The Big Lies (Good Friday sermon)

Good Friday

Fr. Tim Nunez

May my spoken word be true to God’s written word and bring us all closer to the living word, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

Wednesday night I met with the youth group. I had invited them to ask me any question on their minds, anything at all. I was somewhat surprised that most of their questions were about the Bible. It was fun.

The question that took me the longest time to answer was, “What is your favorite book of the Bible?” How do you pick a favorite? After a few minutes of serious contemplation, I decided it has to be John’s Gospel. My reasons include its incredible prologue, “In the beginning was the Word…”, his most detailed account of the Resurrection and the ways that he shows who Jesus is and what he means to God’s people and the creation as a whole.

One of my favorite moments in John’s Gospel is the exchange between Jesus and Pilate when Pilate asks Jesus, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”

Then comes the kicker. Pilate asked him, “What is truth?”

Truth. Truth can feel very elusive. Throughout life we find that things we assumed to be true weren’t, or at least weren’t as simple as we had thought. But what astonishes me is how much we have been lied to, all of us, for decades.

Politicians lying to us is so prevalent that it’s an old joke, and a bipartisan one at that. We don’t expect much truth in advertising. We are learning more and more about how industries like Big Agriculture, Big Food, Big Pharmaceuticals and others, while making all sorts of progress have likely caused a major health crisis in this country.

They fund networks of lobbyists and nonprofits to control the ways we talked about food and influence government laws and regulations. For example, the Food Pyramid that the US Department of Agriculture put out decades ago was not based on science, but marketing. Its emphasis on carbohydrates very likely led to the public health crisis of diabetes and obesity we have today.

It feels almost silly to say this, but it feels like constantly dealing with someone who keeps shading the story, presenting the facts that favor them while leaving out important pieces that would convict them. It’s like dealing with a child or teenager whose character hasn’t developed. True speech is necessary for us to make any progress in anything. Why is it so hard and rare to simply get the truth on these large-scale items?

Lies are inherently secret. The falsehood has to hide or distract from the truth.

Behind all the lies, all the mischaracterizations, the falsehoods and manipulations is the father of lies. Earlier in his gospel, in chapter 13 that recounts Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, John notes before the foot-washing that the devil had already put it in Judas’s heart to betray Jesus. (John 13:2) Then, after the foot-washing, he says “Satan entered into him.” (John 13:27)

What is truth? Usually, it takes a lot of time and digging to sort it out. And it may risk some consequences, but the benefits far exceed the costs. So I’m going to lay some truth, some gospel truth, on you right now.

The story of Jesus is almost 2,000 years old. It is the most studied life in history. The crucifixion, starting with the Last Supper and carrying through to his burial, is the most studied sequence of events in history.

John reports that Jesus said, “I have done nothing in secret.” He said what he said publicly. He did all he did publicly. He was candid and honest about his mission and he did not flinch from it in those final hours.

All of it is there for you or anyone else to review, as billions have across time. We have dozens of translations in English and other major languages, which can meet people where they are. There is nothing secret about who Jesus is, what he did and what he means to the world. There is nothing secret about how he died a most humiliating death in front of crowds of people.

There is nothing Archdeacon John and I, or Bishop Holcomb, Bishop Brewer, Bishop Howe, or even Pope Francis know about God or Jesus that is hidden from you. There is nothing Billy Graham or C.S. Lewis or Dietrich Bonhoeffer knew that is hidden from you. You do not need to rise to some superior level, it is just a matter of your time.

There is no secret why he died that awful death; it was for you. It was for me. It was for the world. There is no lie, no mistake, no misunderstanding. That is what Jesus said and that is what Jesus did.

Here’s an interesting fact. Our book of Common Prayer recommends scripture passages for funerals. All of the Gospel choices come from John. They are, with the brief summaries given, (BCP p. 495)

John 5:24-27 (He who believes has everlasting life)
John 6:37-40 (All that the Father gives me will come to you)
John 10:11-16 (I am the good shepherd)
John 11:21-27 (I am the resurrection and the life)
John 14:1-6 (In my Father's house are many rooms)

When we face death, we look to Jesus because of the truth of who he is and the sure promise he holds.

When Jesus faced death, he gave himself because he knew the truth of who we are and who He wants us to be.

AMEN