Brent Kuhlman

Judas: betrayed Jesus -- committed suicide. Peter: three times disowned Jesus. Would not confess. Where are the other disciples? They’re long gone. Except for John who stands nearby and comforts Mary. Joseph of Arimathea, he’s a follower of Jesus, but secretly. If any of his peers find out . . .

Embarrassed. Shocked. Can’t be seen with Jesus now. Not so popular anymore. He’s been arrested. The Palm Sunday chants have changed from “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes” to, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Ruthlessly lampooned. Beaten savagely. Chunks of His flesh ripped from His holy Body by the flogging. Innocent. Yet convicted as a criminal. Sentenced to death.    Viciously nailed to a Cross. And there He is hanged to die.

“You’re one of Jesus’ followers too aren’t you? You’re baptized in His Name, right? Don’t you attend Trinity Lutheran Church? Youth catechesis on Wednesday nights? Didache on all those Mondays? Haven’t you been preparing for two years to go to what you people call Holy Communion? Memorizing a Small Catechism? We know you catechumens. You’re a group of those people hanging with Jesus. In fact, don’t you even worship Him?”

Catechumens, how will you answer? How about you Trinity congregation?

While you think about your answer the holy evangelist St. Luke throws in a few people who do speak. Who confess.

First, a gangster thug. Hung right next to the Lord. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”   It’s a wonder the soldiers don’t break this criminal’s legs right then and there. Praying to Jesus like that! How dare he! Treating Jesus as if He were his God! Begging for mercy. Begging for salvation from Jesus.

And the salvation comes as pure gift: “I tell you the truth. Today you’ll be with me in Paradise.”

Then -- after three hours of darkness because the sun’s stopped shining -- mourning and weeping this grave injustice -- Jesus prays. “Father into your hands I commit my spirit.” He breathes no more. His heart doesn’t beat. Grave-yard dead. “Will no one speak up?!!! Will anyone confess this dead Jesus as the Savior? Or is it too awkward? Too uncomfortable? Peter, how about you? Matthew? Andrew? James? John? Philip? Any of the Marys? Surely one of you will pipe up!” Silence. You can hear a pin drop.

And then all of a sudden, someone speaks. A person you’d never expect. A soldier. A Roman centurion. He supervised the whole execution. Carried out the death penalty. “Surely this was the Righteous One. The dead man is the Christ. The dead Jesus is the Savior.”   Better not say that too loud Mr. Centurion! You’ll be stripped of your rank and lose your command. You may get crucified too praising God with that kind of confession.

And then there are those who let their actions do the speaking for them. Joseph of Arimathea. Quietly takes care of the God-man’s dead body. Gently removes the nails. Carefully washes the wounds. Carries the corpse. Lays it oh so delicately in his brand new tomb. And the women. Always following. No matter what. Saw the tomb and exactly where the corpse is laid to rest. Then they prepare the spices and perfumes for the corpse. Getting Christ’s dead body ready for burial.

The criminal. The centurion. Joseph and the women. All confess Jesus. He is their Savior. He is their God.

And now today you catechumens will be asked: “Do you believe in Jesus Christ?” Not just any Christ that you want to make up for yourselves. But the dead on the cross and buried in the tomb Jesus Christ? Do you? Will you always make this confession? Even if you are made to suffer for it? Even if someone threatens to make you shorter by a head for confessing Jesus? Will you?

We pipe up like Peter. “Lord, I’m ready to go with you to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33). But when the heat was on . . . Peter denied.

The world doesn’t have to turn up the heat hardly at all and we’re out-petering Peter. “You’re a Christian aren’t you? What a dufas! You worship that dead freak hanging on that cross?   Idiot! You claim to eat his body and drink his blood. CANNIBAL!” Then there are the times when the pillow and warm bed hold you captive in their prison. Just won’t let you out. Then the housework and chores gods make their demands. Got to pay for a car and start saving for college. No one, not even your parents, will ever argue with the almighty and all powerful trump card: “I have so much homework to do.” And who dares to disobey the tournament gods when they post their brackets? We don’t dare disobey lest the tournament gods send us to the hell called -- “You’ll Sit The bench” or the purgatory named -- “You’re Letting The Team Down.”

Continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it? Ready to go with Jesus to prison, to the Cross, and to death? Who takes that seriously anymore? Worship Jesus? Eat at His Table? Pray to Him? The devil, the world and your sinful flesh will tempt you all to say: “I’m too busy. My other gods won’t give me permission. They tell me that Jesus shouldn’t be such an inconvenience and that He’s really irrelevant for a successful life.”

What will Jesus do with sinners like you? Abandon you? Disown you? Be too busy for you in retaliation? Act like He’s too good for you? No. He makes Himself a nothing. A slave. Becomes obedient unto death. The death of the Cross.

For me, for confirmands of the past who made their vows but we rarely or never see, for these catechumens, and for all of you who treat confirmation as graduation from Sunday School, Church and God Himself, Jesus died. For all your sins. Even the sins for which you do not repent. The sins you’re not even aware of. The idols that you love and cling to with all your heats.

Jesus dies for the ungodly. For sinners. For you. Catechumens, Jesus proves His love for you today as you eat and drink at His Supper. Behold, for you He gives you His Body and Blood. Once offered on the Cross for you and for us all.

And so here at this altar we stand beneath the Cross of Jesus. And today you join with the Roman centurion to say: “Surely this crucified Jesus is the Righteous One. He is my Savior who forgives me all my sins. I trust in Him. I proclaim His death for me until He comes.”

Happy Confirmation Day! Happy confessing Jesus today and for the rest of your life. He’s a wonderful Savior. Better than you ever imagined.

In Jesus’ Name. Amen

Brent Kuhlman

Palm Sunday / Sunday of the Passion "C"