Sermon Illustrations for Palm/Passion Sunday (2025)
Illustration
Isaiah 50:4-9
A magician makes a magic trick more impressive by making things more difficult on themselves. S/he will be blindfolded or have their hands tied behind their back. They’ll have a volunteer from the audience sign their name to a card, so they’ll know it’s really the one. All of these obstacles make a successful trick that much more impressive.
There have been lots of people who claim to be psychics, mystics, and prophets who have announced their predictions of the future. A close look at these predictions reveals how vague they are. Almost anything that happens could fit into what was said.
God is different. When God gives insight to Old Testament prophets about who the Messiah is going to be and what he is going to do, he is very specific. The precise nature of the prophecies indicate that not just anyone could claim to be the Messiah.
Isaiah 50:4-9 is one of the four servant songs. The protagonist in these well-known poetic texts is a nameless servant, whom some scholars have identified as either a particular individual or collective Israel. Others argue that, for the early Christians, the identity of the servant in the “servant songs” is clear. It is a reference to Jesus. If it does refer to Jesus (as I think it does), then the prophetic statements are specific, and demonstrate that Jesus really is who he claims to be. Jay Sekulow once said after spending time in the Word of God, “As I read, my suspicion that Jesus might really be the Messiah was confirmed.”
Bill T.
* * *
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Americans are tired/weary. Tired of all the political tussles, the rising prices, and the feeling that with all our wheel-spinning we are not getting anywhere. After all, the church is going nowhere in most places. While commenting on this text, John Calvin predicted this. It is a word we associate with Lent. He wrote:
The faithful servants of God… cannot escape this condition, but must endure fights, reproaches, hatred, slanders, and various attacks from adversaries… Let them, therefore, arm themselves with steadfastness and faith. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. VIII/2, pp.55-56)
Commenting on the text, Martin Luther offered a similar, even more expressly comforting word. He commented:
He brings it about that we consider it of no consequence, even though the whole world contends against us…
He then proceeds to refer to the word “on which we many stand firm against all insults.” (Luther’s Works, Vol.17, p.195) This word, when we are rooted in it, saturates the brain with the brain chemical dopamine, and studies have shown that this chemical energizes us to undertake activities, protects us from burn out (Ben Ahrens, “How To Reset Dopamine Levels and Overcome Burnout;” Dean Hamer, The God Gene, pp.72ff.).
Mark E.
* * *
Isaiah 50:4-9a
This is one of the suffering servant passages found in this section of Isaiah, and it is very appropriate for use on this, the Passion Sunday, when knowing the meaning of scripture was essential to the words of Jesus during his trial and from the cross.
I have a couple of well-worn Bibles in my car to take with me on pastoral calls at the hospital or home visits because, despite the fact that after 45 years of pastoral ministry I can usually find my way through those Bibles to find a passage that’s wanted, it’s good to have a Bible that looks like a well-used Bible in your hand. However, when no one’s looking, I have to admit I love having several biblical translations on my phone that are immediately searchable. I’m spoiled.
Until relatively recently a good disciple carried their Bible in their head. Access to printed Bibles were available only relatively recently, and those first printed Bibles were unbelievably bulky. Before that for most of believer’s history, there was no ready access to scrolls, codices, and papyrus rolls.
Yeah, I know about that Ethiopian eunuch, but that Isaiah scroll he owned and read while riding in a chariot reading was bulky and hard to manage. And he was an exception, an outlier. He was unbelievably rich. Disciples were poor.
So when Isaiah speaks through the mouth of the suffering servant in this passage he begins with a very rare word in Hebrew that might be translated “disciple,” as in “The Lord Yahweh has given me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to answer the weary….he awakens my hear to listen as disciples do.” (50:4, translated by John L. McKenzie, Second Isaiah, Anchor Bible). The NRSVue speaks of having been given “a trained tongue” as well as an “ear to listen as those who are taught.”
What this refers to is the fact that one trained to listen as a disciple has learned to memorize great swaths of scripture, most likely the law and the prophets in their entirety. Memorization was key in an era before ready access even to hand-copied scriptures. And whether or not one has memorized scripture or can navigate a digital bible on their phone, we who suffer for the benefit of others, bearing and sharing their burdens, can indeed lift the spirits and “sustain the weary with a word.”
Frank R.
* * *
Philippians 2:5-11
Life often does not turn out the way we planned or thought it would go. Paul reminds us here that Jesus’ life went against the grain in this way — the God who empties himself and dies. Just the opposite from the way we would ordinarily expect that story to turn out.
Mark E.
* * *
Philippians 2:5-11
Jesus went to the cross willingly — not as a part of the original plan — any more than our fallen human nature was a part of God’s plan. We human beings mess it up often. We act in sin, in ways that separate us from the love and guidance of God. We don’t seem to be able to turn to God first, to exalt God in our actions, or to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Unlike Jesus, in our humanness we rarely empty ourselves and become obedient. Even when we try, we can mess it up. And yet there is a reason we strive to follow Jesus. We want to be the people God created us to be, faithful and faith filled. God created us to be loving and compassionate. Even though we fail often, God continues to call us. We continue to see Jesus as the example to follow. We continue to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to move forward, step by step, day by day. That is the grace of God I cling to.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Luke 22:14--23:56 or Luke 23:1-49
Pilate seems to have been wary of this odd insistence by religious and political authorities in Jerusalem that he condemn Jesus to death. Judean authorities had the right to execute people for breaking religious laws. What did they care if a rabble rouser was telling people they didn’t have to pay taxes to Caesar? Certainly it was Pilate’s responsibility to maintain peace in the territories under his authority, to see that laws were obeyed and taxes paid, but something about this whole matter seemed fishy.
The moment Pilate hears from the religious authorities that Jesus began his ministry in Galilee, he sees a glimmer of hope – to be excused from making a difficult decision. If this Jesus is a Galilean, then, he’s really Herod’s problem.
As it turned out, this provided only a temporary reprieve. Jesus was soon sent back for trial and sentencing. But it reminds me how so often we may recognize there is a problem or a situation that requires to make a choice, to respond, and to act – but if we can only figure out a reason to assert this is not our problem so we can wash our hands of is precisely the sort of situation Jesus expects us to be a part of.
Frank R.
* * *
Luke 22:14--23:56
In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, each district sends a randomly selected tribute to fight to the death in an arena-style reality show. The winning district receives some extra food. When her younger sister is selected, In District 12, Kantiss Everdeen’s sister Prim is chosen. Katniss is horrified, so she volunteers to go. This sacrificial act became the central focus of the book series.
Jerry Bridges once said, “If we want proof of God’s love for us, then we must look first at the cross where God offered up his son as a sacrifice for our sins. Calvary is the one objective, absolute, irrefutable proof of God’s love for us.” Nothing is more important than the sacrifice of Jesus.
In the narrative of the passion of Jesus, there is one verse that summarizes the events of that Friday a long time ago. It simply says, “When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left” (vs. 33). It is a simple, declarative sentence, but in its words are the greatest truth ever known to humanity. God’s love is captured in that sentence.
Love is demonstrated by sacrifice. We see that in the fictional Hunger Games stories, and we know it in the person of Jesus. “Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so.” We learn it as kids. May we never outgrow it.
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 22:14--23:56
The telling of this part of Jesus’ life, death, and ministry never ceases to hurt me. How can those who loved Jesus, who followed him, who he taught and healed, who ate and drank with him, abandon him? How could a community that celebrated Jesus on one day, condemn him on the next? Jesus sat at the Passover table with his friends, shared a meal with them, blessed them — even Judas who would betray him, even Peter who would deny him, even the others who would abandon him — shared in this meal and this celebration. Jesus turned none of them away.
Someone asked me a question recently about how I can silence the voices of the world when injustice comes — or do I simply believe that injustice is God’s will? To the second part of that question, I shout a resounding “no!” God’s will is not turned toward injustice. Our will can be turned toward injustice. Our will can be turned toward betrayal, anger, hate, spite, or revenge. God’s will is turned toward love, toward compassion, toward living and dying with us in the face of hate. I do not believe that Jesus died because of God’s will. I believe Jesus went compassionately and sacrificially to his death to show us how important love, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness are. Nothing was or is more important.
Bonnie B.
A magician makes a magic trick more impressive by making things more difficult on themselves. S/he will be blindfolded or have their hands tied behind their back. They’ll have a volunteer from the audience sign their name to a card, so they’ll know it’s really the one. All of these obstacles make a successful trick that much more impressive.
There have been lots of people who claim to be psychics, mystics, and prophets who have announced their predictions of the future. A close look at these predictions reveals how vague they are. Almost anything that happens could fit into what was said.
God is different. When God gives insight to Old Testament prophets about who the Messiah is going to be and what he is going to do, he is very specific. The precise nature of the prophecies indicate that not just anyone could claim to be the Messiah.
Isaiah 50:4-9 is one of the four servant songs. The protagonist in these well-known poetic texts is a nameless servant, whom some scholars have identified as either a particular individual or collective Israel. Others argue that, for the early Christians, the identity of the servant in the “servant songs” is clear. It is a reference to Jesus. If it does refer to Jesus (as I think it does), then the prophetic statements are specific, and demonstrate that Jesus really is who he claims to be. Jay Sekulow once said after spending time in the Word of God, “As I read, my suspicion that Jesus might really be the Messiah was confirmed.”
Bill T.
* * *
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Americans are tired/weary. Tired of all the political tussles, the rising prices, and the feeling that with all our wheel-spinning we are not getting anywhere. After all, the church is going nowhere in most places. While commenting on this text, John Calvin predicted this. It is a word we associate with Lent. He wrote:
The faithful servants of God… cannot escape this condition, but must endure fights, reproaches, hatred, slanders, and various attacks from adversaries… Let them, therefore, arm themselves with steadfastness and faith. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. VIII/2, pp.55-56)
Commenting on the text, Martin Luther offered a similar, even more expressly comforting word. He commented:
He brings it about that we consider it of no consequence, even though the whole world contends against us…
He then proceeds to refer to the word “on which we many stand firm against all insults.” (Luther’s Works, Vol.17, p.195) This word, when we are rooted in it, saturates the brain with the brain chemical dopamine, and studies have shown that this chemical energizes us to undertake activities, protects us from burn out (Ben Ahrens, “How To Reset Dopamine Levels and Overcome Burnout;” Dean Hamer, The God Gene, pp.72ff.).
Mark E.
* * *
Isaiah 50:4-9a
This is one of the suffering servant passages found in this section of Isaiah, and it is very appropriate for use on this, the Passion Sunday, when knowing the meaning of scripture was essential to the words of Jesus during his trial and from the cross.
I have a couple of well-worn Bibles in my car to take with me on pastoral calls at the hospital or home visits because, despite the fact that after 45 years of pastoral ministry I can usually find my way through those Bibles to find a passage that’s wanted, it’s good to have a Bible that looks like a well-used Bible in your hand. However, when no one’s looking, I have to admit I love having several biblical translations on my phone that are immediately searchable. I’m spoiled.
Until relatively recently a good disciple carried their Bible in their head. Access to printed Bibles were available only relatively recently, and those first printed Bibles were unbelievably bulky. Before that for most of believer’s history, there was no ready access to scrolls, codices, and papyrus rolls.
Yeah, I know about that Ethiopian eunuch, but that Isaiah scroll he owned and read while riding in a chariot reading was bulky and hard to manage. And he was an exception, an outlier. He was unbelievably rich. Disciples were poor.
So when Isaiah speaks through the mouth of the suffering servant in this passage he begins with a very rare word in Hebrew that might be translated “disciple,” as in “The Lord Yahweh has given me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to answer the weary….he awakens my hear to listen as disciples do.” (50:4, translated by John L. McKenzie, Second Isaiah, Anchor Bible). The NRSVue speaks of having been given “a trained tongue” as well as an “ear to listen as those who are taught.”
What this refers to is the fact that one trained to listen as a disciple has learned to memorize great swaths of scripture, most likely the law and the prophets in their entirety. Memorization was key in an era before ready access even to hand-copied scriptures. And whether or not one has memorized scripture or can navigate a digital bible on their phone, we who suffer for the benefit of others, bearing and sharing their burdens, can indeed lift the spirits and “sustain the weary with a word.”
Frank R.
* * *
Philippians 2:5-11
Life often does not turn out the way we planned or thought it would go. Paul reminds us here that Jesus’ life went against the grain in this way — the God who empties himself and dies. Just the opposite from the way we would ordinarily expect that story to turn out.
Mark E.
* * *
Philippians 2:5-11
Jesus went to the cross willingly — not as a part of the original plan — any more than our fallen human nature was a part of God’s plan. We human beings mess it up often. We act in sin, in ways that separate us from the love and guidance of God. We don’t seem to be able to turn to God first, to exalt God in our actions, or to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Unlike Jesus, in our humanness we rarely empty ourselves and become obedient. Even when we try, we can mess it up. And yet there is a reason we strive to follow Jesus. We want to be the people God created us to be, faithful and faith filled. God created us to be loving and compassionate. Even though we fail often, God continues to call us. We continue to see Jesus as the example to follow. We continue to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to move forward, step by step, day by day. That is the grace of God I cling to.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Luke 22:14--23:56 or Luke 23:1-49
Pilate seems to have been wary of this odd insistence by religious and political authorities in Jerusalem that he condemn Jesus to death. Judean authorities had the right to execute people for breaking religious laws. What did they care if a rabble rouser was telling people they didn’t have to pay taxes to Caesar? Certainly it was Pilate’s responsibility to maintain peace in the territories under his authority, to see that laws were obeyed and taxes paid, but something about this whole matter seemed fishy.
The moment Pilate hears from the religious authorities that Jesus began his ministry in Galilee, he sees a glimmer of hope – to be excused from making a difficult decision. If this Jesus is a Galilean, then, he’s really Herod’s problem.
As it turned out, this provided only a temporary reprieve. Jesus was soon sent back for trial and sentencing. But it reminds me how so often we may recognize there is a problem or a situation that requires to make a choice, to respond, and to act – but if we can only figure out a reason to assert this is not our problem so we can wash our hands of is precisely the sort of situation Jesus expects us to be a part of.
Frank R.
* * *
Luke 22:14--23:56
In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, each district sends a randomly selected tribute to fight to the death in an arena-style reality show. The winning district receives some extra food. When her younger sister is selected, In District 12, Kantiss Everdeen’s sister Prim is chosen. Katniss is horrified, so she volunteers to go. This sacrificial act became the central focus of the book series.
Jerry Bridges once said, “If we want proof of God’s love for us, then we must look first at the cross where God offered up his son as a sacrifice for our sins. Calvary is the one objective, absolute, irrefutable proof of God’s love for us.” Nothing is more important than the sacrifice of Jesus.
In the narrative of the passion of Jesus, there is one verse that summarizes the events of that Friday a long time ago. It simply says, “When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left” (vs. 33). It is a simple, declarative sentence, but in its words are the greatest truth ever known to humanity. God’s love is captured in that sentence.
Love is demonstrated by sacrifice. We see that in the fictional Hunger Games stories, and we know it in the person of Jesus. “Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so.” We learn it as kids. May we never outgrow it.
Bill T.
* * *
Luke 22:14--23:56
The telling of this part of Jesus’ life, death, and ministry never ceases to hurt me. How can those who loved Jesus, who followed him, who he taught and healed, who ate and drank with him, abandon him? How could a community that celebrated Jesus on one day, condemn him on the next? Jesus sat at the Passover table with his friends, shared a meal with them, blessed them — even Judas who would betray him, even Peter who would deny him, even the others who would abandon him — shared in this meal and this celebration. Jesus turned none of them away.
Someone asked me a question recently about how I can silence the voices of the world when injustice comes — or do I simply believe that injustice is God’s will? To the second part of that question, I shout a resounding “no!” God’s will is not turned toward injustice. Our will can be turned toward injustice. Our will can be turned toward betrayal, anger, hate, spite, or revenge. God’s will is turned toward love, toward compassion, toward living and dying with us in the face of hate. I do not believe that Jesus died because of God’s will. I believe Jesus went compassionately and sacrificially to his death to show us how important love, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness are. Nothing was or is more important.
Bonnie B.
