lay.

As they drew near to the tomb that dark air turned bright, brighter than any dawn, as an angel announced that the women had no reason to fear because Jesus was alive. This angel invited them to look into the tomb and see the place where Jesus used to lay. The angel invites those women to come forward and look at where they expected Jesus to be and see nothing was there. Jesus had risen and the tomb was forever empty.

Jesus is alive. He conquered sin and death and so there was no reason for him to be in the tomb. The angel told the women that Jesus had gone ahead into Galilee and that they should go there too with his disciples. In Galilee, they would see him with their own eyes. They would see him walking and talking and eating because Jesus is alive.

If Jesus does not come back first, there will be a day for each of us when, like Jesus, we will take our final breath. Like Jesus, though, death will not be our final place. Our tombs also will be empty because Jesus will make us alive. And then we, like Jesus’ disciples, will see him. Not in Galilee but around the throne of God forever and ever.

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went looking for Jesus among the dead but he was not there. Jesus had risen and was alive and Mary Magdalene and the other Mary would see him. Jesus is alive and we also will see him.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, you raised your Son Jesus from the dead. As certainly as Jesus lives, give us faith in you to believe that we also will live. Amen.

John 19:30 (NIV84)

30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

“Finished!” the young boy yells to his mom as he slams his math notebook closed and heads outside to play with his friends! “Finished!” says the couple as they send in their tax returns and breathe a sigh of relief. There is something really satisfying about being finished, whether that’s with homework or taxes. There is relief and release when you reach that moment that you can say, “Finished!”

From his cross and with his dying breath Jesus said, “It is finished!” That three-word phrase is actually just a single word in the Greek text of John 19:30, the Greek word: ‘tetelestai’ (pronounced ‘te-tel-e-sty’). When Jesus utters, “tetelestai,” he is expressing more than just relief and release.

To deepen your appreciation for the full significance of what Jesus said with his dying breath, consider these examples of several different ways that the word “tetelestai” could have been used in Greco-Roman culture during Jesus’ days. [1]

• A servant who completed an assigned task might notify his master, saying, “Tetelestai!” “I have completed what you told me to do!”

• When presiding over a case and rendering a ruling, a judge could have said “Tetelestai!” The point? “Justice has been served!”

• A priest might say to a person offering a sacrifice before God that their sacrifice is Tetelestai! What the priest means is that the sacrifice met the requirements of the laws of God.

• When a customer paid off their invoice, a merchant might have stamped the bill with the word Tetelestai! The purpose? The word verifies: "the debt has been paid."

• When routing an enemy, a soldier might have said “Tetelestai!” announcing to his adversary, "You are finished!"

Jesus, the Suffering Servant, cried, “Tetelestai!” announcing to all that He has finished the work of salvation assigned to him by the Father. Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, cried, “Tetelestai!” to proclaim that God’s wrath against all human sin has been justly satisfied. Jesus, our Great High Priest, uttered, “Tetelstai!” affirming his sacrifice for us has met the requirements of divine law and is acceptable to Heavenly Father. Jesus, our Gracious Benefactor, paid our debt in full. Jesus, God’s Army of One, cried, “Tetelestai!” It is his victory cry, announcing Satan’s defeat! Thank God for Christ’s “Tetelestai!” It is Jesus’ cry that our salvation… “It is finished!”

PRAYER:  Lord Jesus, You finished for me what I could never have accomplished. You paid for me what I could never afford. You satisfied for me what I could never have made right. You met the standard which I so often fall so far short of. And you conquered the enemy that I have been so powerless against. For your finished work for me, Lord Jesus, I offer my life, my heart, my all in praise and thankful service to you! Amen.

[1] https://carm.org/devotion-it-is-finished

Matthew 27:46 (NIV84)

46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Lillie was entranced with all the varieties of sweet treats in the candy aisle. Her palate salivating over the different varieties of sugary goodness on display, she didn’t even notice that her mom had continued onto the next aisle. Little Lillie’s delight turned to horror when she looked away from the candy to find mom, and mom was nowhere in sight! Tears formed in her eyes as she cried out, “Mom! Mom! Where are you?” Separation can wrack the soul with anxiety.

What anxiety did Jesus feel? “About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

This separation anxiety wasn’t temporary like a child distanced from her parent. This separation was eternal. It was purposeful. It was awful. And it was exactly what was needed.

Sin separates. It breaks trust. Betrays confidences. Violates standards and destroys protective boundaries. It’s hard to be around someone who continually and intentionally sins against you. Sin isolates the sinner.

On the cross, Jesus experienced the ultimate outcome of sin - utter isolation from God. The Father purposefully hid His face from His Son on the cross. Not because Jesus had sinned. But because we have. On Good Friday afternoon Jesus experienced all that our sins deserve: to be completely separated from God, absolutely isolated from Him and all of His blessings.

Separated and alone, Christ cried out for his Father. And for the first time (and only time) in all eternity, the Father didn’t answer. There was no reply. Just pain-filled silence. Anxiety’s ultimate fear - utter isolation! How awful!  

And yet how awesome for you and me! Not because we like to see Jesus suffer. But because Jesus willingly suffered the separation of God. He was left alone so that we never would be.

God treated Jesus as our sins deserve so that he wouldn’t have to treat us that way! When we cry out to God through Christ, God always hears us and answers us. Whenever you feel alone, abandoned by God, remember what Christ suffered for you. Remember why he did it: to accomplish your salvation. Jesus did it so that through Him you can find what you truly long for: real, deep, genuine connection with God!

PRAYER:  Lord Jesus, how can I thank you for what you have suffered for me? Not even eternity is enough to fully express just how grateful I am for what you have accomplished for me! With each new day you give me, Lord, lead me to live it in praise to you, because through you I am truly connected to God, the source of life and the reason for living! Amen.

Revelation 7:10 (NIV84)

10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

We usually don’t like it when someone tells us the ending of a good book or movie. We might feel like it’s not even worth reading the book or watching the movie if someone spoils the ending. But people really want to know the ending when it comes to their life. People want to know what’s going to happen when their days on the earth are over. The book of Revelation gives us a glimpse of the end of our story - all of history. And this small glimpse of the ending is amazing for us as believers!

The scene in heaven involves multitudes of believers from every nation standing before the throne of God. They’re wearing white robes. They’re holding palm branches. They’re crying out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” We look forward to the day when we get to join that multitude in singing that song.

In the meantime, while we wait to be part of that scene in heaven, we need to focus on what those saints are singing about. They’re singing about the Lamb. Jesus is the Lamb of God. He gave himself as the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. That sacrifice paid and paved our way to the eternal throne of God in heaven. Yes, salvation belongs to us! Not that we could claim it for ourselves. Rather, because of his sacrifice and substitute, Jesus is our Savior.

How fitting that the saints in heaven are depicted as holding palm branches. Salvation was as good as done when he entered under the branches that Palm Sunday. We have the comfort of knowing the end of our story this week and every other. And since that is the end of our eternal story, nothing can change it. Salvation belongs to our God and he delights to share it with us.

PRAYER:  Heavenly Father, we long to be gathered around your throne in heaven, singing songs of praise with all believers. We thank you for sharing your salvation with us in your Son. We rejoice that salvation belongs to us and we look forward to enjoying salvation with you in eternity. Amen.