I. Good Friday paints us a pathetic picture of a crushed man: broken, humiliated, tortured, pierced, wounded, whipped, mocked, shamed, condemned, executed. But we call it GOOD Friday because we claim that there was something in the picture which most of the observers missed, an angle many could not see, an aspect hidden from some but revealed to others.
II. Sometimes pictures which have two levels: one everyone can see and one only certain people can see when they look at it in a certain way.
A. The obvious picture of the man on the cross is seen in Isaiah 53:2-3:
1. he grew up like a young plant: small, insignificant, vulnerable
2. like a root out of dry ground: appearing to have very little chance of survival
3. he had no form or majesty that we should look at him
4. no beauty that we should desire him
5. despised and rejected by men
6. a man of sorrows
7. acquainted with grief
8. as one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised
9. we esteemed him not.
B. For some, that’s all they see.
1. That’s certainly the case for many of those who watched Him die. They mocked Him, saying He couldn’t save Himself.
C. But there’s more to the picture: God’s mighty arm laid bare.
1. In ancient times and in that part of the world, baggy clothes were worn for protection from the sun, making it difficult to run or work without some kind of adjustment. In order to run, they would gird up their loins. In order to work, they would pull up their long sleeves and rest them on their shoulders.
2. As you know, sometimes baggy clothes hide muscular bodies.
3. That is the point here. Jesus looks pathetic, but through eyes of faith some can see not only His show of weakness, but His great strength. Even in dying, He was revealing (to some) His mighty power. That’s what verse one is all about...
III. 1 “Who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
A. God’s power is made perfect in weakness (2Cor.12:9) and the cross is the perfect demonstration of this.
B. Not everyone can see it.
C. How does one see the arm of the Lord? By believing what God tells us. In other words, you see one thing and you know of something else which can’t be seen because the absolutely reliable God has told you. This is how the arm of the Lord is revealed.
D. The question is, in our lives when we’re faced with a picture that looks bleak, do we lose sight of the mighty arm of the Lord?
IV. God calls us to follow Christ, to walk on His path.
A. This path sometimes looks pretty pathetic. It involves looking small, insignificant, and vulnerable, appearing to have very little chance of success. It involves being despised and rejected by men. It involves sorrow and grief. It involves giving up everything, denying oneself, living a life of meekness and humility, being hated by the world, accepting suffering, loving one’s enemies.
B. Why in the world would a person ever choose to follow this path?
1. Because they know something. Just like with the picture of Christ in Is.53, there is a hidden aspect of the Christian life which makes all the difference. What is hidden? The One who calls us to follow this path and who promises to walk with us in this path is the Mighty One, who is far bigger than the hardships of the journey. His presence on the journey is a greater plus than all of the minuses.
2. Because His lovingkindness is better than life (Ps.63:3).
3. Because everything in life is like garbage in comparison to the value of knowing Christ Jesus the Lord (Phil.3:8).
4. And because of the hope set before those who follow Christ, the hope He has promised. You see, Jesus has promised that those who humble themselves here will be exalted after death, and those who put their trust in Him will be supremely honored and rewarded.
C. Sure, it looks foolish to the world. But one day, when Christ returns and makes all things right, when all that is hidden will be revealed, things will look very different.
D. For now, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” – 1Peter 1:8–9
E. Just like Jesus, of whom it is said in Isaiah 53:11–12, “After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied. Therefore God will give him a portion among the great.” so it will be for us!