On Good Friday evening I ended my sermon at the point of the Gospel account according to the Apostle John, where Jesus had been beaten, tortured and nailed to the center cross between two thieves. Jesus died just after shouting in a voice, not like one who was defeated, not like one about to die, but rather in a voice of victory, “Tetelestai!” If that was all there was to the story, then we would be in deep trouble. But praise the Lord, there is indeed more to the story.
There are two things I would like to look at this morning. They are:
Jesus is always equated with eternal life, as was the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. Where was that tree situated in the Garden? We are told in Genesis that the Tree of Life was “standing in the center of the Garden.” Jesus is the center of life:
In London, England one of the many subway stops is called Charing Cross. Most of the people who live there call it simply “The Cross”. One day a policeman found a young boy who was obviously lost. The officer took the boy to the police station where the policemen were trying to find out where the boy lived. The little boy couldn’t tell them exactly where he lived, but he told them, “If you can just take me to the Cross, I can find my way home from there.”
Jesus is at the center of the Universe. Jesus is at the center of eternal life. He hung on the center cross because, when you are lost in spirit, if you can find Him there on that cross, friends, if you come to Him at the foot of that cross, if you can make your way to the cross, you too can find your way home from there. You can find your way, the only way, to Heaven if you will come to the One on the center cross, the One lifted up in order to reach out to all people.
Jesus was hung on the center cross because He was separating the destinies of the two men hanging on either side of Him. One of those men left his cross and went to Paradise with Jesus. The other left his cross and went to live for eternity in Hell. One thief dies in his sin. The other thief dies to his sin.
When a person comes to Jesus on the center cross, they can only leave Him in one of two directions. Because the One on the center cross is the Redeemer who dies for sin, and that sin, not of His own. How each one of us responds to the invitation of the One on the center cross determines our own personal eternal dwelling place.
Do you now understand why Jesus was hung on the center cross? I hope so, but if not, understand this. According to Scripture, it does not matter if you are Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Jew, Atheist, Agnostic, Pagan, New Age or whatever, every one of us must come to the center cross to find the One lifted up for all people of all nations. He is reaching out to each and every one of us.
Today, right now, you are standing at that center cross. If you go away from that cross today like the thief who mocked Jesus, you are leaving still lost in your sin and facing the consequences. If you leave today trusting in Him as the other thief trusted Him, you have His promise that your sin is left nailed to that cross and you will have eternal life with Him and the Father in Heaven. It really is that simple. The question to ask is, “Who is that on the center cross?” The answer, according to God Almighty is, “The One who is the only Savior you will ever have.”
Jesus shouted “Tetelestai!” It is most often translated as, “It is finished!” That is not all that it means. “Tetelestai” is the word that Greek accountants would write across a bill, a debt, which had finally been paid in full. That is what Jesus wants us to understand. Our debt to God, our sin-debt, was paid in full by the blood that Jesus shed on that cross on Calvary’s hill. You can accept Him and His finished work of the cross, or you can reject Him and the price He paid for you. No one can make the decision for another. It is each individual’s choice to make. That is the message that Christians must give to nonbelievers. They may not like it. They may not agree with it. They may choose to reject it. Nonetheless, we cannot ignore our task of putting it out there for all to hear. Every person we meet – it does not matter what social status they may or may not have; it does not matter what color they are; it does not matter what their current beliefs may be; it does not matter if they are your family, friend, or even your enemy – Jesus Christ died, suffered the pain and agony of the cross for them, just as He did for us.
On that Good Friday so many years ago, Satan roared and danced because he thought that he had won. But today, Resurrection Sunday, 2006, we celebrate the fact that three days after that Good Friday of so long ago, Jesus Christ rose from the grave in absolute and total victory.
And the GREAT news is, you and I and all Christians everywhere throughout time share that victory with Him! It is an everlasting victory that brings everlasting life. Go from this place this morning and spread the news to everyone that this victory can be theirs too. Amen.