Sermon Illustrations For Good Friday (2020)
Illustration
Psalm 22
This psalm is quoted by Jesus as he was nailed to the cross dying at the hands of the oppressors and the fearful. We only hear the first verse from the lips of Jesus. Yet, if we read the entire Psalm, we realize it moves from lament to praise. “in the midst of the congregation I will praise you” (verse 22, NRSV). There is the indication in the recitation of Jesus that the whole of the psalm could be on his lips. In moments of difficulty, it is difficult, if not impossible, to offer praise. Yet, neurologists tell us that changing our thoughts can change our biological response to challenges and even illness. So, this day, like Jesus, I will offer a cry of lament and a song of praise, for I know that God is here, present with me in all my circumstance. May I have the strength to do so.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Empathy is walking in someone else’s shoes, experiencing emotions like the other experiences. Sociologist Herbert Spencer has proposed that empathy served an adaptive function and aided in the survival of human beings. For empathy leads to helping behavior, which benefits social relationships. And we are naturally social creatures. When people experience empathy, they are more likely to engage in pro-social behaviors. This social scientific data bears out what American actor Max Carver says: “Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It's the impetus for creating change.”
The amazing word of this lesson, of Good Friday, is that the Suffering Servant (Jesus) is not someone like Sheldon on “The Big Bang Theory,” not someone who wants to empathize but doesn’t do it very well. No, Jesus is empathy! He’s walked in our shoes. In Christ, God knows what it is like to suffer, to bear our infirmities, ups and downs. Martin Luther nicely summarized the powerful message of this lesson, of this day:
Therefore the prophet leads us so earnestly beyond all righteousness and our rational capacity and confronts us with the suffering of Christ to impress upon us that all that Christ has is mine. (Luther’s Works, Vol.17, p.221)
Mark E.
* * *
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Our Suffering Servants
As we continue to languish in this time of Covid-19, I spend most of my days trying to calm my anxiety, or overwhelmed with rage. On April 2, The Atlantic published an article by Vann R. Newkirk, II, titled “The Coronavirus’s Unique Threat to the South.” The article reports that 1 in 10 Covid-19 deaths in the United States comes from just four states: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. In addition, these states also make up the bulk of Covid-19 deaths of younger individuals (under 70 years old). For example, in Georgia, people under 70 years old account for 49% of Covid-19 deaths, while Colorado reports that only 20% of their Covid-19 deaths are patients under the age of 70.
Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, in a conversation with Joe Rogan explains that the unusually high death rate in New Orleans can be attributed to “lots of people living in extreme poverty. And poverty is very linked to diabetes and hypertension. And we know that diabetes and hypertension is a big risk factor for death so New Orleans is getting hit twice: One, because the health system is getting overwhelmed and second, I think you have a lot of African-Americans living in extreme poverty with underlying diabetes and hypertension.”
What makes me so angry is that poverty in the South — and especially racialized poverty — is the result of deliberate public policy. As Newkirk writes in his article: “Health disparities tend to track both race and poverty, and the states in the old domain of Jim Crow have pursued policies that ensure those disparities endure. The South is the poorest region in the country. The poor, black, Latino, or rural residents who make up large shares of southern populations tend to lack access to high-quality doctors and care…Advocates have drawn attention to the extreme vulnerability of people in prison to the coronavirus — and the South incarcerates a larger proportion of its population than anywhere else in the United States.”
Isaiah writes of the Suffering Servant (53:3-5):
He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him of no account.
Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
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.
One day, this pandemic will end, but when it does it will be at the disproportionate cost of the most vulnerable — and, let’s face it, some of the most politically screwed-over — people in our nation. What scientists will learn from these “people of suffering…acquainted with infirmity” will allow them to develop the equipment, medicines, and vaccines to make Covid-19 fade into nothing more than a bad memory. When that day comes, let us never forget who bore the brunt of that suffering, upon whom “was the punishment that made us whole.”
As we remember, today, the one who hung on a cross — the one who suffered so that we might be saved and given life — let us never forget the ones, today, we nail to crosses so that we might live.
M T.
* * *
Hebrews 10:16-25
John Dyer, a Welsh poet and pastor from the 1700s once wrote, “A man may go to Heaven without health, without riches, without honors, without learning, without friends; but he can never go there without Christ.” Today our world is filled with people who are seeking some other way to God than the one found in the blood of Jesus, but all such efforts are doomed to failure.
It’s all about the blood. We have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus (vs. 19). Saved by blood. It sounds a bit odd; I know. However, for the people who’ve written testimonies on the American Red Cross website, it’s anything but strange. A woman named Amy wrote about her open-heart surgery. She’d gone through the process to donate her own blood, so if everything went as it was supposed to, all would be fine. It didn’t. The surgery had complications and more blood was needed, much more. She said, “There was a lot of waiting and praying. If it wasn't for the actions of the Red Cross and those who donated blood I wouldn't be here today.”
We can be in the presence of God because of Jesus’ blood shed on this day many years ago. “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
Bill T.
* * *
Hebrews 10:16-25
Celine Dion was married to her husband, Rene Agnelli, for 21 years when he died on January 14, 2016. They met when she was a 12-year-old singer, and he became her manager. They later married, and he continued to manage her career. Despite their 25-year age difference, it was a very loving and committed relationship. Together they had three children. Agnelli was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 1999, and was successfully treated. But then in 2014 it returned, and this time it was terminal. As the disease continued to ravage the body of her husband Dion said after his death, “We were living in hope, knowing that there’s no hope.”
Ron L.
* * *
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
I’m not sure there’s much in common between Hebrews and Habakkuk other than beginning with the letter H in English translation, but the latter book came to mind as I perused this lectionary scripture.
In the first chapter Habakkuk complains to God that there’s rampant injustice. How long, the prophet grouses, must we wait for an absent God to take notice and do something about it. When God answers, Habakkuk is even more alarmed. God’s response is that he’s sending the Babylonians to destroy everyone. They devour nations whole. This will solve the problem of injustice in Judean society.
To which the prophet replies: God, you’re immortal. You sit on high and this sort of thing doesn’t matter to you. But we live down here. You don’t know what it’s like down here.
Yes, God does. At least now. This passage from Hebrews reminds us of the humanity of the divine Christ. This passage is our assurance that, thanks to the experience of the incarnation, God can truly say, “Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.” Unlike some deity looking down from Mount Olympus, God has shared our sorrows and our trials. Jesus learned obedience through suffering. No longer do we have a high priest who doesn’t know what it’s like to be hungry. Now we can approach the throne of grace with boldness. We will see an understanding face on the one seated on the throne.
Frank R.
* * *
John 18:1--19:42
What Are You Afraid Of?
In the past, I had some rather severe challenges with anxiety. I had regular panic attacks and was prescribed medication. During my treatment, my therapist encouraged me to try to understand my anxiety, rather than automatically labelling it as a problem or a flaw. “What does your anxiety do for you? How has your anxiety been useful for you?” She asked me. After spending some time in thought, I explained that my anxiety would keep me on my toes and motivated to work. By remaining constantly worried that I might fail, I was able to push myself and succeed in my career.
“So, are you afraid that if you stopped being anxious, you would just stop trying and slack off?” She asked.
“I suppose…” I began.
“…Or, are you afraid that maybe your ability to succeed has nothing to do with your anxiety — that maybe you have managed to succeed thus far because you are already capable of succeeding? What are you more afraid of — that without your anxiety you’d slack off, or that you’d have to acknowledge that you’d always been able to do it?”
I still remember freezing in my tracks. I felt as if the world revolved around me and the fabric of my reality was unravelling. What was I actually afraid of? Was I afraid that without the unforgiving taskmaster of anxiety, I would never achieve anything, or was I more afraid that I had never needed that taskmaster to begin with?
John’s account of Pilate before the crowd is more elaborated on than the other gospels. A detail unique to John is when Pilate declares, “Behold Your King!” (19:14). The chief priests answer “We have no king but the emperor” (15). A central tenet of messianic prophecy is that the Messiah will come and free the people from the oppression of earthly powers, like the emperor. Yet, the chief priests decided to crucify this unknown hope for freedom and, instead, submit themselves to an oppressor whom they knew.
It is easy to scoff at the ignorance and hubris of these priests, but when I recall my struggle with anxiety, I think I can understand them. For many people who suffer from mental illness, the idea of not having the mental illness can be terrifying. Sometimes, the illness becomes such an integral part of one’s identity, that recovery can almost feel like becoming a totally different person. The fear of the unknown — even an unknown that promises to be filled with happiness, joy, and freedom — can be so scary.
It can sometimes take an enormous leap of faith to believe that life can be better. As we await that glorious moment, let’s not forget to honor and appreciate how difficult that leap can be.
M T.
* * *
John 18:1--19:42
How could he?! How could Judas betray his friend and mentor? How could Peter deny even knowing the one who had called him the rock on which the church would be built? How could most of his friends have run away? How could the church leaders have abandoned him? Each year as I read this passage, all the times I have felt betrayed, abandoned, and denied, come rolling back over me like a steamroller on the pavement. If I dwell in that place, I cease to function. I become flattened by anger, pain, and hopelessness. Yet, Jesus was not hopeless! Jesus did not succumb to fear, anger, or hate. Jesus stayed the example of love and care, even for his enemies, that he had always been. Oh, that I had that strength! And in those moments, I remember that I do have that strength — not on my own — but in the company of Jesus! Help me, God, Holy Spirit, Savior, to draw on your strength as I am injured, deserted and denied, so I may be more like Jesus.
Bonnie B.
* * *
John 18:1--19:42
A 2017 Pew Research Center poll found that 52% of American Protestants and 81% of Catholics believe that we are good enough to earn heaven by works, not just through Christ. This story of Peter in this Lesson, the entire commemoration of Good Friday, challenges such false optimism.
They direct us to learn what John Calvin once said these accounts teach:
Christ condemns every thing that men dare to attempt of their own fancy... let us learn that our zeal will succeed ill... (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVIII/1, pp.194-195)
On Good Friday, Calvin adds, “Christ was stripped of His garments, that He might clothe us with righteousness.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVIII/1, p.230) Martin Luther says much the same:
But Christ takes our place and innocently endures death, terror, and hell, so that through Him and in Him we escape all this. Through His undeserved and innocent death He saves us from the rightful death which we deserved, that is, from sins whereby we merited death and hell. (Complete Sermons, Vol.5, pp.402-403)
Famed modern theologian Karl Barth noted that the human situation has been altered by Christ.
Our fate is decided (Church Dogmatics, Vol.IV/1, pp.281f.). Since the first Easter, human life has been an afterthought, a time for play, because we will not change things with God with all our “good deeds,” accomplishments, and religiosity. Life’s not so serious anymore.
Mark E.
This psalm is quoted by Jesus as he was nailed to the cross dying at the hands of the oppressors and the fearful. We only hear the first verse from the lips of Jesus. Yet, if we read the entire Psalm, we realize it moves from lament to praise. “in the midst of the congregation I will praise you” (verse 22, NRSV). There is the indication in the recitation of Jesus that the whole of the psalm could be on his lips. In moments of difficulty, it is difficult, if not impossible, to offer praise. Yet, neurologists tell us that changing our thoughts can change our biological response to challenges and even illness. So, this day, like Jesus, I will offer a cry of lament and a song of praise, for I know that God is here, present with me in all my circumstance. May I have the strength to do so.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Empathy is walking in someone else’s shoes, experiencing emotions like the other experiences. Sociologist Herbert Spencer has proposed that empathy served an adaptive function and aided in the survival of human beings. For empathy leads to helping behavior, which benefits social relationships. And we are naturally social creatures. When people experience empathy, they are more likely to engage in pro-social behaviors. This social scientific data bears out what American actor Max Carver says: “Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It's the impetus for creating change.”
The amazing word of this lesson, of Good Friday, is that the Suffering Servant (Jesus) is not someone like Sheldon on “The Big Bang Theory,” not someone who wants to empathize but doesn’t do it very well. No, Jesus is empathy! He’s walked in our shoes. In Christ, God knows what it is like to suffer, to bear our infirmities, ups and downs. Martin Luther nicely summarized the powerful message of this lesson, of this day:
Therefore the prophet leads us so earnestly beyond all righteousness and our rational capacity and confronts us with the suffering of Christ to impress upon us that all that Christ has is mine. (Luther’s Works, Vol.17, p.221)
Mark E.
* * *
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Our Suffering Servants
As we continue to languish in this time of Covid-19, I spend most of my days trying to calm my anxiety, or overwhelmed with rage. On April 2, The Atlantic published an article by Vann R. Newkirk, II, titled “The Coronavirus’s Unique Threat to the South.” The article reports that 1 in 10 Covid-19 deaths in the United States comes from just four states: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. In addition, these states also make up the bulk of Covid-19 deaths of younger individuals (under 70 years old). For example, in Georgia, people under 70 years old account for 49% of Covid-19 deaths, while Colorado reports that only 20% of their Covid-19 deaths are patients under the age of 70.
Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, in a conversation with Joe Rogan explains that the unusually high death rate in New Orleans can be attributed to “lots of people living in extreme poverty. And poverty is very linked to diabetes and hypertension. And we know that diabetes and hypertension is a big risk factor for death so New Orleans is getting hit twice: One, because the health system is getting overwhelmed and second, I think you have a lot of African-Americans living in extreme poverty with underlying diabetes and hypertension.”
What makes me so angry is that poverty in the South — and especially racialized poverty — is the result of deliberate public policy. As Newkirk writes in his article: “Health disparities tend to track both race and poverty, and the states in the old domain of Jim Crow have pursued policies that ensure those disparities endure. The South is the poorest region in the country. The poor, black, Latino, or rural residents who make up large shares of southern populations tend to lack access to high-quality doctors and care…Advocates have drawn attention to the extreme vulnerability of people in prison to the coronavirus — and the South incarcerates a larger proportion of its population than anywhere else in the United States.”
Isaiah writes of the Suffering Servant (53:3-5):
He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him of no account.
Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
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.
One day, this pandemic will end, but when it does it will be at the disproportionate cost of the most vulnerable — and, let’s face it, some of the most politically screwed-over — people in our nation. What scientists will learn from these “people of suffering…acquainted with infirmity” will allow them to develop the equipment, medicines, and vaccines to make Covid-19 fade into nothing more than a bad memory. When that day comes, let us never forget who bore the brunt of that suffering, upon whom “was the punishment that made us whole.”
As we remember, today, the one who hung on a cross — the one who suffered so that we might be saved and given life — let us never forget the ones, today, we nail to crosses so that we might live.
M T.
* * *
Hebrews 10:16-25
John Dyer, a Welsh poet and pastor from the 1700s once wrote, “A man may go to Heaven without health, without riches, without honors, without learning, without friends; but he can never go there without Christ.” Today our world is filled with people who are seeking some other way to God than the one found in the blood of Jesus, but all such efforts are doomed to failure.
It’s all about the blood. We have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus (vs. 19). Saved by blood. It sounds a bit odd; I know. However, for the people who’ve written testimonies on the American Red Cross website, it’s anything but strange. A woman named Amy wrote about her open-heart surgery. She’d gone through the process to donate her own blood, so if everything went as it was supposed to, all would be fine. It didn’t. The surgery had complications and more blood was needed, much more. She said, “There was a lot of waiting and praying. If it wasn't for the actions of the Red Cross and those who donated blood I wouldn't be here today.”
We can be in the presence of God because of Jesus’ blood shed on this day many years ago. “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
Bill T.
* * *
Hebrews 10:16-25
Celine Dion was married to her husband, Rene Agnelli, for 21 years when he died on January 14, 2016. They met when she was a 12-year-old singer, and he became her manager. They later married, and he continued to manage her career. Despite their 25-year age difference, it was a very loving and committed relationship. Together they had three children. Agnelli was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 1999, and was successfully treated. But then in 2014 it returned, and this time it was terminal. As the disease continued to ravage the body of her husband Dion said after his death, “We were living in hope, knowing that there’s no hope.”
Ron L.
* * *
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
I’m not sure there’s much in common between Hebrews and Habakkuk other than beginning with the letter H in English translation, but the latter book came to mind as I perused this lectionary scripture.
In the first chapter Habakkuk complains to God that there’s rampant injustice. How long, the prophet grouses, must we wait for an absent God to take notice and do something about it. When God answers, Habakkuk is even more alarmed. God’s response is that he’s sending the Babylonians to destroy everyone. They devour nations whole. This will solve the problem of injustice in Judean society.
To which the prophet replies: God, you’re immortal. You sit on high and this sort of thing doesn’t matter to you. But we live down here. You don’t know what it’s like down here.
Yes, God does. At least now. This passage from Hebrews reminds us of the humanity of the divine Christ. This passage is our assurance that, thanks to the experience of the incarnation, God can truly say, “Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.” Unlike some deity looking down from Mount Olympus, God has shared our sorrows and our trials. Jesus learned obedience through suffering. No longer do we have a high priest who doesn’t know what it’s like to be hungry. Now we can approach the throne of grace with boldness. We will see an understanding face on the one seated on the throne.
Frank R.
* * *
John 18:1--19:42
What Are You Afraid Of?
In the past, I had some rather severe challenges with anxiety. I had regular panic attacks and was prescribed medication. During my treatment, my therapist encouraged me to try to understand my anxiety, rather than automatically labelling it as a problem or a flaw. “What does your anxiety do for you? How has your anxiety been useful for you?” She asked me. After spending some time in thought, I explained that my anxiety would keep me on my toes and motivated to work. By remaining constantly worried that I might fail, I was able to push myself and succeed in my career.
“So, are you afraid that if you stopped being anxious, you would just stop trying and slack off?” She asked.
“I suppose…” I began.
“…Or, are you afraid that maybe your ability to succeed has nothing to do with your anxiety — that maybe you have managed to succeed thus far because you are already capable of succeeding? What are you more afraid of — that without your anxiety you’d slack off, or that you’d have to acknowledge that you’d always been able to do it?”
I still remember freezing in my tracks. I felt as if the world revolved around me and the fabric of my reality was unravelling. What was I actually afraid of? Was I afraid that without the unforgiving taskmaster of anxiety, I would never achieve anything, or was I more afraid that I had never needed that taskmaster to begin with?
John’s account of Pilate before the crowd is more elaborated on than the other gospels. A detail unique to John is when Pilate declares, “Behold Your King!” (19:14). The chief priests answer “We have no king but the emperor” (15). A central tenet of messianic prophecy is that the Messiah will come and free the people from the oppression of earthly powers, like the emperor. Yet, the chief priests decided to crucify this unknown hope for freedom and, instead, submit themselves to an oppressor whom they knew.
It is easy to scoff at the ignorance and hubris of these priests, but when I recall my struggle with anxiety, I think I can understand them. For many people who suffer from mental illness, the idea of not having the mental illness can be terrifying. Sometimes, the illness becomes such an integral part of one’s identity, that recovery can almost feel like becoming a totally different person. The fear of the unknown — even an unknown that promises to be filled with happiness, joy, and freedom — can be so scary.
It can sometimes take an enormous leap of faith to believe that life can be better. As we await that glorious moment, let’s not forget to honor and appreciate how difficult that leap can be.
M T.
* * *
John 18:1--19:42
How could he?! How could Judas betray his friend and mentor? How could Peter deny even knowing the one who had called him the rock on which the church would be built? How could most of his friends have run away? How could the church leaders have abandoned him? Each year as I read this passage, all the times I have felt betrayed, abandoned, and denied, come rolling back over me like a steamroller on the pavement. If I dwell in that place, I cease to function. I become flattened by anger, pain, and hopelessness. Yet, Jesus was not hopeless! Jesus did not succumb to fear, anger, or hate. Jesus stayed the example of love and care, even for his enemies, that he had always been. Oh, that I had that strength! And in those moments, I remember that I do have that strength — not on my own — but in the company of Jesus! Help me, God, Holy Spirit, Savior, to draw on your strength as I am injured, deserted and denied, so I may be more like Jesus.
Bonnie B.
* * *
John 18:1--19:42
A 2017 Pew Research Center poll found that 52% of American Protestants and 81% of Catholics believe that we are good enough to earn heaven by works, not just through Christ. This story of Peter in this Lesson, the entire commemoration of Good Friday, challenges such false optimism.
They direct us to learn what John Calvin once said these accounts teach:
Christ condemns every thing that men dare to attempt of their own fancy... let us learn that our zeal will succeed ill... (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVIII/1, pp.194-195)
On Good Friday, Calvin adds, “Christ was stripped of His garments, that He might clothe us with righteousness.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVIII/1, p.230) Martin Luther says much the same:
But Christ takes our place and innocently endures death, terror, and hell, so that through Him and in Him we escape all this. Through His undeserved and innocent death He saves us from the rightful death which we deserved, that is, from sins whereby we merited death and hell. (Complete Sermons, Vol.5, pp.402-403)
Famed modern theologian Karl Barth noted that the human situation has been altered by Christ.
Our fate is decided (Church Dogmatics, Vol.IV/1, pp.281f.). Since the first Easter, human life has been an afterthought, a time for play, because we will not change things with God with all our “good deeds,” accomplishments, and religiosity. Life’s not so serious anymore.
Mark E.
