Jesu Juva
“More Than a Relic”
Text: 1 Corinthians
1:18-25; John 12:20-33 (Numbers 21:4-9)
Grace, mercy, and peace
to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Holy Cross Day is one of the oldest special
commemorations we have in the Church, reaching all the way back to the 4th
century. It was established by the Emperor Constantine to commemorate the day
his mother Helena found - it is said - the cross of Jesus in Jerusalem.
Now, did Helena really find the cross of
Jesus? Was this an authentic discovery? Or is it just wishful thinking or an
outright hoax? You’ll find people on both sides of that argument. Luther railed
against relics like this, which had multiplied in his day, reportedly saying
that there are so many who claim to have a piece of Jesus’ true cross that if
you put them all together you could build an ark! (Or something like that.)
But I didn’t answer the question. Did Helena
really find the true cross of Jesus? Are there pieces of that cross floating
around out there? Well, here’s the answer: It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t
matter because as St. Paul told us today: Jews demand signs and Greeks
seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. We preach not having
the cross - something only for a select few - but what happened on the
cross - something for all people. That the very Son of God came down from
heaven, was incarnate as a man, and died with your sin, your death, your
condemnation. And after atoning for your sin and dying your death as the
perfect Lamb of God, He rose from the dead, defeating sin, satan, death, hell, grave, and all enemies that would
separate us from God. And so we sing, as we did right before the sermon, of the
ending of the fray, and how Christ, the
world’s redeemer, as a victim won the day (LSB #454, v. 1).
So in truth, it doesn’t matter whether we have
that actual cross or not, for we have Christ! We have the fruits of that cross,
the benefits of that cross - what came from that cross and was given to us from
that cross - signified by the blood and water that flowed from Jesus’ side
while on the cross (John
19:34). The water of baptism which joins us to Jesus’ death and
resurrection and makes it ours. The body and blood of the Lord’s Supper
which feeds us with the real Passover Lamb and gives us the forgiveness and
strength we need in our journey through this world and life to our Promised
Land. The cross is where that took place, but here, in these things, these
means, is where it is given, where it is heard, where it is applied, where it
is for you. And that’s better. A piece of the cross cannot save, but the
forgiveness won there does. And that’s what we need.
But still . . . wouldn’t it be cool? You know . .
. to have the true cross. Maybe with a little bit of Jesus’ blood on it. We
could have a traveling exhibition, like they do with the dredged up artifacts
of the Titanic, or the uncovered treasures from King Tut’s
tomb. Wouldn’t it be cool . . . show people it’s real,
not just a story. The Greeks wanted to see Jesus, as we heard in the Gospel -
let’s show the world His cross! And some other stuff, too! Then they’d believe,
right?
But it’s not just them, is it? It’s us. Baptism,
Absolution, Preaching, Supper . . . it all seems so ordinary, so plain, so
unimpressive, so weak. We’d like to have signs, to disprove our doubts. If not
relics, cool artifacts, or undeniable proof, then maybe healing or success. And a little wisdom too please. Maybe
something philosophical or scientific, but something deeper and more convincing
and more impressive sounding to the world than just a condemned criminal, a
bloody and dead man on a cross. Something to make it
all more relevant, more stimulating, more credible.
Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom. So do we. Which are you? A Jew or a Greek?
A sign-demanding guy or a wisdom-seeking gal? Paul
said it over 20 centuries ago and it’s still true today. Just
some preaching, a little splash of water and a morsel of bread and wine?
That’s it? We stumble over the cross, too. Over having just a
dying, gory, bloody, yucky, Jesus.
What an ungrateful wretch you are! No, we
are. All that Jesus has done for us on the cross and we want more?
That’s not good enough? We’re not satisfied with that? Embarrassed? If so,
wretches is too mild a word for us, who want not a crucified God who laid down
His life for us, but an impressive God who will make us equally as
impressive in the eyes of the world.
No. And as we heard: the foolishness of God
is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. A
crucified God is not only what we have, it is what we need.
For as Jesus told those Greeks who wanted to see
Him: Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the
earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Jesus
knew that death is the only way to life. And that He is the seed that must be
dead and buried in order to grow the Church and make Christians, including
those Greeks who wanted to see Him. They may have been seeking some impressive
words or philosophy or sign from Jesus, but He instead would give them what
they needed - seeing Him on the cross.
And then Jesus goes on: For whoever loves
his life loses it. Or in other words, whoever seeks for life in this
world and the things that we men like and come up with, our signs and wisdom
and philosophy, loses it. Loses the very thing you were searching for. Because it’s not in those things. But whoever hates
his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Hate there
doesn’t mean an emotion, but a turning away from and a turning to - to a life
greater than this, more than this. Not of man.
And where is such a life that is eternal? If
anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be
also. And where Jesus was going when He spoke those words was the holy
cross. If we want to see Him, He wants us to follow Him to the cross and know
Him there. And if we want to be with Him, it must be through where He is - His
death and resurrection. There simply is no other way. Just as bitten-by-serpents-Old
Testament Israel had to look to the foolishness of a bronze serpent on the pole
for life, so we bitten-by-satan-New Testament Israel
must look to the foolishness of a dying man on a cross for life.
For the life we yearn for. For that life that
death cannot end. For a life where we can mock the grave.
For life when our life seems to be falling apart. For life when our sins make
life seem hopeless and when the sins of others make life miserable. For life
when you don’t think you can go on. For life when deadly sin seems so
attractive and alluring. For life when you feel completely alone. For life
wherever and however you find yourself right now.
Yes, the world says that’s foolishness, to find
hope in such a weak and wretched man. But when that weak and wretched man is
more than just a man, but the very Son of God, then it’s the foolishness
of God which, as St. Paul said, is wiser and stronger than men. It is
the wisdom and strength that gets us out of the mess our wisdom and weakness
keeps getting us into, time and time again. The wisdom and
strength of life-restoring forgiveness.
But you may have one more question floating
around in your mind: that if we don’t really know whether Helena actually found
the true cross of Christ, and we don’t do relics anyway, why celebrate this
day? Well, perhaps we could say, to gospelize it. So that not Helena, but
you, find the true cross of Christ. The
true cross in the proclamation of forgiveness for you. The true cross in the adoption of baptism for you. The true cross in the Body and Blood for you. For
here is where the true cross is, for you. Not in a piece of wood, but in
the preaching of Christ crucified and the giving of His gifts, to you.
And with such gifts, we sinful wretches are
wretches no more, but forgiven and raised sons and daughters of God. And with
such gifts, not just one day when we get that piece of wood out and marvel at
it - but every day is then Holy Cross Day. That is, Jesus-for-me-day.
In the Name of the Father
and of the (+) Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen