GLORY IN THE CROSS

SERMON PREACHED BY FR. TONY NOBLE ON MAY 6, 2007

John 13:34

"A new commandment I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you."

During my recent holiday in Australia I had lunch with 2 of my oldest friends. They are non church-goers, but are good friends and I enjoyed catching up with them. During the lunch Ian said to me: "Why is it called Good Friday?" I don't know what prompted the remark but it gave me the chance to speak about the victory of the cross. And Good Friday is Good Friday because the cross is victory. That is what Jesus is saying in this morning's gospel.

Today’s gospel is St. John's account of the Last Supper. In it Judas has just left and Jesus says: "Now is the Son of Man is glorified, and in him God is glorified." At first these are strange words. They have had the washing of the feet and the Passover meal, and I'm sure the disciples wondered what on earth he meant by "Now is the son of Man glorified." For Jesus the treachery of Judas leads to his glorification. He says: "God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once."

There is no doubt that for Jesus what happens on Good Friday is victory and glory - for himself and also for God. And that, despite his agony later that night, which leads to his cry: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

It is perhaps a mystery we cannot fully comprehend, that Jesus had to go through all his suffering and passion and death, and yet still knew that what he was doing was victory and glory. The disciples could not possibly understand that, just as my friend could not possibly understand that.

But we can understand that. Cast your minds back to Holy week and Maundy Thursday and the Last Supper. We were overwhelmed that night and all that week by the passion of our Lord. Despite the celebration on Maundy Thursday of the first Eucharist, with all the joy that it involves, there was still the impending gloom of what was to happen that night and the next day. Now in Eastertide we see it more clearly. Now through the victory of Easter day we see that the cross is victory, that the cross is glory.

And we see that this is the sort of Messiah that Jesus is: "The Son of Man must suffer and be put to death." And when we read further in today's gospel we see why. The cross is the way that Jesus is inaugurating his kingdom because it reveals that God is love. On the cross God shows his love for the world - and that is the way the kingdom is inaugurated -through the cross of love.

The cross is God's glory because it displays supremely his love for us and for all. And the cross is not only Jesus' glory. By his death Jesus gives glory to God.

St. Paul reminds us of this in Philippians 2: "He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross…So let every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." To the glory of God the Father. Now in these days of Eastertide we can understand the full meaning. Today's gospel takes us back to the Last Supper on that Maundy Thursday night. As short as it is - a mere 5 verses - it contains much teaching for us. Jesus on this night has already washed the feet of the apostles and celebrated the Passover Meal, in which he gives his body and blood in that sacramental sign. Judas then departs - and now Jesus talks of glory. It is important to remember at this point the prophesy Jesus made in Luke 9:27 and Mark 9:1 " There are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with Power."

Many people think that this is a prediction of the second coming, but the problem is some of those who were standing there listening did taste death - they all died before the second coming. So when Jesus talks about the kingdom of God coming with power before their very eyes, He is talking about the cross. It can only mean the cross because they all witnessed it. So you see, the cross is the coming of the kingdom with power - and that power was the power of love displayed in all its weakness and courage.

Having said this about his glorification, Jesus then gives the new commandment of love: "Love one another, as I have loved you." This is related directly to the washing of the feet which began the last supper. At the beginning of John 13 it says: "Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end, and now he showed how great his love was." In other words, the washing of the feet is also a sign and symbol of Jesus' great love. The washing of the feet is not just a symbol of service, nor just an image of Jesus humbling himself. It was also a symbol of love - the love that the disciples must have for their Lord, and therefore that we should have for one another as members of his body.

Now standing away from the atmosphere of Holy Week we see the Eucharist in a deeper and clearer light. That night it was overshadowed by Gethsemane and the events of the next day. When Jesus said: "This is my body which will be given for you" it relates directly to the body of Jesus on the cross. But now we see that the Eucharist is not only our participation in the body and blood of Christ - it is also the sign of love which is the mark of Christians and our union in love with him and each other, as his living body. As the Book of Common Prayer says: "The mystical body of thy Son, the blessed company of all faithful people."

And that is why we keep coming to Holy Communion isn't it? Because we want to be more loving, we want to fulfill our calling to be his body. And we know that Holy Communion unites us with Jesus and with each other in this sacrament of love.

Of course the new commandment to love as Christ has loved, is impossible, except as far as we are continually fed by Jesus in Holy Communion. So that we can really be his body on earth. And that is ultimately how we also glorify the Father.

The victory and glory of the cross makes all this possible.