This week we are wrapping up the sermon series, “Passion – It Wasn’t the Nails.” We conclude John 19 with the account of Jesus’ death and burial. If during Holy Week you only come to the two Sundays of that week, Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, the miraculous events of Easter are felt and experienced to a lesser degree. If you miss Good Friday, you are not impacted with the fact that Jesus actually died. We often pick the parts of Jesus we like: Baby Jesus, Miracle worker Jesus, Insightful teacher Jesus, peace loving Jesus . . . you fill in the blank. The part of Jesus we might feel uncomfortable with is the death of Jesus. If we don’t see, feel and embrace the fact that Jesus truly died for us, our Gospel is just a self-help philosophy. God does not want to help you be a better person! God wants to transform you, which can only happen through a miraculous life that died and came back to life again for you.
This Sunday we will consider the passion of Christ to the point of death. I believe John is very intentional to show beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus died, and in His death paid the full price for our redemption. Bookends on a bookshelf groups books of a similar topic, theme or genre together. You often hear me talk about “bookends” that are in the biblical writing: something is mentioned, some content follows, then the first thing is mentioned again, thus creating bookends that reveal a common theme for all that is between the bookends. The man, Nicodemus, is only mentioned twice in the entire New Testament; John 3 and 19. I believe the person of Nicodemus creates bookends that reveal the main theme of the Gospel of John; that Jesus died to save us from our sins. In order to believe Jesus can save us from our sins, we must know and believe that he died as our substitute on the cross.
My prayer is that God will use this series to help prepare you for a meaningful Easter Week and resurrection Celebration on Easter Sunday. Join me this Sunday for a deeper look into the death of Jesus who through His death paid our debt and purchased our redemption.