“‘It is finished.’ Then Jesus bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” 

“It is finished.”

Those are not the words of a winner who accomplished his task. They are the words of a witness who, God help him, testified to the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth:

– The truth about violence.
– The truth about abusive power.
– The truth about injustice.
– The truth about powerlessness.

Jesus’ death on the cross is an indictment of every Pontius Pilate in the world, whether it is an individual, an institution, or a system. His death on the cross is an act of resistance. It is the promise that God stands with the powerless. We saw that in the life of Jesus and now we see it in his death.

You may recall from today’s gospel (John 18:1-19:42) that Pilate says to Jesus, “Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” He could just as well have said, “You are powerless before me.”

I don’t know if Pilate was the first to say those words, probably not, but I know he wasn’t the last. I wonder where you see a Pilate today. Where do you hear those words being spoken today? Who are the powerless?

Pilate is in every form of racism, antisemitism, discrimination, and oppression. His words are behind every holocaust and genocide. With every bomb dropped, Pilate’s words explode in the ears of Ukrainians and Gazans. And let’s not kid ourselves, they echo throughout America too. There are people in America today living in fear of and with the reality of Pilate. 

I’m sure that’s what the students and faculty at Florida State University experienced with each gunshot yesterday. Isn’t that what we in Uvalde felt three years ago? Remember that feeling of powerlessness? 

Every woman who comes to my office and tells me about the violence she is suffering in a relationship has heard the words of Pilate. When people come to St. Philip’s asking for assistance they often bring me their powerlessness in an empty insulin box, a disconnect notice, an eviction order.

Some of you who might be thinking, “There goes Mike again, getting all political, social justicy, and liberal.” That, however, would be to give me too much credit. I’m simply struggling with the gospel and inviting you to do so too.

With every sermon I preach I feel the burden, and I mean the burden, to make the gospel contemporary to your life and my life and to listen deeply for what it is asking of us. Today I’m simply preaching what The Book of Common Prayer tells us to pray for. 

In a few moments we will pray the solemn collects of Good Friday. Among other things, we will pray 

“For the hungry and the homeless, the destitute and the oppressed 
For the sick, the wounded, and the crippled
For those in loneliness, fear, and anguish 
For those who face temptation, doubt, and despair 
For the sorrowful and bereaved 
For prisoners and captives, and those in mortal danger.”

The Book of Common Prayer, 279.

Are they not the powerless? Are not the authors of our Prayer Book asking us to remember and do something for and about the powerless? Isn’t the gospel contained in those prayers?

Listen to what we pray for; that God might “stir up in us the will and patience to minister to their needs,” and “the strength to serve them for the sake of him who suffered for us.” (Ibid.)

Today, Jesus on the cross is the face of the powerless. 

I wonder if we too often turn away from the cross when we ought to be asking ourselves how we stand in the face of and confront abusive power. I wonder if we are too quick to glory in the cross of Christ when ought to be outraged. I wonder if we ought to be resisting and protesting Pilate instead of thanking God that Jesus died on the cross for us. 

There is even a powerlessness in Pilate, though he could never admit it. If Pilate really is all powerful before Jesus and if he really does want to release Jesus, why won’t he speak the truth? Why doesn’t he do what is right? Why does he give in to the crowd and do what is politically expedient and in his self-interest? I wonder what powerlessness is driving Pilate to commit such violence.

I know this probably isn’t the Good Friday sermon you are used to or were expecting. I really struggled with what to say today. It would have been a whole lot easier on me and you to preach something else. But I can’t, not today, not given everything that is happening in our country and across the world. To preach anything other than this would be a betrayal of Jesus’ death on the cross, a betrayal of you, a betrayal of my love for and care of you, and a betrayal of myself. I don’t want to do that and I hope you don’t want me to either. 

“It is finished.” 

We have heard from the witness. We have seen the evidence. Now it is up to us.

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Image Credit: “CIMABUE Crucifix (Detail), 1268-71” by carulmare is licensed under CC BY 2.0.