WHAT DID HE DO?

Dr. Richard J. Henderson April 4, 2004

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Isaiah 50:4-9a
Luke 19:28-40

Introduction

Palm Sunday has always presented a problem for preachers. It is a celebration of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, and one filled with excitement and pageantry. Just one week later is Easter and the joyful celebration of Christ's rising from the dead.

If we preachers talk about the joy of Palm Sunday one week, and the joy of Easter the next week, we overlook the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus' death. We go from joy to joy and gloss over the terrible pain and suffering of Jesus in between. That has been a problem in the past, but it isn't this year. Mel Gibson has brought everyone's attention to the suffering of Jesus. This year we almost overlook the palms of the triumphal entry because our eyes are focused on the pain of Jesus. Even in the best years, we couldn't have a full-scale celebration of the triumphal entry, because we knew that the road led to Jesus' arrest and death. But this year that pain is the focus of our attention.

I

For many people the big question when walking out of the film The Passion of the Christ is, "Why did Jesus have to endure all that?" Why did Jesus suffer that pain and death? What is the meaning behind it all? The answer usually given is, "Jesus died for our sins." What exactly does that mean?

What we are talking about is what theologians call the atonement. It is our understanding of how we are reunited with God. It's a good word because you can see its meaning right in the word itself. Atonement is how God brings about our at-one-ment with God. It's how we are at one with God.

II

The Bible uses a number of metaphors to help us understand atonement. One image sees Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb of God. In ancient Israel people offered a sacrifice to God in order to make up for their sins. They would take a lamb or a ram, kill it, and offer it as a burnt offering for their sins.

As the smoke from that sacrifice rose, they felt that their sins went with it. The animal symbolically took on their sins, and in its sacrifice they were made clean.

Some people, looking at Jesus death, saw a parallel. Jesus died; he sacrificed for us and took our sins with him in his death. The Book of Revelations especially sees Jesus as the Lamb of God offered for us. This is an archaic image of Jesus' sacrifice.

III

There are a few problems with this image of Jesus sacrifice. First, to whom is Jesus offered as a sacrifice? Is God sending himself in the form of his son, to be offered as a sacrifice to himself? It would appear that God was offering himself to himself for our sins. Surely God could be satisfied in other ways.

Another difficulty with this interpretation is that God speaks through the prophets to say burnt offerings aren't what God wants. God wants faithful and just people instead. The prophet Micah says:

"With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

"He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:6-8)

God doesn't want burnt offerings but justice, kindness, and humility. Why would God send his son as a sacrifice if God were encouraging people not to offer sacrifices?

IV

A little different way to look at Jesus' act of atonement is to see it an act of justice and compassion. Justice means that those who do evil face the consequence of their actions. The Twin Towers were blown up two and a half years ago, and we've been trying to bring those who did it to justice. When you do something wrong, you have to face judgment and pay a price.

You can imagine what would happen if everyone who did something wrong was released. "You stole from this man's store? Well, I don't want you to do that again. But you can go this time."

"You have gone on a rampage of killing innocent people...that is a horrible thing to do, but I going to let you go."

"You have discriminated against these people, not allowing them to live like human beings. I am sickened by it, but you can go free." What kind of a world would this be? There would be no justice for anyone.

We try to teach our children that there are logical consequences to their actions. Justice is facing the consequences of what we have done.

For God, justice is of ultimate importance. As our God demands freedom, and even offers us freewill because freedom is so important, so God demands justice for all people.

V

All of us have had failures in our lives. We have all done wrong. We have hurt people, cheated and been untruthful; we have all made mistakes. But more than that, we don't want to see our own failures. We resent the truly good when we see it. You know how you hate it when someone points out to you something you've done wrong? Someone says, "That wasn't exactly the truth, you know," and we bristle.

We resent the person who lives without prejudice, who works for justice - especially when it steps on our toes. How do we feel about the person who wants true equality for people? Fine - unless it will cost me money, or power or prestige. We had an enormous reaction to affirmative action. When people tried to undo years of discrimination and provide justice for those who had been held down, it was a fine idea, until it was my job on the line and my paycheck being affected.

Pure good isn't welcomed in our world. Just think of our response to the person who refuses to cut corners or who doesn't cheat a little bit. If perfect good came into our world we would do away with it. If God came into our world, we would kill him. And that's exactly what we did.

We prefer "good enough ethics" and allowable prejudices. We want to protect our way of life, our authority, and our institutions. That's what the Chief Priests and Scribes were doing. That's what we all do.

VI

God has reacted to our failures with justice. It's important that justice be served. Therefore God offers himself for our failures. There is a price that must be paid, but our God is willing to pay that price for us.

One of the clearest pictures I've heard of what Christ did for us comes from Dr. James Ayers: Two men who were best friends in college lost touch after their graduation. One went on to become a successful attorney and later a well-respected judge. The other drifted through life occasionally facing minor scrapes with the law.

Now this old friend stands before the judge, guilty of a serious crime, and potentially facing a huge fine. Everyone guesses the judge will let his friend off easy. He'll probably dismiss the charges or give a small fine. The judge surprises them by imposing the normal fine. Then the judge takes out his checkbook and writes a check to cover the full amount.

God doesn't pretend we haven't done anything wrong, God responds with justice, but is also willing to pay the price.

Having said all this, I know it isn't enough. There's more to it than these fairly simple explanations. These are some of the images the Bible gives us to help us understand what God has done.

But the Bible gives us several different metaphors. Each tries to help us get part of the picture.

Maybe you know of people who can tell you not only why God does everything but what it all means ultimately. Some people seem to know just what God is thinking. I don't find those messages helpful. Yes, it's a quick and easy answer, and that is very popular these days.

Our God is not a quick and easy God, though. God is mysterious. God is a power and a presence beyond what you and I can imagine. If God is God no human fully knows the ways of God. To have a neat package that explains exactly what God is doing is to demean the Creator of the universe, the one who stands beyond us in mystery and wonder.

What we have looked at are metaphors that point us toward God's action. I don't believe we'll really understand it all until that day we stand beside God. In trying to understand what God is doing, let God be God.

Amen.

©Richard J. Henderson 2004