Sermon Illustrations For Easter 2 (2020)
Illustration
Acts 2:14a, 22-32:
Frequent readers of this passage will notice that Acts is very careful to depict Simon Peter speaking to “Fellow Jews” (Acts 2:14) and “Fellow Israelites” (2:22). But why? Why does the text call such specific attention to the fact that Peter’s audience is Jewish?
In Jewish biblical hermeneutics, there is a particular kind of interpretive technique called a drash (also spelled “derash”) or midrash. It is difficult to give a precise meaning of what does or does not “count” as a drash, but generally speaking, the point of a drash is to answer a question raised by a particular biblical text. Typically, one employs a drash when a biblical text would otherwise be too troublesome to read literally. For example, in a famous collection of Genesis midrash, Rabbi Aha performs a drash on the verse “And he send him from the Valley of Hebron” (Gen 37:14) since the verse cannot be read literally for the simple reason of geography: Hebron is in hill-country and thus cannot accurately be called a “valley” (Genesis Rabbah 84:13). Instead of assuming that the biblical text is incorrect, Rabbi Aha (re-)interprets it in order to make sense of the apparent contradiction.*
Simon Peter, gifted student of the Rabbi Jesus, employs this exact technique in this passage of Acts. He quotes Psalm 16:8-11 where David prophesies that God “will not abandon me to the realm of the dead” (Psalm 16:10, quoted in Acts 2:27). Peter notes the difficulty in reading the psalm literally: “I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.” We all know that David is clearly dead, so how can he prophesy that God “will not abandon me to the realm of the dead”?! Surely, David cannot be wrong!
His prophecy was not wrong, Peter explains, because David “knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne” (Acts 2:30). It was this descendant, the Messiah, anointed by God, whom God would not abandon to death and decay. Jesus, who was raised from the dead, fulfils David’s prophecy from long ago.
This drash would have been readily understood by Simon Peter’s Jewish audience as a particularly Jewish way of reading the Bible. It therefore makes perfect sense that this passage follows Acts’s description of the events of Pentecost. We see in this passage, just as the apostles spread the gospel message in many languages, they can also tailor that message to suit the particular understandings of their particular audience. When they speak to Jews, they may speak Jewishly; when they speak to Greeks, they may speak Greekishly.
As a teacher, this passage reminds me that in order for my students to understand what I want to teach them, I need to be able to meet them where they are, and use the language and ideas with which they are familiar. As we prepare to spread God’s message to diverse peoples, what can we learn from the great teacher, Jesus, who always met people where they were and spoke to them in a language they understood?
* For more information on this form of Jewish biblical interpretation, see Yeshayahu Maori’s explanation here.
M T.
* * *
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Our current church communities seem increasingly reluctant to embrace the word “evangelism.” Talking about our faith, reflecting on our relationship with God makes many of us uncomfortable. After all many of us were taught that in polite society we shouldn’t talk about politics or religion. Yet, in our current context there is a real need for us to speak about our faith. That is what Peter is proclaiming. As witnesses of the wonders of God, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we cannot keep silent. We, who know God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, should not keep silent either. There are many in our midst hungry for the spiritual connections and relationships we have. If we proclaim our faith and our relationship, maybe some of those will also come to know faith. How can we not speak out, evangelize?
Bonnie B.
* * *
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Abandonment feels awful. Novelist Pheobe Stone put it this way:
Not belonging is a terrible feeling. It feels awkward and it hurts, as if you were wearing someone else's shoes.
A 2018 poll conducted by Ipsos found that feeling abandoned is a pressing American problem. It seems that 54% of Americans feel as though no one knows them well. Additionally, at least two in five also say they sometimes/always feel as though they lack companionship, that their relationships are not meaningful. In our Lesson, God has Peter affirm that God will not abandon us (v.31). Easter is all about the promise of constant companionship.
Christians can be sure of an intimate relationship with God in Christ. Martin Luther famously described this:
The third incomparable benefit of faith is that it unites the soul with Christ as a bride is united with her bridegroom. ... And if they are one flesh and there is between them a true marriage -- it follows that everything they have they hold in common, the good as well as the evil. (Luther’s Works, Vol.31, p.351)
Happily married couples are never alone. Medieval Mystic Julian of Norwich makes this clear concerning our relationship with Jesus:
Our Lord Jesus frequently said, “I am it! I am the One!... I am what you love! I am what delights you!... (The Revelation of Divine Love, p.101)
Jesus is Present in the loves and delights of our lives! Remember that the next time you feel alone. He is in the things you do, in the loves of your life. You are not abandoned, no matter how lonely you may feel. Luther summed it up so well
The sum of the matter is this: Depressed or exalted, circumscribed in whatever way, dragged hither or thither, I still find Christ. He holds in His hands everything... I cannot be lost. (Complete Sermons, Vol.4/2, p.279)
Mark E.
* * *
1 Peter 1:3-9
In World War II, during the terrible days of the blitz in London, a father, holding his small son by the hand, ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole. Seeking shelter as quickly as possible, the father jumped into the dark hole. The boy was terrified. He heard his father’s voice telling him to jump, but the boy was scared. “I can’t see you,” he called out. The father, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, called to the silhouette of his son, “But I can see you. Jump!” Finally, the boy jumped, because he trusted his father.
Peter writes of the living hope Christians have in Jesus. “Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (vs. 8-9). There are times in our lives where having faith is hard. We can’t see what’s ahead and it appears dark, scary and foreboding. Into that darkness, Jesus calls out, “trust me.”
Faith in Jesus Christ leads us to salvation. Will you trust him?
Bill T.
* * *
1 Peter 1:3-9
There is an interesting contrast between 1 Peter 1:8 and Galatians, which illustrates a difference between the Roman and the Celtic world. The author praises the recipients of the letter because, “Although you have never seen him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him….:” Oratory and argument could be the foundation of belief. Make your case clearly and logically, and your listener will believe in what you say. Give the listener a reason to believe.
By contrast, Paul tells the Celts (the Galats, as they were known in Latin, after whom the Galatian region is named) that they are foolish for turning away from the gospel because they had seen Christ crucified with their own eyes. The Celts were not literate in the sense that they wrote down their stories – they were living storytellers, and their stories came alive for them, and were internalized and became part of their experience. For the Celts, having heard of Jesus from Paul, and having internalized the story, it was as real to them as their own experience.
Some of us are at one of these extremes – those willing to listen logically, building blocks of solid foundation for faith. Make your case Biblically and they are ready to agree and follow. Others live the life of Jesus through song, story, and internal experience. The hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” is personal for them. Many of us are somewhere in between. Where do you think you fit in?
Frank R.
* * *
1 Peter 1:3-9
Alex Trebek, 79, has been the host of the television game show Jeopardy since 1984. Last year the Canadian born actor was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He beat the odds, as there is only an 18 percent survival rate one year after reaching Stage 4. In a video, that was publicly aired on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, with showed the television icon sitting at his television stage, Trebek shared his thoughts with the fans of his show.
Trebek said there are many days of pain and other days when his body just would not function. This, understandably, in the words of Trebek led to “sudden massive attacks of great depression that made me wonder if it really was worth fighting on.” He shared that he was only able to overcome his depression and thoughts of suicide with these words, “But I brushed that aside quickly because that would have been a massive betrayal.” It would have been a betrayal to his fans, it would have been a betrayal to other cancer patients who looked upon him for encouragement, and it would a betrayal to his wife Jean, who he married in 1990. But most of all it would have been a betrayal to his faith in God, as Tebrek said, “And it would certainly have been a betrayal of my faith in God and the millions of prayers that have been said on my behalf.”
Ron L.
* * *
John 20:19-31
Often we think of doubt as the enemy of faith. This is why Doubting Thomas is regarded with a lot of disdain by Christians. In fact Thomas is a lot like us, believing but with questions. Famed modern theologian Paul Tillich claimed that “serious doubt is confirmation of faith. It indicates the seriousness of the concern, its unconditional character.” (Dynamics of Faith, p.22) If you are risking everything on your faith, as Christians do, it’s inevitable that you wonder. The father of Existentialism Søren Kierkegaard made a remark that is most relevant. He wrote that “Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.” (The Concept of Anxiety). When you freely take risks they define who you are. When you boldly risk your life believing that Jesus really did Rise again, it will of course lead to doubts. So don’t despair about being like Thomas: Expect it.
Preaching on this Lesson Martin Luther explained why we need not despair:
This is the first part of the Gospel: that Christ deals in such a friendly way with His disciples. He does not reproach them for their unbelief. (Luther’s Works, Vol.69, p.404)
Be bold in your doubts. They remind us what a risk faith is, and function to make faith a little more important for us.
Mark E.
* * *
John 20:19-31
Every family has stories: “How mom and dad met.” “How grandpa fought in the war.” “That one time uncle Charlie got lost on his way to the store.”
There’s usually at least one really good storyteller in the family.
She’s got every tidbit of gossip; every embarrassing secret; every spicy detail. As a child, she would be the one we’d want to run to with the family photo albums. As we flipped the pages together, she’d point to different faces and fill the room with stories.
But every storyteller, no matter who, keeps certain secrets for themselves.
John 20:30 reads, “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.”
Have you ever wondered what never got written down?
Did Jesus ever sit down with Peter and talk about how he had denied him? Did Peter cry in shame? Did Jesus smile and forgive him? Did he assure Peter that he would never be without courage ever again, and that he would continue to spread Jesus’s message even unto his death?
Did Jesus visit his mother? Did Mary fall to her knees and weep with relief that the last memory she would have of her son would not be of his suffering? Did she raise her face to the sky and thank God over and over until she ran out of breath — her words of praise fading into whispers?
Did he walk through Bethany? Was Martha sweeping the front steps or weeding the garden, keeping busy to distract herself from her grief? When she heard Jesus call her name, did she look up and drop her broom? Did she scream, causing Lazarus to rush out of the house in alarm? Did his eyes widen when he saw the one who had brought him back to life himself returned from death? Did he then smile and beckon towards Mary, still in the house, to come and see?
Were Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus walking together discussing business when Jesus appeared? Did they arrive home later to discover that their coffers were miraculously overflowing, having been compensated a hundred-times over for Jesus’s burial expenses? Did they nearly collide into each other as they rushed into the street, eager to distribute the gold to the widows and orphans in need?
What secrets did the Beloved Disciple keep for himself?
We may never know, but we might imagine his face, as he rolled up the scroll of his finished gospel.
It is probably similar to the face of our family’s best storyteller, when her fingers fall on a certain photo, and she smiles slightly, but says nothing. We can but wonder what treasures of memory she decided to keep for herself. They must be precious.
M T.
* * *
John 20:19-31
Have you ever had doubts? Have you ever wondered if God was present in this moment and time? Have you ever wondered if God really hears the prayers you pray or acts in the world you inhabit? If so, you are just like Thomas. We give Thomas a hard time, but we forget the other disciples had already seen Jesus in their midst. Thomas had not had that physical, sensual experience. He has more questions than answers.
Like us, Thomas has doubts. Yet, Jesus does not condemn Thomas. Rather Jesus offers himself to Thomas - Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." When we are besieged by doubt it is hard to see clearly. We need others to accompany us, Jesus to fill us with faith and certainty. So, ask your questions. Wonder about the presence of God. Pray in uncertainty. Jesus will be there.
Bonnie B.
Frequent readers of this passage will notice that Acts is very careful to depict Simon Peter speaking to “Fellow Jews” (Acts 2:14) and “Fellow Israelites” (2:22). But why? Why does the text call such specific attention to the fact that Peter’s audience is Jewish?
In Jewish biblical hermeneutics, there is a particular kind of interpretive technique called a drash (also spelled “derash”) or midrash. It is difficult to give a precise meaning of what does or does not “count” as a drash, but generally speaking, the point of a drash is to answer a question raised by a particular biblical text. Typically, one employs a drash when a biblical text would otherwise be too troublesome to read literally. For example, in a famous collection of Genesis midrash, Rabbi Aha performs a drash on the verse “And he send him from the Valley of Hebron” (Gen 37:14) since the verse cannot be read literally for the simple reason of geography: Hebron is in hill-country and thus cannot accurately be called a “valley” (Genesis Rabbah 84:13). Instead of assuming that the biblical text is incorrect, Rabbi Aha (re-)interprets it in order to make sense of the apparent contradiction.*
Simon Peter, gifted student of the Rabbi Jesus, employs this exact technique in this passage of Acts. He quotes Psalm 16:8-11 where David prophesies that God “will not abandon me to the realm of the dead” (Psalm 16:10, quoted in Acts 2:27). Peter notes the difficulty in reading the psalm literally: “I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.” We all know that David is clearly dead, so how can he prophesy that God “will not abandon me to the realm of the dead”?! Surely, David cannot be wrong!
His prophecy was not wrong, Peter explains, because David “knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne” (Acts 2:30). It was this descendant, the Messiah, anointed by God, whom God would not abandon to death and decay. Jesus, who was raised from the dead, fulfils David’s prophecy from long ago.
This drash would have been readily understood by Simon Peter’s Jewish audience as a particularly Jewish way of reading the Bible. It therefore makes perfect sense that this passage follows Acts’s description of the events of Pentecost. We see in this passage, just as the apostles spread the gospel message in many languages, they can also tailor that message to suit the particular understandings of their particular audience. When they speak to Jews, they may speak Jewishly; when they speak to Greeks, they may speak Greekishly.
As a teacher, this passage reminds me that in order for my students to understand what I want to teach them, I need to be able to meet them where they are, and use the language and ideas with which they are familiar. As we prepare to spread God’s message to diverse peoples, what can we learn from the great teacher, Jesus, who always met people where they were and spoke to them in a language they understood?
* For more information on this form of Jewish biblical interpretation, see Yeshayahu Maori’s explanation here.
M T.
* * *
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Our current church communities seem increasingly reluctant to embrace the word “evangelism.” Talking about our faith, reflecting on our relationship with God makes many of us uncomfortable. After all many of us were taught that in polite society we shouldn’t talk about politics or religion. Yet, in our current context there is a real need for us to speak about our faith. That is what Peter is proclaiming. As witnesses of the wonders of God, the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we cannot keep silent. We, who know God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, should not keep silent either. There are many in our midst hungry for the spiritual connections and relationships we have. If we proclaim our faith and our relationship, maybe some of those will also come to know faith. How can we not speak out, evangelize?
Bonnie B.
* * *
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Abandonment feels awful. Novelist Pheobe Stone put it this way:
Not belonging is a terrible feeling. It feels awkward and it hurts, as if you were wearing someone else's shoes.
A 2018 poll conducted by Ipsos found that feeling abandoned is a pressing American problem. It seems that 54% of Americans feel as though no one knows them well. Additionally, at least two in five also say they sometimes/always feel as though they lack companionship, that their relationships are not meaningful. In our Lesson, God has Peter affirm that God will not abandon us (v.31). Easter is all about the promise of constant companionship.
Christians can be sure of an intimate relationship with God in Christ. Martin Luther famously described this:
The third incomparable benefit of faith is that it unites the soul with Christ as a bride is united with her bridegroom. ... And if they are one flesh and there is between them a true marriage -- it follows that everything they have they hold in common, the good as well as the evil. (Luther’s Works, Vol.31, p.351)
Happily married couples are never alone. Medieval Mystic Julian of Norwich makes this clear concerning our relationship with Jesus:
Our Lord Jesus frequently said, “I am it! I am the One!... I am what you love! I am what delights you!... (The Revelation of Divine Love, p.101)
Jesus is Present in the loves and delights of our lives! Remember that the next time you feel alone. He is in the things you do, in the loves of your life. You are not abandoned, no matter how lonely you may feel. Luther summed it up so well
The sum of the matter is this: Depressed or exalted, circumscribed in whatever way, dragged hither or thither, I still find Christ. He holds in His hands everything... I cannot be lost. (Complete Sermons, Vol.4/2, p.279)
Mark E.
* * *
1 Peter 1:3-9
In World War II, during the terrible days of the blitz in London, a father, holding his small son by the hand, ran from a building that had been struck by a bomb. In the front yard was a shell hole. Seeking shelter as quickly as possible, the father jumped into the dark hole. The boy was terrified. He heard his father’s voice telling him to jump, but the boy was scared. “I can’t see you,” he called out. The father, looking up against the sky tinted red by the burning buildings, called to the silhouette of his son, “But I can see you. Jump!” Finally, the boy jumped, because he trusted his father.
Peter writes of the living hope Christians have in Jesus. “Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (vs. 8-9). There are times in our lives where having faith is hard. We can’t see what’s ahead and it appears dark, scary and foreboding. Into that darkness, Jesus calls out, “trust me.”
Faith in Jesus Christ leads us to salvation. Will you trust him?
Bill T.
* * *
1 Peter 1:3-9
There is an interesting contrast between 1 Peter 1:8 and Galatians, which illustrates a difference between the Roman and the Celtic world. The author praises the recipients of the letter because, “Although you have never seen him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him….:” Oratory and argument could be the foundation of belief. Make your case clearly and logically, and your listener will believe in what you say. Give the listener a reason to believe.
By contrast, Paul tells the Celts (the Galats, as they were known in Latin, after whom the Galatian region is named) that they are foolish for turning away from the gospel because they had seen Christ crucified with their own eyes. The Celts were not literate in the sense that they wrote down their stories – they were living storytellers, and their stories came alive for them, and were internalized and became part of their experience. For the Celts, having heard of Jesus from Paul, and having internalized the story, it was as real to them as their own experience.
Some of us are at one of these extremes – those willing to listen logically, building blocks of solid foundation for faith. Make your case Biblically and they are ready to agree and follow. Others live the life of Jesus through song, story, and internal experience. The hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” is personal for them. Many of us are somewhere in between. Where do you think you fit in?
Frank R.
* * *
1 Peter 1:3-9
Alex Trebek, 79, has been the host of the television game show Jeopardy since 1984. Last year the Canadian born actor was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He beat the odds, as there is only an 18 percent survival rate one year after reaching Stage 4. In a video, that was publicly aired on Wednesday, March 4, 2020, with showed the television icon sitting at his television stage, Trebek shared his thoughts with the fans of his show.
Trebek said there are many days of pain and other days when his body just would not function. This, understandably, in the words of Trebek led to “sudden massive attacks of great depression that made me wonder if it really was worth fighting on.” He shared that he was only able to overcome his depression and thoughts of suicide with these words, “But I brushed that aside quickly because that would have been a massive betrayal.” It would have been a betrayal to his fans, it would have been a betrayal to other cancer patients who looked upon him for encouragement, and it would a betrayal to his wife Jean, who he married in 1990. But most of all it would have been a betrayal to his faith in God, as Tebrek said, “And it would certainly have been a betrayal of my faith in God and the millions of prayers that have been said on my behalf.”
Ron L.
* * *
John 20:19-31
Often we think of doubt as the enemy of faith. This is why Doubting Thomas is regarded with a lot of disdain by Christians. In fact Thomas is a lot like us, believing but with questions. Famed modern theologian Paul Tillich claimed that “serious doubt is confirmation of faith. It indicates the seriousness of the concern, its unconditional character.” (Dynamics of Faith, p.22) If you are risking everything on your faith, as Christians do, it’s inevitable that you wonder. The father of Existentialism Søren Kierkegaard made a remark that is most relevant. He wrote that “Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.” (The Concept of Anxiety). When you freely take risks they define who you are. When you boldly risk your life believing that Jesus really did Rise again, it will of course lead to doubts. So don’t despair about being like Thomas: Expect it.
Preaching on this Lesson Martin Luther explained why we need not despair:
This is the first part of the Gospel: that Christ deals in such a friendly way with His disciples. He does not reproach them for their unbelief. (Luther’s Works, Vol.69, p.404)
Be bold in your doubts. They remind us what a risk faith is, and function to make faith a little more important for us.
Mark E.
* * *
John 20:19-31
Every family has stories: “How mom and dad met.” “How grandpa fought in the war.” “That one time uncle Charlie got lost on his way to the store.”
There’s usually at least one really good storyteller in the family.
She’s got every tidbit of gossip; every embarrassing secret; every spicy detail. As a child, she would be the one we’d want to run to with the family photo albums. As we flipped the pages together, she’d point to different faces and fill the room with stories.
But every storyteller, no matter who, keeps certain secrets for themselves.
John 20:30 reads, “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.”
Have you ever wondered what never got written down?
Did Jesus ever sit down with Peter and talk about how he had denied him? Did Peter cry in shame? Did Jesus smile and forgive him? Did he assure Peter that he would never be without courage ever again, and that he would continue to spread Jesus’s message even unto his death?
Did Jesus visit his mother? Did Mary fall to her knees and weep with relief that the last memory she would have of her son would not be of his suffering? Did she raise her face to the sky and thank God over and over until she ran out of breath — her words of praise fading into whispers?
Did he walk through Bethany? Was Martha sweeping the front steps or weeding the garden, keeping busy to distract herself from her grief? When she heard Jesus call her name, did she look up and drop her broom? Did she scream, causing Lazarus to rush out of the house in alarm? Did his eyes widen when he saw the one who had brought him back to life himself returned from death? Did he then smile and beckon towards Mary, still in the house, to come and see?
Were Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus walking together discussing business when Jesus appeared? Did they arrive home later to discover that their coffers were miraculously overflowing, having been compensated a hundred-times over for Jesus’s burial expenses? Did they nearly collide into each other as they rushed into the street, eager to distribute the gold to the widows and orphans in need?
What secrets did the Beloved Disciple keep for himself?
We may never know, but we might imagine his face, as he rolled up the scroll of his finished gospel.
It is probably similar to the face of our family’s best storyteller, when her fingers fall on a certain photo, and she smiles slightly, but says nothing. We can but wonder what treasures of memory she decided to keep for herself. They must be precious.
M T.
* * *
John 20:19-31
Have you ever had doubts? Have you ever wondered if God was present in this moment and time? Have you ever wondered if God really hears the prayers you pray or acts in the world you inhabit? If so, you are just like Thomas. We give Thomas a hard time, but we forget the other disciples had already seen Jesus in their midst. Thomas had not had that physical, sensual experience. He has more questions than answers.
Like us, Thomas has doubts. Yet, Jesus does not condemn Thomas. Rather Jesus offers himself to Thomas - Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." When we are besieged by doubt it is hard to see clearly. We need others to accompany us, Jesus to fill us with faith and certainty. So, ask your questions. Wonder about the presence of God. Pray in uncertainty. Jesus will be there.
Bonnie B.
