Good Friday
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III
The readings:
John 18:1--19:42
John tells the story of Jesus' betrayal, arrest, trial, and crucifixion somewhat differently than do the synoptic writers. In fact, each one of the four evangelists includes different details and tells the story from his own perspective. For example, all four tell about the incident in the garden, when Peter drew a sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's slave - but only Luke writes that Jesus immediately healed the man, and only John says that the slave's name was Malchus, and only Luke reports that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod because he was a citizen in Herod's jurisdiction. Matthew, among the three writers of the synoptics, mentions Caiaphas by name as the high priest. John, too, names Caiaphas, but he alone involves Annas in the proceedings. The four do not agree on what Jesus said on the cross: John and Luke record three sayings of Jesus (six of the seven sayings come from these two evangelists), and Matthew and Mark only report one of Jesus' last words and the same word at that. John is the only one who mentions Annas by name and describes his part in the proceedings. All of the evangelists tell the same story, but they tell it differently. John's version is the most intriguing.
John not only mentions that the first part of the trial takes place before Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, but he also reports the proceedings in detail. Annas, the former high priest, was the one whom Jesus had offended where it hurt - in the pocketbook - because Annas owned the stalls in the temple where the sacrificial victims were sold. He was a religious racketeer, and he had to get back at Jesus. He did so by refusing to release Jesus -interrogating him about his teaching - and breaking the law in the process. Jewish law called for the testimony of witnesses. Jesus urged, "Ask those who have heard me, what I said to them; they know what I said." Obviously condemning Jesus illegally, Annas sent Jesus on to Caiaphas, but none of the proceedings before Caiaphas was reported. Caiaphas apparently rubber-stamped Annas' accusation and had Jesus taken to Pilate for another trial and, hopefully, a death sentence. And as everyone knows, Pilate, although he was convinced that Jesus was innocent, condemned him to death by crucifixion. The trial before Pilate is more detailed than the other accounts - and much more intriguing - as though John might be attempting to fix most of the blame for Jesus' execution on Pilate.
Again, John's version of the crucifixion is somewhat different than those of the other three evangelists. He has Jesus carrying his own cross. But he, too, reports that Pilate had a "King of the Jews" placard placed on the cross above Jesus' head. He mentions that the soldiers gambled for Jesus' clothing and, by doing so, fulfilled scripture. The three "words" Jesus spoke are different: 1.) "Woman, behold your son!" and "Behold, your mother;" 2.) "I thirst;" and 3.) "It is finished." He is the only one who mentions that the soldiers had to break the legs of the other two criminals so that they could be buried before the sabbath, and that Jesus was already dead so his legs were not broken, although his side was pierced by a spear. Both of these facts fulfill scripture. John says nothing about the veil of the temple being torn, nor about graves being opened and people rising from the dead when Jesus died. He does conclude the story of the crucifixion of Jesus with the account of Joseph of Arimathea, who went secretly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body and buried Jesus in a new tomb in a nearby garden before sundown.
A Sermon on the Gospel, John 18:1--19:42 - "A Likely Story."
From time to time, if not annually, it is desirable to tell the full story of Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday, simply because most people have forgotten it and/or have neglected to read or thing about it. This sermon suggestion is intended to do just that - tell the story from John's perspective as "A Likely Story."
1. The arrest in the garden. Judas was the one who got a group of soldiers together, took them to the garden, and stood there while they questioned and arrested Jesus. He did not, according to John, identify Jesus by kissing him. He not only didn't have the courage to do that, but that would have been too direct, too open, and Judas appears to have been too much of a schemer, as well as a coward, for that.
2. The contrast. Jesus boldly asked, "Whom do you seek?" and answered their "Jesus of Nazareth" with, "I am he." He turned himself over, but he also protected his disciples with his "let these men go." They must have done as Jesus requested, because John says nothing about their running away and abandoning him. The last act in the garden was that Jesus disarmed Peter, after he cut off Maichus' ear with a sword.
3. Annas and Caiaphas. Annas was a religious racketeer and, as the power behind the throne, the organizer of the inquisition. He was out to get even with Jesus - and he really did, although he had to go through the formality of sending Jesus to Caiaphas, and then on to Pilate.
4. The missing court record. Somebody shredded the documents that told about the proceedings before Caiaphas. Did he merely concur - rubber stamp - what had happened before the former high priest? Peter was there and denied - for the third time - that he was a disciple of Jesus. What was in the missing record? All we know is that Caiaphas sent Jesus on to Pilate.
5. The way of a wimp. That's what Pilate turned out to be, despite the fact that he was the most powerful man in Jerusalem. He found no fault in Jesus, but simply took the easy way - the way of the wimp - out of the situation. He humiliated and beat Jesus, and then he condemned him to death and released an insurrectionist, Barabbas, to the Jews.
6. The crucifixion. Christ carried the cross to Calvary. They nailed him to it and placed a sign above his head: "This is the King of the Jews."
a. The soldiers divided his clothing and gambled for it.
b. Jesus spoke to his mother and to John.
c. Jesus cried out, "I thirst."
d. He died with a shout, "It is finished."
7. Burial. More intrigue - Joseph of Arimathea went secretly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body in order to bury him before the Sabbath began. Nicodemus joined him and took the embalming spices to the tomb, where - everyone believed - the story of Jesus would come to an end.
8. It was a likely story. It all could have happened the way that John relates it. It is so true to life, to the evil that "lurks in the hearts of men" - and women and children, too. John was not afraid to tell this likely story, because he knew how it would all come out. And so do we.
John 18:1--19:42
John tells the story of Jesus' betrayal, arrest, trial, and crucifixion somewhat differently than do the synoptic writers. In fact, each one of the four evangelists includes different details and tells the story from his own perspective. For example, all four tell about the incident in the garden, when Peter drew a sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's slave - but only Luke writes that Jesus immediately healed the man, and only John says that the slave's name was Malchus, and only Luke reports that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod because he was a citizen in Herod's jurisdiction. Matthew, among the three writers of the synoptics, mentions Caiaphas by name as the high priest. John, too, names Caiaphas, but he alone involves Annas in the proceedings. The four do not agree on what Jesus said on the cross: John and Luke record three sayings of Jesus (six of the seven sayings come from these two evangelists), and Matthew and Mark only report one of Jesus' last words and the same word at that. John is the only one who mentions Annas by name and describes his part in the proceedings. All of the evangelists tell the same story, but they tell it differently. John's version is the most intriguing.
John not only mentions that the first part of the trial takes place before Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, but he also reports the proceedings in detail. Annas, the former high priest, was the one whom Jesus had offended where it hurt - in the pocketbook - because Annas owned the stalls in the temple where the sacrificial victims were sold. He was a religious racketeer, and he had to get back at Jesus. He did so by refusing to release Jesus -interrogating him about his teaching - and breaking the law in the process. Jewish law called for the testimony of witnesses. Jesus urged, "Ask those who have heard me, what I said to them; they know what I said." Obviously condemning Jesus illegally, Annas sent Jesus on to Caiaphas, but none of the proceedings before Caiaphas was reported. Caiaphas apparently rubber-stamped Annas' accusation and had Jesus taken to Pilate for another trial and, hopefully, a death sentence. And as everyone knows, Pilate, although he was convinced that Jesus was innocent, condemned him to death by crucifixion. The trial before Pilate is more detailed than the other accounts - and much more intriguing - as though John might be attempting to fix most of the blame for Jesus' execution on Pilate.
Again, John's version of the crucifixion is somewhat different than those of the other three evangelists. He has Jesus carrying his own cross. But he, too, reports that Pilate had a "King of the Jews" placard placed on the cross above Jesus' head. He mentions that the soldiers gambled for Jesus' clothing and, by doing so, fulfilled scripture. The three "words" Jesus spoke are different: 1.) "Woman, behold your son!" and "Behold, your mother;" 2.) "I thirst;" and 3.) "It is finished." He is the only one who mentions that the soldiers had to break the legs of the other two criminals so that they could be buried before the sabbath, and that Jesus was already dead so his legs were not broken, although his side was pierced by a spear. Both of these facts fulfill scripture. John says nothing about the veil of the temple being torn, nor about graves being opened and people rising from the dead when Jesus died. He does conclude the story of the crucifixion of Jesus with the account of Joseph of Arimathea, who went secretly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body and buried Jesus in a new tomb in a nearby garden before sundown.
A Sermon on the Gospel, John 18:1--19:42 - "A Likely Story."
From time to time, if not annually, it is desirable to tell the full story of Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday, simply because most people have forgotten it and/or have neglected to read or thing about it. This sermon suggestion is intended to do just that - tell the story from John's perspective as "A Likely Story."
1. The arrest in the garden. Judas was the one who got a group of soldiers together, took them to the garden, and stood there while they questioned and arrested Jesus. He did not, according to John, identify Jesus by kissing him. He not only didn't have the courage to do that, but that would have been too direct, too open, and Judas appears to have been too much of a schemer, as well as a coward, for that.
2. The contrast. Jesus boldly asked, "Whom do you seek?" and answered their "Jesus of Nazareth" with, "I am he." He turned himself over, but he also protected his disciples with his "let these men go." They must have done as Jesus requested, because John says nothing about their running away and abandoning him. The last act in the garden was that Jesus disarmed Peter, after he cut off Maichus' ear with a sword.
3. Annas and Caiaphas. Annas was a religious racketeer and, as the power behind the throne, the organizer of the inquisition. He was out to get even with Jesus - and he really did, although he had to go through the formality of sending Jesus to Caiaphas, and then on to Pilate.
4. The missing court record. Somebody shredded the documents that told about the proceedings before Caiaphas. Did he merely concur - rubber stamp - what had happened before the former high priest? Peter was there and denied - for the third time - that he was a disciple of Jesus. What was in the missing record? All we know is that Caiaphas sent Jesus on to Pilate.
5. The way of a wimp. That's what Pilate turned out to be, despite the fact that he was the most powerful man in Jerusalem. He found no fault in Jesus, but simply took the easy way - the way of the wimp - out of the situation. He humiliated and beat Jesus, and then he condemned him to death and released an insurrectionist, Barabbas, to the Jews.
6. The crucifixion. Christ carried the cross to Calvary. They nailed him to it and placed a sign above his head: "This is the King of the Jews."
a. The soldiers divided his clothing and gambled for it.
b. Jesus spoke to his mother and to John.
c. Jesus cried out, "I thirst."
d. He died with a shout, "It is finished."
7. Burial. More intrigue - Joseph of Arimathea went secretly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body in order to bury him before the Sabbath began. Nicodemus joined him and took the embalming spices to the tomb, where - everyone believed - the story of Jesus would come to an end.
8. It was a likely story. It all could have happened the way that John relates it. It is so true to life, to the evil that "lurks in the hearts of men" - and women and children, too. John was not afraid to tell this likely story, because he knew how it would all come out. And so do we.
