7 April 2023 St. Athanasius Lutheran Church

Holy Good Friday Vienna, VA

Jesu Juva

“Finally!”

Text: John 18-19; Isaiah 52:13-53:12; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21

In the Name of (+) Jesus. Amen.

Finally!

Finally, the chief priests, elders and scribes thought.

Finally, the Sadducees and Pharisees thought.

Finally, Pilate and the Romans thought.

Finally, those in Jesus’ hometown who rejected Him might have thought.

Finally, the demons who begged Jesus to leave them alone perhaps thought.

Finally, Jesus is dead.

Finally, no more trouble, no more opposition.

Finally, things can get back to normal.

Finally.

What they didn’t realize is that normal was the problem.

Normal was really abnormal.

Normal was the sinful reality they had grown comfortable with.

Normal is what God did not want.

So He sent His Son.

And finally, the promise made to Adam and Eve was fulfilled.

Finally, the one who would bruise the serpent’s head had come.

Finally, the Seed promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had come.

Finally, the Lamb God would provide in Isaac’s place was sacrificed.

Finally, the one who would forgive His brothers like Joseph had come.

Finally!

Finally, the prophet greater than Moses had come.

Finally, the one who would lead His people out of their slavery to sin, through the wilderness, and to His Promised Land, had come.

Finally, the one who would lead us through the waters alive while drowning our enemy had come.

Finally, the true Tabernacle of God in a tent of flesh and blood had come.

Finally, the one all those sacrifices in the Tabernacle pointed to had come.

Finally, His blood had been shed and His life given for our forgiveness and life.

Finally!

Finally, the true bread from heaven would feed His people with His own flesh.

Finally, the living water - not from a rock, but from His side - would satisfy our thirst.

Finally, He was lifted up on a pole to provide a greater salvation than the bronze serpent in the wilderness.

Finally, our true Joshua storms the strong walls of hell and brings them down.

Finally!

Finally, the one stronger than Samson had come to bring down the temples and idols of this world.

Finally, the one who fought with fewer than Gideon, the one who who fought alone, had come.

Finally, the king greater than Saul, David, and Solomon, the King of kings, had come.

Finally, the one who would take down the Goliath of our sin and death with the stone of His tomb, did just that.

Finally, the true Shepherd of Israel had come, the Son of David who would die for David’s sin.

Finally, the source of all wisdom, the one who gave Solomon his wisdom had come.

Finally!

Finally, the true and greater Elijah had come, who defeated more than 450 prophets of Baal, but all the hordes of hell.

Finally, the Redeemer Job knew was living and would raise Him to life had come.

Finally, the Shepherd whose staff was a cross had come; the one who fulfilled all the Psalms.

Finally, the wisdom of God was in human flesh.

Finally, the Bridegroom had come for His Bride.

Finally!

Finally, Isaiah’s virgin had given birth.

Finally, the Branch that was both from Jesse and the root of Jesse had come.

Finally, the one who would swallow up death forever dies to do just that.

Finally, the one who is stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted,

is wounded for our transgressions,

is crushed for our iniquity,

opens not His mouth,

makes intercession for transgressors,

and by His stripes we are healed.

Finally!

Finally, Jeremiah’s great promise that our sins would be remembered no more is fulfilled.

Finally, the one whose mercies never come to an end and are new every morning, has come and dies in mercy.

Finally, the Glory of the Lord has come in human flesh.

Finally, the Shepherd who will Himself search out His sheep is come.

Finally, the one who gives life to a Valley full of dry bones by entering that valley Himself and bringing us out with Him has come.

Finally!

Finally, the Son of God enters the fiery furnace of hell that not a hair of our head by singed.

Finally, He enters the satanic lion’s den for us and shuts his mouth.

Finally, the one gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love is here.

Finally, the one Joel testified would pour out His Spirit on all flesh.

Finally, the sign of Jonah is fulfilled.

Finally, Micah’s little town of Bethlehem is honored.

Finally, He comes, the one the prophet Zephaniah said would rejoice over you, and He does.

Finally, the one Zechariah saw entering Jerusalem, humble and mounted on a donkey, has done so.

Finally, the one who brings the Old Testament to a close ushers in the New in His blood.

Finally, the one all the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms testified of is here.

Finally!

Finally, that there be not just normal, but right again.

Finally, the Lamb of God is sacrificed.

It is finished.

All of history, all of time, all sin, all death, all the wrath of God, all punishment and condemnation, all now at the cross and on the Lamb.

And He is crushed.

Finally, Jesus is dead!

He has taken your place, that you be set free,

That finally, there be no condemnation for you.

Finally, you are reconciled to God.

Finally, you have the righteousness of God.

Finally, your are forgiven.

Finally, you have hope.

Finally, you have life.

Finally!

Finally, we are washed in His blood shed on the cross.

Finally, He washes our feet everyday with His absolution.

Finally, we are fed with that food more miraculous than what the 5,000 received.

Finally, there is a new tree of life.

Finally, the angels no longer bar the way to Paradise, but will come and usher us in.

Lord, let at last Thine angels come! (LSB #708, v. 3)

Finally!

Finally, it is Holy Good Friday, the Friday to end all Fridays.

That though we still live in the old seven-day cycle of creation, we also live in the new eighth day of redemption, the day that has no end.

For we are children of God, children of Paradise.

Crucified with our Saviour and raised with Him.

Until finally He who came to ascend the cross will come again to raise us to ascend with Him.

And finally, all will be right again.

A new normal that is really the old normal, the original normal.

Finally.

Finally, Jesus is dead, with us.

And finally, we will be alive, with Him.

Soon.

Very soon.

Finally, a very Good Friday, indeed.