************ Sermon on Heidelberg Catechism Q & A 40-41 ************
Doctrine: The Apostles' Creed, "Christ ... died and was buried"
By: Rev. Adrian Dieleman
This sermon was preached on April 8, 2001
Q & A 40-41
John 19:28-42
"Jesus' Death and Burial"
Introduction
Today is Palm Sunday. The Gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus, while in Samaria, set His face to go to Jerusalem (Lk 9:51). He set His face to go to Jerusalem even though He knew this meant much suffering and pain. He set His face to go to Jerusalem even though He knew this meant His death and burial.
We continue today our study of the Apostles' Creed. With the church of all ages we confess belief in Christ Who went to Jerusalem in order to die and be buried.
Don't forget, we are talking about true faith, saving faith. In order to be saved, in order to be washed and cleansed, you and I need to believe with the heart and soul and mind that Jesus went to Jerusalem to die and be buried. If we do not believe this, then we are not saved and cannot be saved.
I Christ Had to Die - Q & A 40
A The Catechism first asks, "WHY DID CHRIST HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY TO DEATH?"
As we think about this, congregation, let's make sure that we do not make the error of trying to minimize death for Christ. He knew first-hand the sorrow and terror of death. For instance, there can be little doubt that Joseph, His father, died sometime before Jesus began His ministry. In the Jewish culture of the first century this meant that Jesus, as the eldest son, was responsible for the welfare of His mother, bothers, and sisters. As the oldest son He was the one Who had to provide for the needs of the family, make the business decisions, look after religious instruction, exercise discipline, and so on. It is bad enough when a father dies; but Joseph's death meant Jesus was also the head of the home. Yes, Jesus intimately knew the sorrows and burdens brought on by death.
We also know that the death of Lazarus brought tears to Jesus' eyes (Jn 11:35). And, remember what Jesus prayed 24 hours before His death? Jesus prayed in agony, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me" (Lk 22:42; cf Mt 11:38-39; Mk 14:34-36). Scripture adds to this, "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground" (Lk 22:44).
It is clear, isn't it, that even for Jesus death was an enemy and its sting was painful?
B Now, the Catechism asks if it was necessary for Him to go that far. Why, for instance, couldn't He have simply suffered upon the cross? Yet death was the only way for Christ. Says the Catechism:
WHY DID CHRIST HAVE TO GO ALL THE WAY TO DEATH?
Because God's justice and truth demand it:
only the death of God's Son could pay for our sin.
Death was the only way for Christ, says the Catechism, because God is true and just. And, we might add, God is also love.
Earlier, in Q & A 10-14, the Catechism instructed us in the righteousness, truth, and mercy of God. We were taught there that God is Judge. As Judge He is terribly angry with the sin we are born with as well as the sin we personally commit. And, His justice demands that sin be punished. It is clear in Scripture that death is God's punishment for sin. Remember what God said to Adam and Eve about the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? He said, "When you eat of it you will surely die" (Gen 2:17). That Word of God was not put aside, it was not forgotten, when Adam and Eve ate from that tree. For this reason Adam and Eve and all sinners since them have had to die.
But why should Christ suffer death? He was sinless, holy, perfect. He, of all people, should not have to die. Yet, remember what God did? According to Paul, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us" (2 Cor 5:21). Paul is talking about Christ Jesus here. He is telling us that Christ took on the guilt and pollution of our sin. He Who knew no sin became sin for our sakes. Therefore, He had to die as punishment for our sin. As the Catechism puts it in two previous questions and answers,
Christ sustained
in body and soul
the anger of God against the sin of the whole human race ... (A 37)
... he shouldered the curse
which lay on me ... (A 39)
Christ Jesus is the Mediator – truly human, truly righteous, true God – Who, by the power of His divinity, bears the weight of God's anger in His humanity (cf Q & A 15-17).
God's justice and truth demand that sin be punished. In order to save us, then, Christ had to go all the way to death. In order to set us free from "eternal condemnation" (A 37), from "the severe judgment of God" (A 38), and from the "curse" of God (A 39), Christ had to go all the way to death.
C The death of Christ marks the end of the work He was sent to do. John's Gospel records for us what Jesus said at the moment of death. He said, "It is finished."
Topic: Salvation
Subtopic: The Gift of God
Index: 3123
Date: 8/1986.9
Title: Tetelestai
The Greek word for "It is finished" is Tetelestai. Archaeologists have repeatedly found its Latin equivalent (consummatum est) scrawled across tax receipts used in those days. In this context it means "paid in full."
"It is finished." "Paid in full." Sin's account is settled, our debt of guilt is wiped out, only when Jesus "bowed his head and gave up his spirit" (Jn 19:30). Jesus, then, had to go all the way to death in order to pay for our sin.
"It is finished." His work was finished, it was completed, it was ended. Actually, we should be more accurate here. "It is finished" refers only to the end of Jesus' redemptive work. It marks the end only of His work as Mediator and Savior. For, we know from Scripture that His work as Lord continues. Christ is in heaven right now. There, as Lord of the universe and as Head of the church, Christ is hard at work on our behalf and for our good: preparing a place for us, pleading for us before the Father, defending and keeping us safe from the attacks of Satan.
"It is finished." Jesus has completed the work God has sent Him to do on this earth. What was started when Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem was ended on Golgotha. Christ's salvation work is now done.
Topic: Salvation
Subtopic: The Gift of God
Index: 3123
Date: 4/2001.101
Title: It is Finished!
When people die at a young age they usually leave much unfinished business behind. Many wonder, for instance, what President John F. K. Kennedy would all have accomplished if only he had not died from an assassin's bullet. Or, what about Alexander the Great: he was one of the greatest generals the world has ever known. In ten years, from 336 B.C. to 326 B.C., he conquered Greece, Persia, Asia Minor, the island city of Tyre, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Babylon, Media, central Asia, and India. What would he have accomplished if he had not died at the age of 33
Jesus also died at a young age: He was only 32 or 33 years of age. Furthermore, He had ministered for only three years at the time of His death. Surely, His work was not finished; surely, His work here on earth had just begun. But no! In the night before His death our Lord said by way of prayer to God, "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do" (Jn 17:4; cf 5:36). "It is finished." His work as Mediator was now done.
"It is finished." This means Christ's work of suffering is now done. How our Lord suffered! Think of Gethsemane; the Sanhedrin; Pilate, Herod, and then Pilate again; the brutal soldiers; the journey to Calvary; the nails of the crucifixion; those three awful hours of darkness when God forsook Him. Physically, spiritually, and emotionally our Lord suffered so very much.
But this was now finished. The cup of wrath has been drained. The wages of sin have been paid. The disgrace and shame, the suffering and agony, are past. Never again shall He experience pain. Never again shall He endure the taunts and slaps of those who hate Him. Never again shall He be in the hands of His enemies. Never again shall He be in darkness. Never again will God's presence be taken from Him.
"It is finished." Christ's work as Mediator is done. This means that everything needed for our salvation has now been accomplished. Nothing more is needed. No other sacrifice is required. If only I believe in Jesus than nothing is lacking for my salvation.
"It is finished." Jesus has accomplished our salvation. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, we can contribute to His work of redemption done on our behalf. "It is finished." Christ, and Christ alone, has accomplished our salvation. We know that, but we find it so hard to live that. We have to be so careful, congregation, about the ancient heresy of adding to the work of Christ. In fact, I dare say that every time we take pride in our faithful attendance at worship services, every time we pat ourselves on the back for being such a faithful contributor to church and kingdom causes, every time we think our standards and level of righteousness are so much higher than anyone else's, every time we become smug about our support of Christian education, we have probably stooped to a kind of work's righteousness.
"It is finished," said our Lord. He did what needed to be done to save us from our sins. There is nothing we need do, there is nothing we can do, to complete this work of redemption.
"It is finished." "With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." He died!
II The Burial of Christ - Q & A 41
A In the Apostles' Creed we not only confess that Jesus died but also that He was "buried." "His burial," says the Catechism, "testifies that he really died."
This answer is not really correct. The grave was not needed as proof that Jesus had died. That testimony had already been given while He hung on the cross. In the Gospel of John we read that when the soldiers
(Jn 19:33-34) ... came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. (34) Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.
B Why then was Christ buried? One of our Lord's Supper Forms says that "He was buried to sanctify the grave for us." This is a phrase that only sounds nice but it too is not really correct. Think about it. It tells us that the grave is "sanctified" or "hallowed" because Christ was laid in a tomb. That's like saying the Sea of Galilee is holy because Jesus walked on its shore at one time. That's like saying Jerusalem is holy because that is where Christ did so much of His ministry. It also means that after their death our loved ones are put into holy ground. We know better than to say that for in the new Testament era there are no holy places or things. Rather, there are only holy people indwelt by the Spirit and Son of God.
C In Scripture times, to be buried is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. The dead are honored by a decent burial. But leaving a body unburied was a dishonor. Consider what God said to Jehu about Jezebel: "As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her ... and no one will bury her" (2 Kings 9:10).
Does this means that Christ's burial is a sign of honor? Was His burial the start of His exaltation after the shame and humiliation of the cross? At first glance this indeed appears to be the case. Consider that His body was no longer in the power of His enemies; rather, it was handed over to rich friends (Jn 19:39). And, the tomb He was laid in had never before been used – thus indicating it was set aside for holy use (cf Jn 19:41).
Yet, putting a body in the ground is a final humiliation for a being who was made "a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned ... with glory and honor" (Ps 8:5). When a person, any person, is buried, we witness a dethronement of God's image bearer. We are created to rule and to have the earth under our feet. But in burial we get put under the earth and return to the dust from which God formed us.
Why, then, was Jesus buried? We would have to say that Jesus' burial testifies that He submitted to a human's final humiliation. In a final humiliation His body was surrendered to the earth and spices were laid on Him to preserve His body for a while and to ward off the odors of decay.
And, we might add, this humiliation too Christ suffered in order to save us from our sins.
Conclusion
What does true faith, saving faith, confess with the church of all ages? True faith, saving faith, confesses belief in Jesus Christ Who went to Jerusalem to die and be buried. True faith, saving faith, confesses that Jesus went to Jerusalem to die and be buried in order to pay for our sins. True faith, saving faith, confesses that only then could Jesus say, "It is finished." "It is paid in full."
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