04/10 (Fri) – 15:21-39 – Eyes on the Cross

Grace to in Jesus’ name. Amen.

We have been looking through the eyes of many people throughout this Lenten season. Tonight, we will view Jesus’ crucifixion through God’s eyes. What did God the Father see on Good Friday? He saw His only-begotten Son suffering and dying on a cross. Can you imagine the horror at watching your own child die this way? It is unthinkable. Surely the Father’s heart was grieved beyond words.

Yet what is even more unthinkable is that God loves you so much that He willingly inflicted this on His Son. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.¹” He didn’t wait around for us to clean up our act first. He acted while we were His enemies. He slaughtered His Son in our place, under His righteous anger against sin.

As we acknowledge our sin and unworthiness, we can see ourselves nailing Jesus to the cross, but at the same time His crucifixion was “according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God²” the Father. The Father saw, and now all of us can see, God’s own glory being made clear to the whole world. This was Jesus’ prayer for you just hours before His crucifixion.

The Father and the Son both glory in having mercy on sinners. That is what they accomplished during Jesus’ perfect life, suffering, death, and resurrection. The Father sees all of your sin taken on Jesus on the cross. More than that He sees His wrath against sin being poured out on the Son and the gates of Hell prevailing over Him.

What does Jesus see? Jesus always knew that His name means “the Lord saves,” so He sees Himself as the object of the Father’s wrath, but also as the subject of your salvation. He drinks His Father’s wrath, finally crying out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” but this is no cry of despair. He does suffer abandonment from His Father, He suffers the pains of a sinner condemned to Hell, but still He looks to His Father with perfect love and trust and then cries “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.³” Then He breathes His last. He knows His Father still loves Him and will raise Him from the dead on the third day.

Jesus recognizes you as the reason for His woe, but He does not hold that against you. The Lamb of God bears this willingly. He wants nothing other than to be your Savior. He looks at you and then prays, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.⁴” He stares into your sinful eyes and says, “I love you so much that I will make this sacrifice for you. I am offering Myself under the Father’s wrath, in your place, to save you from your sins and spare you from Hell.”

What does the Holy Spirit see? First, He sees the Son and comes to His aid as Jesus offers His life as a ransom to the Father. The letter to the Hebrews says that Jesus, “through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God.⁵” With this He thus accomplished your redemption by the blood of His cross. We know that the Spirit is the Helper, so it makes sense that the Holy Spirit not only helps Jesus fulfill all righteousness during His earthly ministry, but also helped Him offer Himself to the Father on the cross.

On Good Friday the Spirit sees to it that everything necessary for the salvation of sinners is achieved by the Son. Jesus promised just hours before His death:

When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth . . . He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He will take what is Mine and declare it to you.⁶

Here we see the Holy Trinity at work. The Father gave the Son to redeem all people. The Son willingly took this task. The Holy Spirit proclaims this message to you, so you may enjoy the benefits of the Son’s sacrificial death.

The Spirit takes what Jesus has given and declares it to you. He takes the righteousness of Jesus and instills it in the waters of Holy Baptism to make it a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of new birth into God’s eternal kingdom. He takes the forgiveness of Jesus and declares it to you through the Gospel and through the words of Absolution. And He presents to you the body given and blood shed for you on the cross to be received for forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation in Holy Communion.

On Good Friday God’s eyes see everything necessary to save you from sin, death, and Hell. Although your own eyes can look on your guilt, unworthiness, and impurity, the Father blinds Himself to your sin. You are forgiven for Jesus’ sake, the Son credits His own righteousness to your account, and the Holy Spirit makes you a participant in the holiness of Jesus. You are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, so keep this truth on your mind, in your heart, and before your eyes . Do this through any and every trouble the world would send.

In Jesus’ name.

Amen.

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