Sermon Illustrations for Good Friday (2022)
Illustration
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
Commenting on this text, John Calvin offers some compelling contrasts to explain Christ’s work on the cross:
In our ourselves we are scattered; in Christ we are gathered together. By nature, we go astray, and are driven headlong into destruction; in Christ we find the course by which we are conducted to the harbor of salvation. Our sins are a heavy load; but they are laid on Christ, by whom we are freed from the load. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVIII/2, p.118)
Concerning Christ’s role as a servant described in this text, Martin Luther writes:
For how amazing it is that the Son of God becomes my servant,... that he cumbers himself with my misery, yes with the sin and death of the entire world! He says to me, “You are no longer a sinner, but I am your substitute. You have not sinned, but I have.” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 22, pp.166-167)
In the same spirit, the first reformer gives advice on how to live with this insight:
Our nature is opposed to the function and power of Christ’s passion... We must clearly transfer our sins from ourselves to Christ... Hence you must say: “I see my sin in Christ, therefore my sin is not mine but another’s. I see it in Christ. (Luther’s Works, Vol.17, p. 223)
Mark E.
* * *
Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9
Hebrews 10:19,22 — “Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus….let us approach with a true heart….” I don’t know about you, but it can be uncomfortable, even intimidating, to enter any place for the first time.
Think about it. When there’s a new restaurant in town, don’t we usually recruit someone when we visit it for the first time? Who wants to go alone? We don’t know the rules. We don’t know the menu. We don’t know if we’re welcome. We don’t know if we’re the wrong social class. What if we mispronounce the dishes on the menu? What if we don’t know how to eat the food that’s put before us without looking like a dope? It’s almost like there is a physical barrier, even though all we came to do was eat lunch.
The temple had strong barriers that were hard to overcome emotionally. There was the court of the Gentiles, the women’s court, the men’s court, the sanctuary, and the inner sanctuary. Are we sure we’re welcome in the next level? Even if we were a pilgrim to Jerusalem, fully entitled to worship and sacrifice, do we really want to make it clear we’re an Okie from Muskogee trying to navigate Paris, France?
The author of this letter is suggesting that Jesus is our good friend who is helping us set foot past the door of new life for the first time.
All this is preluded to remind ourselves that it’s up to us to help newcomers feel comfortable, to be the presence of Jesus, when they visit our church for the first time. Yes, I know we think of ourselves as a friendly church, but often that means we talk to our friends and ignore people we don’t know. It takes courage for someone to enter our doors without for the first time without already knowing someone there. Jesus is the pathfinder who helps us step boldly in God’s presence (not as easy as you think if you remember Isaiah 6), and we are ambassadors for Christ when we step forward and make someone feel welcome without overwhelming them.
Frank R.
* * *
Hebrews 10:16-25
Like a lot of others, I am a fan of C.S. Lewis. I like almost all his books but am especially fond of The Chronicles of Narnia series. My favorite in that series is The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. There’s a powerful scene, among many, in that story the resonates with me still. Aslan, the great lion, willingly died for all of Narnia. Of his own free will, he laid down his life before the evil White Witch. In both the book and the movie, this is an incredibly moving scene. It seems as if all is lost and the cold, harshness of the White Witch has won. That’s not where the story ends. While Lucy and Susan wept bitterly over Aslan, something miraculous and completely unthinkable takes place. As the sun begins to rise from the darkness of night, the stone altar that Aslan’s body is still resting on breaks in half and the great lion is resurrected.
The breaking of the stone table or altar is a powerful and amazing image. In many ways, I believe, it represents what the Hebrew writer notes in this passage. The way to God has been opened. The curtain has been torn. Through the blood of Jesus, the way to God is restored.
Bill T.
* * *
John 18:1-19, 31b-35
The French existential philosopher Albert Camus offered a characterization of western society in his day which is still valid in explaining why we need Christ to die for our sins:
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)
Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) offers a thoughtful insight about Christ’s work on the cross:
In the Bible, the cross does not appear as part of a mechanism of injured right [God demanding a sacrifice]; on the contrary, in the Bible the cross is quite the reverse; it is the expression of the radical nature of the love that gives itself completely, of the process in which one is what one does and does what one is; it is the expression of a life that is completely being for others. (Introduction To Christianity, p. 282)
Famed medieval Catholic monk Ignatius of Loyola offered a prayer that help us appreciate what Christ’s crucifixion can do for us in everyday life:
Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Body of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O Good Jesus, hear me. Within thy wounds hide me. Permit me not to be separated from thee. From the wicked foe defend me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within your wounds hide me. Permit me not to be separated from you. From the wicked foe, defend me. At the hour of my death, call me and bid me come to you that with your saints I may praise you forever and ever. Amen.
Mark E.
Commenting on this text, John Calvin offers some compelling contrasts to explain Christ’s work on the cross:
In our ourselves we are scattered; in Christ we are gathered together. By nature, we go astray, and are driven headlong into destruction; in Christ we find the course by which we are conducted to the harbor of salvation. Our sins are a heavy load; but they are laid on Christ, by whom we are freed from the load. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVIII/2, p.118)
Concerning Christ’s role as a servant described in this text, Martin Luther writes:
For how amazing it is that the Son of God becomes my servant,... that he cumbers himself with my misery, yes with the sin and death of the entire world! He says to me, “You are no longer a sinner, but I am your substitute. You have not sinned, but I have.” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 22, pp.166-167)
In the same spirit, the first reformer gives advice on how to live with this insight:
Our nature is opposed to the function and power of Christ’s passion... We must clearly transfer our sins from ourselves to Christ... Hence you must say: “I see my sin in Christ, therefore my sin is not mine but another’s. I see it in Christ. (Luther’s Works, Vol.17, p. 223)
Mark E.
* * *
Hebrews 10:16-25 or Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9
Hebrews 10:19,22 — “Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus….let us approach with a true heart….” I don’t know about you, but it can be uncomfortable, even intimidating, to enter any place for the first time.
Think about it. When there’s a new restaurant in town, don’t we usually recruit someone when we visit it for the first time? Who wants to go alone? We don’t know the rules. We don’t know the menu. We don’t know if we’re welcome. We don’t know if we’re the wrong social class. What if we mispronounce the dishes on the menu? What if we don’t know how to eat the food that’s put before us without looking like a dope? It’s almost like there is a physical barrier, even though all we came to do was eat lunch.
The temple had strong barriers that were hard to overcome emotionally. There was the court of the Gentiles, the women’s court, the men’s court, the sanctuary, and the inner sanctuary. Are we sure we’re welcome in the next level? Even if we were a pilgrim to Jerusalem, fully entitled to worship and sacrifice, do we really want to make it clear we’re an Okie from Muskogee trying to navigate Paris, France?
The author of this letter is suggesting that Jesus is our good friend who is helping us set foot past the door of new life for the first time.
All this is preluded to remind ourselves that it’s up to us to help newcomers feel comfortable, to be the presence of Jesus, when they visit our church for the first time. Yes, I know we think of ourselves as a friendly church, but often that means we talk to our friends and ignore people we don’t know. It takes courage for someone to enter our doors without for the first time without already knowing someone there. Jesus is the pathfinder who helps us step boldly in God’s presence (not as easy as you think if you remember Isaiah 6), and we are ambassadors for Christ when we step forward and make someone feel welcome without overwhelming them.
Frank R.
* * *
Hebrews 10:16-25
Like a lot of others, I am a fan of C.S. Lewis. I like almost all his books but am especially fond of The Chronicles of Narnia series. My favorite in that series is The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. There’s a powerful scene, among many, in that story the resonates with me still. Aslan, the great lion, willingly died for all of Narnia. Of his own free will, he laid down his life before the evil White Witch. In both the book and the movie, this is an incredibly moving scene. It seems as if all is lost and the cold, harshness of the White Witch has won. That’s not where the story ends. While Lucy and Susan wept bitterly over Aslan, something miraculous and completely unthinkable takes place. As the sun begins to rise from the darkness of night, the stone altar that Aslan’s body is still resting on breaks in half and the great lion is resurrected.
The breaking of the stone table or altar is a powerful and amazing image. In many ways, I believe, it represents what the Hebrew writer notes in this passage. The way to God has been opened. The curtain has been torn. Through the blood of Jesus, the way to God is restored.
Bill T.
* * *
John 18:1-19, 31b-35
The French existential philosopher Albert Camus offered a characterization of western society in his day which is still valid in explaining why we need Christ to die for our sins:
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)
Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) offers a thoughtful insight about Christ’s work on the cross:
In the Bible, the cross does not appear as part of a mechanism of injured right [God demanding a sacrifice]; on the contrary, in the Bible the cross is quite the reverse; it is the expression of the radical nature of the love that gives itself completely, of the process in which one is what one does and does what one is; it is the expression of a life that is completely being for others. (Introduction To Christianity, p. 282)
Famed medieval Catholic monk Ignatius of Loyola offered a prayer that help us appreciate what Christ’s crucifixion can do for us in everyday life:
Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Body of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O Good Jesus, hear me. Within thy wounds hide me. Permit me not to be separated from thee. From the wicked foe defend me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O good Jesus, hear me. Within your wounds hide me. Permit me not to be separated from you. From the wicked foe, defend me. At the hour of my death, call me and bid me come to you that with your saints I may praise you forever and ever. Amen.
Mark E.
