Sermon Illustrations For Epiphany 3 (2023)
Illustration
Isaiah 9:1-4
Jesus threw the gauntlet down, directly at Herod Antipas and the rest of the Herods, when in the gospels he quoted Isaiah 9:2:
"Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:15-16)
Who are the people who walked in darkness? Isaiah was originally challenging King Ahaz, who refused to trust in God and God’s prophet. Instead, he threw in his lot with the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser, because he thought it was politically safer. He thought this would prevent a confederation of two kings from overthrowing him, but Isaiah knew the Assyrians were the greater danger.
Isaiah was also saying that the next king had already been born, and he would be the light to the people who walk in darkness. And this is also what the Herod’s feared — that the new king would supplant him.
Matthew uses the images from that passage, especially the light in the darkness, to demonstrate that the Herod dynasty, politically aligned with another nation-swallowing empire, that of the Romans, was toast. The new king, King Jesus, has arrived.
(Adapted from the author’s book No Room for The Inn, CSS 2022.)
Frank R.
* * *
Isaiah 9:1-4
I have found myself working late at the office many times in the past few months. My office is on the second floor of the building. Our building manager wants us to conserve energy, so the lights are turned off unless they are absolutely needed. One Saturday night, I was working late, finished, and walked out into the dark hallway. I slowly stepped down the hall to the stairs. I could have turned on the light, but I thought I could make it down with no problems. The first flight was fine. That’s when things changed. It was dark, and I couldn’t see. I missed a step and tumbled down the last flight of stairs. It reiterated to me that no one should walk in the dark.
Before Jesus, the world was a dark and foreboding place. There was no hope, and the danger was greater than an unexpected trip down the stairs. Jesus, though, did come. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2). The light has shined in the darkness. Joy and hope are available to all.
Bill T.
* * *
Isaiah 9:1-4
Martin Luther nicely illumines the Christian meaning of this text:
The law itself indeed is not changed, but we are. Obviously, this is Christian liberty, when the law is voluntarily fulfilled, so that it cannot accuse, demand, and render guilty. Where the conscience is not guilty, where there is not sin because it is forgiven, there is no power of death, but peace of conscience, the certainty of eternal life. (Luther’s Works, Vol.16, p. 99)
John Calvin elaborates on what this gift entails:
Now, hence it is evident what Christ brings to us, namely, a full and perfect joy, of which we cannot in any way be robbed or deprived, though various storms and tempests should arise, and though we should be weighted down by every kind of afflictions. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. VII/1, p. 303)
Mark E.
* * *
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
For sermons on this text promoting concentration on the Crucified Christ, Martin Luther offers some daring thoughts:
If our sins, therefore, rest upon Christ, we can be content; they are in the right place — just where they belong. Upon us they do not lie well, for we are all men, yes, and all creatures are too weak to bear a single sin... Therefore, let them remain upon Christ. (Weimar Ausgabe, Vol. 52, p.7)
Modern theologian Karl Barth made a related point about the glory of Christ and its power, even though it seems to contradict logic. He wrote:
... the truth of God is grounded in the fact that it is identical with the true witness Jesus Christ as the revelation of God’s will for man enacted in him. The glory of this mediator, however, is a glory which is concealed in its opposite, in invisibility, in repellent same. (Church Dogmatics, Vol. IV/3, p. 376)
Mark E.
* * *
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Unity is so difficult for us humans to move into. We often think that unity means uniformity or sameness, that our individuality is erased. Yet, that is not the case. We come into relationship with God through Jesus and are strengthened by the Holy Spirit so we can be one body of Christ, one people of God. We are still individuals, gifted with potential and talents by God. We are not the same and yet we are called to come together as people of faith and follow Jesus. It might seem foolish in a world that celebrates independence to recognize our interdependence as part of God’s family. It was difficult for the people of Corinth. It is difficult today. Yet, our God calls us to be united in our faith and in our following. That is my prayer.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Matthew 4:12-23
We think of Jesus as obviously the Son of God, but Jesus had a lot of obstacles to overcome before playing in the big leagues. First of all, he suffered from the “wasn’t born here” syndrome. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which wasn’t Jerusalem, and then became a refugee in Egypt around the age of two. He would have been living in the Jewish community of some Egyptian city, but the other kids would have reminded him he “talked funny.”
Then, after the death of Herod the Great, the family did not return to Bethlehem, where he was born but instead moved to Nazareth, Mary’s hometown. The only reason that Joseph, a Bethlehem boy, didn’t move back there where Jesus was born was because he was warned about Herod Antipas in a dream.
Because of the miraculous nature of Mary’s pregnancy, there would still have been people who thought the worst of her and her son, and so Jesus would still grow up an outsider, never quite fully accepted. And if the people of Nazareth never quite accepted Jesus (and he was later rejected there), Nazareth itself was no place to come from, even if the attribution was a mistake. What did Nathaniel say about Jesus when he was first told about him, in an effort to get a cheap throwaway laugh? “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (1:46)
Actually, when Jesus was called to be the starter, I wouldn’t have blamed him if he decided to keep his head down until there was a change in the political climate. What could it hurt?
But Jesus went about calling his first disciples, Simon and Andrew. Unlike the Herods, who are suspicious that others will supplant them, Jesus fearlessly calls people who will replace him after he is gone. In the sentence, “I will make you fish for people…” the verb translated as “make” really means, in this context, “I will equip you.” Jesus intends to train his replacements, to make them disciple, not yes men.
(Adapted from the author’s book No Room for The Inn, CSS 2022.)
Frank R.
* * *
Matthew 4:12-23
Henry Martyn, a Cambridge University student, was awarded the highest academic recognition possible for his work in math. He was named a “fellow” at Cambridge in 1802. Oswald Sanders reports that despite his achievements, he felt an emptiness inside. He said that instead of finding fulfillment in his achievements, he had, “only grasped a shadow.”
Grasping shadows does not lead to a satisfying life. Martyn became a Christian and decided to serve as a missionary. He sailed to India at the age of 24. When he arrived, he prayed, “Lord, let me burn out for you.” In the next seven years that preceded his death, he translated the New Testament into three difficult Eastern languages.
Priorities matter. In this passage, Jesus begins his ministry. It is why he came. Jesus also called James and John who left their father and fishing to follow Jesus. Some things are just more important. Burn out doing the things that matter. “Fish for men.”
Bill T.
Jesus threw the gauntlet down, directly at Herod Antipas and the rest of the Herods, when in the gospels he quoted Isaiah 9:2:
"Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:15-16)
Who are the people who walked in darkness? Isaiah was originally challenging King Ahaz, who refused to trust in God and God’s prophet. Instead, he threw in his lot with the Assyrian king Tiglath-pileser, because he thought it was politically safer. He thought this would prevent a confederation of two kings from overthrowing him, but Isaiah knew the Assyrians were the greater danger.
Isaiah was also saying that the next king had already been born, and he would be the light to the people who walk in darkness. And this is also what the Herod’s feared — that the new king would supplant him.
Matthew uses the images from that passage, especially the light in the darkness, to demonstrate that the Herod dynasty, politically aligned with another nation-swallowing empire, that of the Romans, was toast. The new king, King Jesus, has arrived.
(Adapted from the author’s book No Room for The Inn, CSS 2022.)
Frank R.
* * *
Isaiah 9:1-4
I have found myself working late at the office many times in the past few months. My office is on the second floor of the building. Our building manager wants us to conserve energy, so the lights are turned off unless they are absolutely needed. One Saturday night, I was working late, finished, and walked out into the dark hallway. I slowly stepped down the hall to the stairs. I could have turned on the light, but I thought I could make it down with no problems. The first flight was fine. That’s when things changed. It was dark, and I couldn’t see. I missed a step and tumbled down the last flight of stairs. It reiterated to me that no one should walk in the dark.
Before Jesus, the world was a dark and foreboding place. There was no hope, and the danger was greater than an unexpected trip down the stairs. Jesus, though, did come. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness — on them light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2). The light has shined in the darkness. Joy and hope are available to all.
Bill T.
* * *
Isaiah 9:1-4
Martin Luther nicely illumines the Christian meaning of this text:
The law itself indeed is not changed, but we are. Obviously, this is Christian liberty, when the law is voluntarily fulfilled, so that it cannot accuse, demand, and render guilty. Where the conscience is not guilty, where there is not sin because it is forgiven, there is no power of death, but peace of conscience, the certainty of eternal life. (Luther’s Works, Vol.16, p. 99)
John Calvin elaborates on what this gift entails:
Now, hence it is evident what Christ brings to us, namely, a full and perfect joy, of which we cannot in any way be robbed or deprived, though various storms and tempests should arise, and though we should be weighted down by every kind of afflictions. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. VII/1, p. 303)
Mark E.
* * *
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
For sermons on this text promoting concentration on the Crucified Christ, Martin Luther offers some daring thoughts:
If our sins, therefore, rest upon Christ, we can be content; they are in the right place — just where they belong. Upon us they do not lie well, for we are all men, yes, and all creatures are too weak to bear a single sin... Therefore, let them remain upon Christ. (Weimar Ausgabe, Vol. 52, p.7)
Modern theologian Karl Barth made a related point about the glory of Christ and its power, even though it seems to contradict logic. He wrote:
... the truth of God is grounded in the fact that it is identical with the true witness Jesus Christ as the revelation of God’s will for man enacted in him. The glory of this mediator, however, is a glory which is concealed in its opposite, in invisibility, in repellent same. (Church Dogmatics, Vol. IV/3, p. 376)
Mark E.
* * *
1 Corinthians 1:10-18
Unity is so difficult for us humans to move into. We often think that unity means uniformity or sameness, that our individuality is erased. Yet, that is not the case. We come into relationship with God through Jesus and are strengthened by the Holy Spirit so we can be one body of Christ, one people of God. We are still individuals, gifted with potential and talents by God. We are not the same and yet we are called to come together as people of faith and follow Jesus. It might seem foolish in a world that celebrates independence to recognize our interdependence as part of God’s family. It was difficult for the people of Corinth. It is difficult today. Yet, our God calls us to be united in our faith and in our following. That is my prayer.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Matthew 4:12-23
We think of Jesus as obviously the Son of God, but Jesus had a lot of obstacles to overcome before playing in the big leagues. First of all, he suffered from the “wasn’t born here” syndrome. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which wasn’t Jerusalem, and then became a refugee in Egypt around the age of two. He would have been living in the Jewish community of some Egyptian city, but the other kids would have reminded him he “talked funny.”
Then, after the death of Herod the Great, the family did not return to Bethlehem, where he was born but instead moved to Nazareth, Mary’s hometown. The only reason that Joseph, a Bethlehem boy, didn’t move back there where Jesus was born was because he was warned about Herod Antipas in a dream.
Because of the miraculous nature of Mary’s pregnancy, there would still have been people who thought the worst of her and her son, and so Jesus would still grow up an outsider, never quite fully accepted. And if the people of Nazareth never quite accepted Jesus (and he was later rejected there), Nazareth itself was no place to come from, even if the attribution was a mistake. What did Nathaniel say about Jesus when he was first told about him, in an effort to get a cheap throwaway laugh? “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (1:46)
Actually, when Jesus was called to be the starter, I wouldn’t have blamed him if he decided to keep his head down until there was a change in the political climate. What could it hurt?
But Jesus went about calling his first disciples, Simon and Andrew. Unlike the Herods, who are suspicious that others will supplant them, Jesus fearlessly calls people who will replace him after he is gone. In the sentence, “I will make you fish for people…” the verb translated as “make” really means, in this context, “I will equip you.” Jesus intends to train his replacements, to make them disciple, not yes men.
(Adapted from the author’s book No Room for The Inn, CSS 2022.)
Frank R.
* * *
Matthew 4:12-23
Henry Martyn, a Cambridge University student, was awarded the highest academic recognition possible for his work in math. He was named a “fellow” at Cambridge in 1802. Oswald Sanders reports that despite his achievements, he felt an emptiness inside. He said that instead of finding fulfillment in his achievements, he had, “only grasped a shadow.”
Grasping shadows does not lead to a satisfying life. Martyn became a Christian and decided to serve as a missionary. He sailed to India at the age of 24. When he arrived, he prayed, “Lord, let me burn out for you.” In the next seven years that preceded his death, he translated the New Testament into three difficult Eastern languages.
Priorities matter. In this passage, Jesus begins his ministry. It is why he came. Jesus also called James and John who left their father and fishing to follow Jesus. Some things are just more important. Burn out doing the things that matter. “Fish for men.”
Bill T.
