His Only Son

His Only Son

Good Friday

Acts 9 ¹⁰ There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”

“Here I am, Lord,” he replied.

¹¹ “Get up and go to the street called Straight,” the Lord said to him, “to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so that he may regain his sight.”

¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

¹⁷ Ananias went and entered the house. He placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸ At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. ¹⁹ And after taking some food, he regained his strength. Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time. ²⁰ Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.”

Acts 9:10-20 CSB

This is the most somber of the holy days of the church year. And the most important. This homily will be brief because most everything I could say is found in the readings and hymns and prayers of this Tenebrae Service. But this does mean you will have to listen closely.

I begin by reviewing the account of Abraham and Isaac from Gen. 22, an event from 2,000 B.C. that has within it a Good Friday message, where it is mentioned three times that Isaac is Abraham’s only son:

² “Take your son,” he said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

³ So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about. ⁴ On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ⁵ Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we will come back to you.” [“We, both of us,” see Heb. 11:17-19]. ⁶ Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the knife, and the two of them walked on together.

⁷ Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.”

And he replied, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

⁸ Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together.

⁹ When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”

He replied, “Here I am.”

¹² Then he said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” ¹³ Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. ¹⁴ And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said, “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.”

Genesis 22: 2-14 CSB

This was a picture foreshadowing what was to come. Isaac was Abraham’s only son, his father said Isaac would return – he would live, Isaac had to carry the wood upon which he would be sacrificed, he was to be slaughtered by his own father as a sacrifice to God, and it would take place on Mt. Moriah. This is all pretty clear. Abraham’s only son was pointing to God’s only Son. But what about Mt. Moriah? Where is that? That was the location where the temple would be built in Jerusalem about a thousand years after this event, a place where animal sacrifices for sin would be made for almost another thousand years, and at the end of those thousand years the location where the ultimate sacrifice would take place. By Jesus himself, God’s only Son.

Abraham’s only son pointing to God’s only Son.

In Acts 9 after Paul’s conversion, we are told that the first message this apostle preached was, Jesus “is the Son of God.” Obviously, an important part of his message. In fact, it was essential, primary. It was this specific claim that was used by the Jews to insist that Jesus be put to death. This claim was the reason that, before his conversion, Paul persecuted the Christian church, imprisoned believers, and even approved of the death penalty for them. But he turned 180 degrees, in his belief, his mind, and his heart. Because the claim turned out to be true. He is God’s only Son.

But what does this mean? What does it really mean for you, me, our neighbor, and everyone else in the whole world? Here’s an illustration in the form of a fable.

Once upon a time, a noble lord establishes a city, builds a beautiful home for himself and others, creates just laws, provides what he should for the citizens, and does so abundantly and with great kindness. But an outlaw comes and burns down a part of his home, attacks citizens, murders some, abuses others, robs most everyone, corrupts them, destroys their homes, and slanders the noble lord. But finally, the outlaw is caught, arrested, charged, and will be brought to trial. But when the noble lord enters the courtroom the outlaw who was arrested, charged, to be found guilty, and to be sentenced to death is not there. Instead, there is someone else. It is the noble man’s son, his only son. And this son is there – arrested, now charged with all these crimes, and found guilty – with the authority and approval of the noble lord, with his own father’s authority and approval. And it is his father, this lord, who is to execute the penalty of death, to slaughter his own son with whom he is well pleased.

But we are not talking about some outlaw in some fable who has done all these things; we are talking about a reality that includes many people, all people – all have done all these things in one way or another, including you. That is supposed to be you and me on trial, charged with all those crimes – these sins – and found guilty and sentenced to death.

And so the question is, does such a strange love exist? If there is such love for such sinners, like you and me, it must be this radical, it has to be a love that goes beyond what we could imagine or beyond our sense of justice. And could there ever be such a substitute? If there is such a substitute for us, it would have to be one who would not only be able to bear wood on his back but also bear the sins of the world, which means it would have to be someone more than a mere man. Only the Son of God would fit the bill. And only a radical love by God for you and me and the whole world so he would send his only Son – only that love would satisfy.

This is what Good Friday is all about. This is why we are here tonight. This is our only chance. But God has left nothing to chance. His only Son was crucified, and he was crucified for the sins of the world.

Amen.

Podcast: Play in new window

Subscribe: RSS