church

INI
Fifth Midweek Lenten Service
March 14, 2013
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

Hymns of the Passion
UPON THE CROSS EXTENDED
I Peter 2:21-24

Grace and Lenten peace be multiplied unto you in the knowledge of God and
of Jesus our Lord, Amen. The text that we will consider this evening comes
from the first Epistle of Peter, chapter two, beginning with the 21st verse, as
follows:

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an
example, that you should follow His steps: 22 "Who committed no sin, Nor was
deceit found in His mouth"; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in
return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him
who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the
tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-- by whose stripes
you were healed. This is the Word of God.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Who "Himself hath freely given, to shame and
blows and bitter death," Dear Fellow Redeemed,

When speaking once on the topic of setting a good example, the great
nineteenth century preacher Charles Spurgeon said something very interesting.
He said, "A man's life is always more forcible than his speech. When people
take stock of him they reckon his deeds as dollars and his words as pennies. If
his life and his doctrine disagree, the mass of onlookers will accept his practice
and reject his preaching."

Spurgeon of course was writing about the example that a Christian sets for
others. Such an example will always be flawed and imperfect, given that we
believers are still subject to our sinful flesh. What a person says and what he
does will never perfectly agree; with us sinful humans, a certain amount of
hypocrisy will always be present. But there was someone for whom that was not
true. Jesus' doctrine and practice always perfectly coincided. His deeds always
matched his words. The example he set was bore not the slightest trace of
hypocrisy. And never was that more clearly seen than when Jesus, having
preached the gospel of redemption for three years, made the deed match the
word. He stretched out his arms upon the cross, and redeemed mankind from
its sin. He paid the price, not with pennies or dollars either, not with gold or
silver of any kind, but with His holy precious blood and His innocent sufferings
and death. Renowned hymn writer Paul Gerhardt understood that sacrifice, and
captured its poignancy in the famous Lenten hymn that we consider this
evening. Our series Hymns of the Passion continues with the theme:

UPON THE CROSS EXTENDED

I. There we see our atoning Savior.
II. There we see our exemplary Savior..

Hymn number 171, Upon the Cross Extended, was written by Paul Gerhardt,
and was first published in the year 1648 by Johann Crueger. It immediately
became a favorite among Gerhardt’s many hymns. In fact, stanzas three, four
and five became great favorites of composer Johann Sebastian Bach, who
actually used those stanzas in his mighty St. Matthew Passion.

The hymn is a profound meditation upon the sufferings and death of our Lord
Jesus. As you read through the stanzas, it immediately becomes apparent that
Gerhardt understood the most important aspect of Jesus' suffering. And that is
not the injustice of it, though unjust it certainly was. It's not the sentimental
value of His suffering, either, though one can hardly view Jesus extended on the
cross without feeling deep pity and sorrow. No, Gerhardt cuts to the most
important significance of the cross: it is there that we see our ATONING
Savior.

In our text for tonight, Peter was addressing a particular subset of believers in
the ancient world - those who were indentured servants, or slaves. These people
often found themselves oppressed by their masters and subject to great injustice
and unfairness. Peter encourages them to bear up and be patient, and in their
sufferings to keep Jesus in mind. To this you were called, because Christ also
suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.

A world of significance lies in that little word, "for." The Greek word there is
much better translated "instead of" or "in place of." Two weeks ago we
touched briefly on the importance of Jesus’ “vicarious atonement.” That is,
when Jesus' body was extended upon the cross, and the spikes driven through
his hands and feet, he wasn't simply suffering for us. He was suffering in our
place, instead of us. He was bearing the punishment that, for our sins, we
deserved to bear. Gerhardt emphasizes this in verse five:

'Tis I who should be smitten
My doom should here be written:
Bound hand and foot in hell.
The fetters and the scourging,
The floods around Thee surging,
'Tis I who have deserved them well.
Peter reiterates this truth in verse 24 when he says that Jesus Himself bore our
sins in His own body on the tree. This is one aspect that is bound to make your
Lenten meditations somewhat difficult and unpleasant. For at this season
especially you are forced once again to confront a dark truth. The truth that the
burden Jesus bore, while extended upon the cross, was a burden you laid upon
him with your own hands. Gerhardt brings this point home with brutal honesty:

I caused Thy grief and sighing
By evils multiplying
As countless as the sands.
I caused the woes unnumbered
With which Thy soul is cumbered,
Thy sorrows raised by wicked hands.
And the season of Lent is, as we've said before, a time for repentance and
godly sorrow over our sins. But much more than that, is it time to rejoice in the
great atonement Jesus accomplished. Upon the cross extended, Jesus stepped
into your place, and the place of every sinner, and Himself absorbed the
punishment those sins deserved.

Perhaps no one understood the nature of this radical atonement better than
Martin Luther. Luther expressed it this way: "Our most merciful Father...sent
his only Son into the world and laid upon him...the sins of all men saying: Be
thou Peter that denier; Paul that persecutor, blasphemer and cruel oppressor;
David that adulterer; that sinner Adam which did eat the apple in Paradise; that
thief which hanged upon the cross; and briefly Jesus be thou the person which
hath committed the sins of all men; see therefore that thou pay and satisfy for
them. Here now comes the law and saith: I find him a sinner... therefore let him
die upon the cross. And so he setteth upon him and killeth him. By this means
the whole world is purged and cleansed from all sins. Now the Christian may
rejoice and say, 'Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You have
taken upon yourself what is mine and given me what is yours. You became
what you were not, so that I might become what I was not.'" So you too may
rejoice when you view your Savior extended upon the cross. Rejoice, not at the
terrible suffering, which after all you and I caused. But rejoice at the outcome of
the suffering - the precious atonement Christ made for your sins there on that
cross. For, my Christian friends, that atonement is nothing less than the vehicle
that will convey your soul to eternal paradise in heaven!

But there's another reason Peter gives in our text for viewing the passion of our
Savior with care and attention. For there, upon the cross extended, we see our
exemplary Savior.

Peter says, For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.

Good Lutheran preachers view the doctrine of Christ as example almost with a
shudder. For although this is a good and scriptural teaching, it is one teaching in
particular that has been terribly abused by the mainstream denominations of our
day. Like Peter in our text, they hold Jesus up as an example for Christians to
follow. But unlike Peter, that's all they see in Jesus - a good example. Not
Savior, not Redeemer, not that atoning sacrifice that takes away the sins of the
world, but just a good example. Just someone who was kind and compassionate,
and who shows us the way we should act if we wish to please God. What a
horrible twisting of scripture! Saying Jesus is just an example is a bit like saying
the United States is just Rhode Island. Rhode Island is certainly a part of the
United States, but only one part, and not the most important part at that! Peter
nowhere presents Christ merely as an example, but throughout his Epistle
clearly sets Him forth as Savior and propitiator of our sins.

That having been said, Peter would have us meditate in a proper way on the
example set us by our suffering Savior. When Peter says Jesus is "an example for
us to follow," it refers literally to putting a piece of paper over a drawing and
tracing its outlines. Children do this all the time. And this is how Christians, in
childlike faith, are to trace the outlines of their Savior's life, and emulate that in
as far as possible in their own lives and behavior. Obviously there are two
important differences: Jesus' example was perfect, while ours will necessarily be
feeble and imperfect. Also, Christ's example atoned for sins, while ours
obviously cannot and need not do that. Nevertheless, Peter exhorts us to follow
the example of Jesus, to literally follow his trail, or follow in his footsteps.

Well what kind of example did our Lord set for us? Peter elaborates. Who
committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth. Interestingly, "deceit" is
the same Greek word used to describe a fisherman's bait -- a trap, something
that uses cunning and deceit to trick a fish into biting. But Jesus never did this,
even when grievously provoked. In all His clashes with his enemies, no trace of
guile, deceit, or trickery is found on his part. Nothing but the pure, holy truth.
Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did
not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.

Peter was speaking to slaves. But these words could just as well apply to any
believer who is under authority. Anyone who works for a boss or a supervisor,
and who at one time or another finds himself or herself the subject of injustice,
and treated unfairly. Particularly if that injustice comes about specifically
because of your Christian faith. And I think we all fall into that category now
and then! Peter tells us to be patient, as Jesus was. To suffer without complaint,
as Jesus did. To give up any thoughts of revenge and commit our cause to the
Lord, knowing full well that justice will perfectly be done when the matter is
left in God's capable hands. Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling,
but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may
inherit a blessing. -- 1 Peter 3:9. In verse eleven of tonight's hymn we sing:

When evil men revile me,
With wicked tongues defile me,
I'll curb my vengeful heart.
The unjust wrong I'll suffer,
Unto my neighbor offer
Forgiveness for each bitter smart.
Is this easy to do? Far from it. It goes directly against our fleshly desire for
instant justice, our desire to get even. But our Savior's love for us compels us to
follow Him, even if the place into which we follow Him is unjust, and unfair
and unpleasant. Commenting on this passage Luther said, "Who ever could
reflect on the suffering of Christ and not be moved must be a stone. For when
the master goes forward and steps in the mire, the servant should cheerfully
follow him. Christ did not even defend his integrity when he stood before the
judges. So you are to tread this right underfoot, and only say, ‘Thanks be to
God. To this end am I called that I should suffer injustice; for why should I
complain when my master did not?’ Each of us in his calling, should show
faithfulness and kindness to their employers and to everyone, and expect as a
reward for it ingratitude, hatred, envy, persecution, and all misfortune. To this,
Peter says, we are called." Luther was right, and the hatred and adversities he
faced in his life certainly showed the lengths to which he was willing to follow
his Master Jesus. Can we do any less? No, the love of Christ comstrains us. In
faith we will follow the path of our Saviour, though it is steep and difficult at
times. When faced with the vision of Christ, upon the cross extended, suffering
and dying to atone for our sins, we can do no less than to take up our crosses
and follow where he leads.

There's a popular poem in which the writer says:

I asked the Lord, "How much do you love me?"
And this is what He replied,
He said, "My child, I love you this much,"
And He stretched out His arms and He died.

Our sermon hymn for tonight expresses a similar truth, only more beautifully
and in greater detail. Upon the Cross Extended we see our atoning Savior, who
loved us so much that He would die to bring us life. Upon the Cross Extended
we see our exemplary Savior, Whose guilelessness and humility are footsteps we
fervently desire to follow. Yes, so very fervently! For we know well the
destination to which those footsteps will ultimately lead, as we confess in the
final verse of tonight's hymn:

12. Thy groaning and thy sighing,
Thy bitter tears and dying,
With which Thou wast opprest,-
They shall, when life is ending,
Be guiding and attending
My way to Thine eternal rest. AMEN.