Isaiah
52: 13 – 53: 12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10: 1–25; John 18: 1 – 19: 37
This
is the homily prepared for St. John’s, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania by Fr. Gene
Tucker to be offered on Friday, April 19, 2019.
“A DAY OF
IRONIES AND CONTRASTS”
(Homily
text: John 18: 1 – 19: 37)
Good
Friday is a day which is full of irony, a day which is full of contrasts.
Consider
the following:
Innocence
and guilt: Jesus, the sinless one, the one who had done
“nothing wrong”, according to the centurion who oversaw His death, stands in
contrast to the “holy ones” among the leadership of God’s people, who plotted
to commit murder.
Justice
and injustice: Related to the matter of innocence and guilt is the matter of justice
and injustice. Roman law prevailed, preserving the outward appearance of
justice. But convicting an innocent man is an injustice, as is the conduct of
Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin, which violated some requirements of the Law
of Moses.
Who’s
clean and who’s unclean?: The chief priests refuse to go into Pilate’s
presence, in order that they might not be defiled, and therefore, not be able
to observe the Passover, seem – from all outward appearance – to be clean, at
least ritually clean. But Jesus, who dies a cursed death, by hanging on a tree,
would seem to be the unclean one. Seen from a different perspective, however, the
reality of who’s clean and who’s unclean is reversed.
The
“son of the father”: Barabbas is released by Pilate in Jesus’
stead. Barabbas means “son of the father” in Aramaic. Jesus, by contrast, is
the “Son of the Father”.
Condemnation
and forgiveness: Those who clamored for Jesus’ death condemn
Him, as did the chief priests who stood nearby the cross. But Jesus forgives
those who are driving the nails into His hands.
Power
and helplessness: The power of the Sanhedrin and the Roman
governor, Pilate, convict Jesus and send Him to Calvary. But the end of the
story (on Easter Sunday morning) reveals who has the real power.
AMEN.
