Sermon Illustrations For Good Friday (2017)
Illustration
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
I am in this dank, dark place because I deserve to be. I killed a man. It was part of the struggle, the battle. Rome had to be overthrown. Certain things had to be done. Do I wish it didn’t have to be that way? Sure, but I don’t regret it. I know how this story ends. Today the Romans will execute me. I’ll be dragged out of the city and hung on a cross. It’s Rome’s object lesson for those who’d dare to think they didn’t belong. That thought terrifies me, but I try not to dwell on it. From the rumor mill I hear, two others will be going with me, so at least I won’t be alone. What’s that noise? It sounds like the soldiers are coming, but it’s not time, at least not yet. They throw open the door to this dungeon and drag me out. I try to protest, but they’re too strong. In seconds, I’m dragged up the stairs to the governor’s area. His platform is up here. The light from the sun blinds my eyes, but I can hear plainly the jeers of the crowd. I expect that, but as I listen more closely, I can tell that they’re not jeering me. My eyes adjust and I see below us a throng of people. They are angry, near violent. I notice that I’m standing next to the governor. Next to him is someone I’ve never seen before. It takes a few moments to register, but I can hear the governor talking. He’s telling the people about releasing a prisoner. Hope rises briefly in my heart, but it is soon extinguished. There’s no way it will be me. The governor seems to want to release the other guy, Jesus. Amazingly, though, the crowd is chanting “No!” They are saying a name -- my name! “Release Barabbas! Barabbas.” Despite the governor’s protest, they continue to shout my name. I smile. It’s been a while since I’ve done that. I’m going to be free! I nod my head to the crowd and smile even bigger. Then I turn to look at the other man, Jesus. I turn to mock him, but when I see him I am struck. I would be furious and raging, but he isn’t. It’s almost as if he is choosing to die.
Like the Passover lamb, Jesus made no move to escape. To die was not a sentence, but a choice. “But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.”
Bill T.
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
French philosopher Albert Camus’ characterization of Western society in the 20th century remains pertinent to our situation in America today: “Impatience with limits... despair at being a man [human], have finally driven them to human excesses. Denying the real grandeur of life, they have had to stake all on their own excellence. For want of better to do, they deified themselves and their misfortunes began; these gods had their eyes put out” (The Rebel, p. 305). People in Western society [in America] “no longer love life,” Camus claimed.
We need this awareness of our sinful condition in order to appreciate Christ and his suffering for us. John Calvin nicely made this point: “If we do not perceive our wretchedness and poverty, we shall never know how desirable is that remedy which Christ has brought to us, or approach him with due ardor of affection. As soon as we know that we are ruined, then aware of our wretchedness, we eagerly run to avail ourselves of the remedy.... In order, therefore, that Christ may be appreciated by us, let everyone consider and examine himself, so as to acknowledge that this is ruined till he is redeemed by Christ” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. VIII/2, p. 117).
Elsewhere Calvin claims that this lesson depicts the Servant (Christ) as a root or twig out of dry land. His power springs up like a twig from all the dryness of our condition (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. VIII/2, p. 113). Good Friday is about life in the midst of the sickness of the human condition.
Mark E.
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Johnny Deep has tattooed his entire body with all of his life’s accomplishments. The tattoos span from the names of his children to his Cherokee heritage. Some life accomplishments are not as permanent as others; after they broke up he had to have Winona Ryder’s name removed.
Application: Our lectionary readings say that Jesus was an ordinary-looking man. Jesus did not need to display his accomplishments in the form of body art for people to know what he had accomplished.
Ron L.
Hebrews 10:16-25
“Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering,” a portion of verse 23 reads. We hold fast to the assurance of God’s grace and our faithfulness in God’s promises. We do so because Jesus is, and was, and will be. Nothing can stop God’s steadfast love from reaching out to us. We can only refuse to receive it.
Jesus came into the world to teach us how to be in intimate, loving relationship with God and with each other. Jesus offered a ministry of truth with compassion, justice with mercy. And Jesus went to the cross rather than abandon “walking the talk” he had preached and taught for the past three years. Rather than responding to hate and violence with more hate and violence, Jesus responded with forgiveness and surrender. Rather than running away from the challenges of living out the faith he proclaimed, Jesus calmly walked to his arrest, his trial, and his death. That sacrifice allows us to hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering. May it be so.
Bonnie B.
Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Hebrews 10:24 is sometimes translated “And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds...” The word behind “provoke” is the Greek word from which we get the term “paroxysm.” It refers to deep emotion so powerful that it is indistinguishable from gut-level anger. In the Acts of the Apostles, the apostle Paul has a feeling akin to paroxysm when he sees the many idols on display throughout Athens. Nevertheless, he controls those strong emotions and reasons with the Athenians in a collegial fashion in order to open their eyes to the resurrection of Jesus. This verse from Hebrews suggests that we are to have the same strong emotions about the condition of the world, but that we should channel that emotion to inspire the same emotion in others toward love and good deeds. When on Good Friday we stand beside the cross, we are to channel our emotions, disgust, anger at the injustice, horror of what is happening into becoming a community who answers hate with love, and injustice with good deeds. Which raises the question: How would you provoke people to good deeds and to love?
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 demonstrates that regarding sharing our mortality and the bitterness of human existence, God through Jesus can state honestly “Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.” In Greek and Roman mythology the Olympian gods come frequently to earth to raucously carouse, sometimes sexually violating human beings along the way with no sense of regret. But when God really came to earth in the person of Jesus, it was to fully share our lives. The boss’s son did not have a cushy position, but was expected to work twice as hard, learning through suffering.
Frank R.
Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Jesus is our high priest in heaven, but he knows what it is like to live down here on earth. One of the most interesting passages in the New Testament letters is the one that says “we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin.” In other words, we have no excuse for our sins. We can’t deny them by saying that we are only human.
Jesus must have looked at pretty girls, just we men do, but he did not go beyond that and dream of going to bed with them. I’m sure he must have thought how nice it would be to marry Mary Magdalene and settle down to a peaceful life as a carpenter. But he was only willing to obey his heavenly Father.
If we are people of faith, we should follow Jesus’ example. We can look at a pretty girl also, but don’t go any further -- except, of course, if we plan to marry her one day. It is not sin to think of fun in bed if it is with the woman you are married to.
We might also be tempted to find a job that will make us a bundle of money (our greatest hope). I’m sure if Jesus served as a carpenter he would have thought of the money he could make, but God had other plans for him.
My friend who went to the mission field in Africa had a good business back home where he was making good money. His wife made the greatest sacrifice. If she had worked just two years more, she could have had a retirement income established for life.
I had an opportunity make a great deal of money in the motion picture business making porno films, but the Lord called me to be a pastor.
We are all tempted to do anything to avoid pain or suffering, but some go into the military service knowing that they might not survive.
Whatever we might have to face in our lives, we must know that God will take care of our every need. There may be many temptations in our lives, but God will help us overcome by his grace. If we fail, as we will from time to time, we know that God will forgive our sin. Jesus died for our sin. He died so that we would not have to fear death.
Bob O.
John 18:1--19:42
What motivates someone to betray another? How could a friend deny another? On March 15 of 44 AD, Julius Caesar was betrayed by a group led by Brutus, a friend he considered a family member. Dona Marina is known as one of the most reviled women in the Hispanic history. She is said to have betrayed her people to Hernando Cortez so that she could live with and reign with him. Theodore Hall was responsible for developing the first and second atomic bombs during World War II for the United States. The FBI later discovered he was reporting back to the Soviet Union the progress the United States was making on atomic weapons.
It’s hard to understand why someone would turn against a friend or against their people. Sometimes it is for personal gain. Sometimes, I suppose, it is because he/she has a misguided ideology. I can see how fear might intimidate someone and prevent them from doing the right thing.
This text is familiar territory. At the beginning is Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. Most of us are aware of that. I wonder, though, what was going through his mind as he led the soldiers through the garden to the place where Jesus was. How could he do it? How could he betray the one who’d washed his feet and demonstrated love for him? Later in the chapter is the account of Peter’s denials. Three times Peter is asked if he is with Jesus. His emphatic “nos” ring throughout history. A part of me wants to scream out at the injustice of this. I don’t, though. Why?
I think there might be times in my life when I too betray or deny Jesus. There have been times when I could have stood for him and didn’t. There have been days when he needed someone to speak up and I remained silent. There’ve been times when he needed a representative and I bailed. I’d like to rebuke Judas for his betrayal, Peter for his denial, but I think better of it. Instead of a rebuke, maybe the best course for me is to repent. Peter, Judas, and me, we’re in the same boat.
Bill T.
John 18:1--19:42
A 2015 Gallup poll revealed that 72% of Americans believe morality is in decline. The famed American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr has claimed that the cross of Christ has relevance for our moral condition. In a sermon he proclaimed: “It [the cross] emphasizes that the life of good and evil men is inextricably involved in a mixture of noble and petty impulses of concern for the self and concern for the other, and that this mixture of good and evil cannot be overcome by taking thought, or by one more heroic effort to secure the triumph of good over evil; but mankind must look at the cross of Christ... as a symbol of the merciful action of a forgiving God” (Justice & Mercy, p. 89).
And then Niebuhr has more to say about what this forgiveness entails: “The ultimate mystery of good and evil negates our provisional distinction and must be accepted in contrite self-awareness before men can treat their fellowmen with any compassion.... [We dare not make] the cross of Christ as something less demanding than an invitation to honest self-analysis” (Justice & Mercy, pp. 93-94). “The final mystery of good and evil in life and history is in fact that love, compassion toward our fellowmen, which is the ultimate good according to our Christian faith, cannot be achieved by strenuous striving; rather, it is achieved by an honest self-scrutiny and self-awareness which discovers affinities between the foe’s obvious weaknesses and our hidden vices” (Justice & Mercy, p. 94).
The cross reminds us of our frailties, and that makes us a little more compassionate to others. And then the risen Christ starts leading us.
Mark E.
John 18:1--19:42
Robert Gates was Secretary of Defense during the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. During that time he oversaw two wars, one in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan. He realized that both wars had taken longer, cost more money, and taken more American lives than previously anticipated. From this experience, he concluded that “I will always be an advocate in terms of wars of necessity. I am just much more cautious on wars of choice.”
Application: When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane he had a difficult choice to make. We too will find ourselves in the garden of Gethsemane, with equally difficult life decisions. Let us hope that we decide wisely with our decisions based on the will of God.
Ron L.
I am in this dank, dark place because I deserve to be. I killed a man. It was part of the struggle, the battle. Rome had to be overthrown. Certain things had to be done. Do I wish it didn’t have to be that way? Sure, but I don’t regret it. I know how this story ends. Today the Romans will execute me. I’ll be dragged out of the city and hung on a cross. It’s Rome’s object lesson for those who’d dare to think they didn’t belong. That thought terrifies me, but I try not to dwell on it. From the rumor mill I hear, two others will be going with me, so at least I won’t be alone. What’s that noise? It sounds like the soldiers are coming, but it’s not time, at least not yet. They throw open the door to this dungeon and drag me out. I try to protest, but they’re too strong. In seconds, I’m dragged up the stairs to the governor’s area. His platform is up here. The light from the sun blinds my eyes, but I can hear plainly the jeers of the crowd. I expect that, but as I listen more closely, I can tell that they’re not jeering me. My eyes adjust and I see below us a throng of people. They are angry, near violent. I notice that I’m standing next to the governor. Next to him is someone I’ve never seen before. It takes a few moments to register, but I can hear the governor talking. He’s telling the people about releasing a prisoner. Hope rises briefly in my heart, but it is soon extinguished. There’s no way it will be me. The governor seems to want to release the other guy, Jesus. Amazingly, though, the crowd is chanting “No!” They are saying a name -- my name! “Release Barabbas! Barabbas.” Despite the governor’s protest, they continue to shout my name. I smile. It’s been a while since I’ve done that. I’m going to be free! I nod my head to the crowd and smile even bigger. Then I turn to look at the other man, Jesus. I turn to mock him, but when I see him I am struck. I would be furious and raging, but he isn’t. It’s almost as if he is choosing to die.
Like the Passover lamb, Jesus made no move to escape. To die was not a sentence, but a choice. “But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.”
Bill T.
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
French philosopher Albert Camus’ characterization of Western society in the 20th century remains pertinent to our situation in America today: “Impatience with limits... despair at being a man [human], have finally driven them to human excesses. Denying the real grandeur of life, they have had to stake all on their own excellence. For want of better to do, they deified themselves and their misfortunes began; these gods had their eyes put out” (The Rebel, p. 305). People in Western society [in America] “no longer love life,” Camus claimed.
We need this awareness of our sinful condition in order to appreciate Christ and his suffering for us. John Calvin nicely made this point: “If we do not perceive our wretchedness and poverty, we shall never know how desirable is that remedy which Christ has brought to us, or approach him with due ardor of affection. As soon as we know that we are ruined, then aware of our wretchedness, we eagerly run to avail ourselves of the remedy.... In order, therefore, that Christ may be appreciated by us, let everyone consider and examine himself, so as to acknowledge that this is ruined till he is redeemed by Christ” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. VIII/2, p. 117).
Elsewhere Calvin claims that this lesson depicts the Servant (Christ) as a root or twig out of dry land. His power springs up like a twig from all the dryness of our condition (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. VIII/2, p. 113). Good Friday is about life in the midst of the sickness of the human condition.
Mark E.
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Johnny Deep has tattooed his entire body with all of his life’s accomplishments. The tattoos span from the names of his children to his Cherokee heritage. Some life accomplishments are not as permanent as others; after they broke up he had to have Winona Ryder’s name removed.
Application: Our lectionary readings say that Jesus was an ordinary-looking man. Jesus did not need to display his accomplishments in the form of body art for people to know what he had accomplished.
Ron L.
Hebrews 10:16-25
“Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering,” a portion of verse 23 reads. We hold fast to the assurance of God’s grace and our faithfulness in God’s promises. We do so because Jesus is, and was, and will be. Nothing can stop God’s steadfast love from reaching out to us. We can only refuse to receive it.
Jesus came into the world to teach us how to be in intimate, loving relationship with God and with each other. Jesus offered a ministry of truth with compassion, justice with mercy. And Jesus went to the cross rather than abandon “walking the talk” he had preached and taught for the past three years. Rather than responding to hate and violence with more hate and violence, Jesus responded with forgiveness and surrender. Rather than running away from the challenges of living out the faith he proclaimed, Jesus calmly walked to his arrest, his trial, and his death. That sacrifice allows us to hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering. May it be so.
Bonnie B.
Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Hebrews 10:24 is sometimes translated “And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds...” The word behind “provoke” is the Greek word from which we get the term “paroxysm.” It refers to deep emotion so powerful that it is indistinguishable from gut-level anger. In the Acts of the Apostles, the apostle Paul has a feeling akin to paroxysm when he sees the many idols on display throughout Athens. Nevertheless, he controls those strong emotions and reasons with the Athenians in a collegial fashion in order to open their eyes to the resurrection of Jesus. This verse from Hebrews suggests that we are to have the same strong emotions about the condition of the world, but that we should channel that emotion to inspire the same emotion in others toward love and good deeds. When on Good Friday we stand beside the cross, we are to channel our emotions, disgust, anger at the injustice, horror of what is happening into becoming a community who answers hate with love, and injustice with good deeds. Which raises the question: How would you provoke people to good deeds and to love?
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 demonstrates that regarding sharing our mortality and the bitterness of human existence, God through Jesus can state honestly “Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.” In Greek and Roman mythology the Olympian gods come frequently to earth to raucously carouse, sometimes sexually violating human beings along the way with no sense of regret. But when God really came to earth in the person of Jesus, it was to fully share our lives. The boss’s son did not have a cushy position, but was expected to work twice as hard, learning through suffering.
Frank R.
Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Jesus is our high priest in heaven, but he knows what it is like to live down here on earth. One of the most interesting passages in the New Testament letters is the one that says “we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin.” In other words, we have no excuse for our sins. We can’t deny them by saying that we are only human.
Jesus must have looked at pretty girls, just we men do, but he did not go beyond that and dream of going to bed with them. I’m sure he must have thought how nice it would be to marry Mary Magdalene and settle down to a peaceful life as a carpenter. But he was only willing to obey his heavenly Father.
If we are people of faith, we should follow Jesus’ example. We can look at a pretty girl also, but don’t go any further -- except, of course, if we plan to marry her one day. It is not sin to think of fun in bed if it is with the woman you are married to.
We might also be tempted to find a job that will make us a bundle of money (our greatest hope). I’m sure if Jesus served as a carpenter he would have thought of the money he could make, but God had other plans for him.
My friend who went to the mission field in Africa had a good business back home where he was making good money. His wife made the greatest sacrifice. If she had worked just two years more, she could have had a retirement income established for life.
I had an opportunity make a great deal of money in the motion picture business making porno films, but the Lord called me to be a pastor.
We are all tempted to do anything to avoid pain or suffering, but some go into the military service knowing that they might not survive.
Whatever we might have to face in our lives, we must know that God will take care of our every need. There may be many temptations in our lives, but God will help us overcome by his grace. If we fail, as we will from time to time, we know that God will forgive our sin. Jesus died for our sin. He died so that we would not have to fear death.
Bob O.
John 18:1--19:42
What motivates someone to betray another? How could a friend deny another? On March 15 of 44 AD, Julius Caesar was betrayed by a group led by Brutus, a friend he considered a family member. Dona Marina is known as one of the most reviled women in the Hispanic history. She is said to have betrayed her people to Hernando Cortez so that she could live with and reign with him. Theodore Hall was responsible for developing the first and second atomic bombs during World War II for the United States. The FBI later discovered he was reporting back to the Soviet Union the progress the United States was making on atomic weapons.
It’s hard to understand why someone would turn against a friend or against their people. Sometimes it is for personal gain. Sometimes, I suppose, it is because he/she has a misguided ideology. I can see how fear might intimidate someone and prevent them from doing the right thing.
This text is familiar territory. At the beginning is Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. Most of us are aware of that. I wonder, though, what was going through his mind as he led the soldiers through the garden to the place where Jesus was. How could he do it? How could he betray the one who’d washed his feet and demonstrated love for him? Later in the chapter is the account of Peter’s denials. Three times Peter is asked if he is with Jesus. His emphatic “nos” ring throughout history. A part of me wants to scream out at the injustice of this. I don’t, though. Why?
I think there might be times in my life when I too betray or deny Jesus. There have been times when I could have stood for him and didn’t. There have been days when he needed someone to speak up and I remained silent. There’ve been times when he needed a representative and I bailed. I’d like to rebuke Judas for his betrayal, Peter for his denial, but I think better of it. Instead of a rebuke, maybe the best course for me is to repent. Peter, Judas, and me, we’re in the same boat.
Bill T.
John 18:1--19:42
A 2015 Gallup poll revealed that 72% of Americans believe morality is in decline. The famed American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr has claimed that the cross of Christ has relevance for our moral condition. In a sermon he proclaimed: “It [the cross] emphasizes that the life of good and evil men is inextricably involved in a mixture of noble and petty impulses of concern for the self and concern for the other, and that this mixture of good and evil cannot be overcome by taking thought, or by one more heroic effort to secure the triumph of good over evil; but mankind must look at the cross of Christ... as a symbol of the merciful action of a forgiving God” (Justice & Mercy, p. 89).
And then Niebuhr has more to say about what this forgiveness entails: “The ultimate mystery of good and evil negates our provisional distinction and must be accepted in contrite self-awareness before men can treat their fellowmen with any compassion.... [We dare not make] the cross of Christ as something less demanding than an invitation to honest self-analysis” (Justice & Mercy, pp. 93-94). “The final mystery of good and evil in life and history is in fact that love, compassion toward our fellowmen, which is the ultimate good according to our Christian faith, cannot be achieved by strenuous striving; rather, it is achieved by an honest self-scrutiny and self-awareness which discovers affinities between the foe’s obvious weaknesses and our hidden vices” (Justice & Mercy, p. 94).
The cross reminds us of our frailties, and that makes us a little more compassionate to others. And then the risen Christ starts leading us.
Mark E.
John 18:1--19:42
Robert Gates was Secretary of Defense during the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. During that time he oversaw two wars, one in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan. He realized that both wars had taken longer, cost more money, and taken more American lives than previously anticipated. From this experience, he concluded that “I will always be an advocate in terms of wars of necessity. I am just much more cautious on wars of choice.”
Application: When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane he had a difficult choice to make. We too will find ourselves in the garden of Gethsemane, with equally difficult life decisions. Let us hope that we decide wisely with our decisions based on the will of God.
Ron L.
