Good Friday 2010 Jesus - man of respect

Who is this Jesus? As Holy Week moves to its climax this is our question heading for a five part sermon series.

Over these three days running up to Easter we’re looking at five key aspects of Jesus: his origin, teaching, death, resurrection, his church and his return.

We started out of sequence yesterday with the church as this linked to the Maundy Thursday supper table.

Earlier this afternoon we looked at the origins of Jesus, evident as historical record. Now we ponder Jesus – man of respect – before we come to offer him respect as we come to his Cross together.

In Holy Week the world stops to respect Jesus.

It’s not so much what he taught but how he taught that catches us.

We live in a society where people lack respect. They tolerate one another’s differences but often times they do so without sympathy.

Think of the sympathy of Jesus. He listened to the rich young man. He loved him, scripture says, pointed him to the truth - but out of respect let him go away again.

Jesus was and is a man of respect, a man of dialogue. Today Muslims and Hindus also honour the Founder of Christianity. His teaching attracts them, even if the greater gift of his sacrifice affronts them.

Think of Jesus teaching how God’s rain comes down on good and bad people alike and demonstrating that teaching by reaching out with love to the social outcasts of his day.

There has never been anyone lovelier, deeper or more sympathetic than Jesus Dostoyevsky wrote.

Mother Julian of Norwich describes Jesus in these words: Completely relaxed and courteous, He himself was the happiness and peace of his dear friends, his beautiful face radiating measureless love like a marvellous symphony.

Jesus sees us, like a friend, with loving respect. He sees us as better than we are and by the events of Holy Week he helps to make us so.

There is a perception, or rather distortion of Christ and Christianity that sets forth a moral high-handedness about Jesus.

This goes against his own generosity in his encounters with individuals. The woman caught in adultery was not stoned because Jesus came into the situation and rescued her from the consequence of her sin.

Jesus did not come to rub it in but to rub it off as someone else once said of him.

There is part of us, even we who have come to join the few at Good Friday devotions, that is apprehensive about close encounter with Jesus.

We should be reminded of this - Jesus is more concerned to give us what we need than what we deserve, let alone what we think we deserve!

All of this witness to the respect and warm humanity in Jesus does not subtract from the challenge of Jesus.

I read about Napoleon, wrote Carnegie-Simpson, and I am edified. I read about Jesus and I am profoundly disturbed.

In one of her letters the writer and playwright Dorothy Sayers says that to call Jesus 'Gentle-Jesus-meek-and-mild' is 'about as adequate as calling a man-eating tiger 'poor pussy'..

In Jesus we find the perfect balance of love and truth and power. His loving acceptance of sinners is coupled to a burning conviction of truth and holiness and a readiness to empower people with the Holy Spirit given after his resurrection.

That power is with us this afternoon if we will open ourselves up to it as we approach the timeless mystery of the Cross of Jesus.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.