Sermon Illustrations for Good Friday (2025)
Illustration
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
It’s unclear whether the original prophet is speaking about his own sufferings as a prophet bringing an unwanted word to people who want to believe all is well (and which could have led to severe physical punishment on the part of the authorities), or to the nation as the suffering servant who have suffered under the lash of a foreign oppressor, much as God’s people suffered under the Egyptians. These are legitimate interpretations, and perhaps there’s a bit of truth in all viewpoints.
For a time, Christians solely understood these words as solely referring to Jesus, the suffering servant. No other interpretation was possible except this predictive outlook.
But it’s not a case of either/or, but of both/and. There was an original outlook in which the prophet and the nation were understood to have suffered by taking the place of another, a Christian interpretation that Jesus bore our sins for our benefit.
What this opens up is the possibility of interpreting these words as not only referring to Jesus, but to any of our contemporaries who are suffering in the place of others, suffering unjustly in the courts, bearing the burdens of others at a great personal price, while also challenging us to relieve their sufferings, if only by vindicating them in their innocence.
Frank R.
* * *
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
The Christian music group Mercy Me released a song in 2014 called “Flawless.” I am a fan of Mercy Me, so my opinion is a bit jaded, but I believe that is a powerful and engaging song that speaks of the power of the cross. Of that song, lead singer Bart Millard said, “I think it kind of sums up the message of the album probably better than any other song. If anybody is like me there had to be a point in your life where you were saying ‘there has to be more than me playing by the rules, there has to be more than what religion tells me there is. There’s gotta be more than me being good and then following these three steps to being a better church goer-there’s gotta be more than that.’ And I think the one thing we miss is that grace says, ‘no matter how beat up you are, no matter what you go through in life, no matter how difficult life is, the cross made you flawless.’”
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). The cross of Jesus Christ brings restoration and wholeness. It brings healing and hope. The ugliness of the cross brings the beauty of redemption.
Christian leader Uchimura Kanzo (1861-1930) coined a new name for Christianity - "Crucifixianity." He said, "The cross is not merely a symbol of Christianity; it is its center, the cornerstone upon which the whole structure rests - indeed, no cross, no Christianity." May we, especially today, realize the cross makes us flawless.
Bill T.
* * *
Hebrews 10:16-25
When I was a child, Lent was a time of giving up, of sacrificing something I liked for the whole of the season. The sacrifices of Lent seemed external, a chore to do, something to accomplish and then let go of, as the season ended. It wasn’t about grace or forgiveness; it was about following the instructions of my parents and the expectations of my Sunday School teachers. There was no indication of the writing of God’s law on my heart.
As I have learned more about God, about my faith, and about the interpretations of scripture, I find myself aching to be more than I am, to actually feel the rating of God’s law love and on my heart. I want to live the life God has given me with grace and hope, with forgiveness and love, with the joy of being a child of God. Good Friday can seem a challenging day to think about God with joy. It is a dark day for humanity – for our humanness and empire brought Jesus to arrest, to Pilate, to the cross and to death. Yet, we know the end of the story is not that darkness and pain. The end of the story is God acting in love.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Hebrews 10:16-25
Commenting on v 20 of the lesson, John Wesley once wrote:
As by rending the veil in the temple, the holy of holies became visible and accessible, so by wounding the Body of Christ, the God of heaven was manifested and the way to heaven opened. (Commentary On the Bible, p.568)
The Cross does indeed expose us directly to God and His love. Martin Luther once nicely reflected on the reference in this text to Christ’s priesthood (v.21). The reformer wrote:
If I regard Him [Christ] as priest, then I know that he does nothing but sit in heaven above as our mercy seat and there intercedes for us before the Father without ceasing pleads on our behalf and says the best for us. This is the greatest comfort that can come to a human being, and no sweeter sermon can be preached to the human heart. (What Luther Says, p.190)
This good news does not ultimately depend on our faith, for it is God’s work on the cross that does it. As John Calvin observed with reference to v.23:
For we hence first learn, that our faith rests on this foundation, that God is true, that is, true to his promise, which his word contains; for that we believe, the voice or Word of God must precede… for except God promises, no one can believe. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XXII/1, p.238)
Mark E.
* * *
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Regarding the reference to the priesthood of Christ in this text, (4:14), Martin Luther observes:
Therefore the apostle also introduces Christ here more as a priest than as a Lord and judge, in order that he may console those who are frightened. (Luther’s Works, Vol.29, p.167)
Famed modern theologian Karl Barth elaborates further on what Christ’s priestly sacrifice entails, that it has accomplished and fulfilled all we have been imperfectly trying to do for God and for each other. He made the point this way:
There has been brought about [by Christ’s sacrifice] that radically altered human situation to which all human priests and offerings brought by men could only look forward, the reconciliation which lit up their whole reality only as a promise on the horizon, warning and comforting, but only as an indication, not as presence and activity. Now that Jesus Christ has done sacrifice as a priest and sanctified himself, all these things have come, for in him that which God demanded has taken place… (Church Dogmatics, Vol.IV/1, p.282)
Pope Benedict XVI once tried to express how wonderful the Good Friday sacrifice is, how God’s love makes us who we truly are. The pope wrote:
Accordingly, from the point of view of the Christian faith, man comes in the most profound sense to himself, not through what he does, but through what he accepts…And one cannot become wholly man in any other way than by being loved, by letting oneself be loved. That love represents simultaneously both man’s highest possibility and deepest need… (Introduction To Christianity, p.267)
Mark E.
* * *
John 19:1--19:42
Martin Luther well summarizes the significance of the cross:
But Christ takes our place and innocently endures death, terror, and hell, so that through him and in him we escape all this. Through his undeserved and innocent death, he saves us from the rightful death which we deserved, that is, from the sin whereby we merited death and hell. (Complete Sermons, Vol.5, pp.402-403)
John Calvin reminded us that the cross and the resurrection must be held together, lest we get sidetracked from Christ and lose Easter. He wrote:
… the whole accomplishment of our salvation, and all the parts of it, are contained in his [Christ’s] death. We have already stated that his resurrection is not separated from his death, but Christ only intends to keep our faith fixed on himself alone, and not to allow it to turn aside in any direction whatever. The meaning, therefore, is, that everything which contributes to the salvation of men is to be found in Christ… (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVIII/1, pp.235-236)
Medieval nun Catherine of Genoa profoundly describes how the amazing love of God on the Christ can make a difference in our lives. As she once put it:
The soul saw a certain ray of love come forth from the divine spring… In one instant she [the soul] saw and felt a fire of love which had come from that divine source and was all but rapt from herself… busied only with this pure and simple love as God had shewn it her. This sight never more left her mind; evermore she saw this pure love turned on her. (Varieties of Mystic Experience, p.190)
Mark E.
* * *
John 18:1--19:42
When Jesus said to them, “I AM,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. (John 18:6, My Translation)
Now does that nursery rhyme end?
“Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.”
There is nothing humorous about Good Friday – except maybe this. When in response to his question, “Who are you seeking for?” they replied, “Jesus of Nazareth,” Jesus then said, not “I am he,” as it is often translated, but in the Greek, “Ego eimi,” which throughout the Gospel of John is simply I AM. Jesus is identifying himself as the great I AM, the same as the voice speaking out of the burning bush to Moses, the same as the one speaking out of Mount Sinai, “I AM the Lord your God,” the same as the God whose name, YHWH, is carved out from the root for I AM.
And all those who came to arrest him fell down.
All fall down.
And that’s what all the Roman soldiers and the palace guards and the betrayer did, with their lamps and torches and lanterns and swords and clubs.
All fall down.
All your worldly power, all your bluff and bluster, cannot stand up to the King of kings and Lord of lords.
In the Book of Revelation, Jesus will be truly revealed for who he is. Everyone will know him. All fall down. At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, we are assured by the apostle. It will be automatic. But those of us who knelt down ahead of all this, who recognize in the suffering servant, God on the cross, the power and glory of Jesus in the garden, well, we’ll kneel down too, but we knew it from the start.
What we’re seeing is a sneak peak of the Revelation of Jesus Christ – everyone is going to know when Jesus is here, and everyone is going to fall all over themselves and each other – all the powerful, all the pompous, ,all the…
Okay. We had this moment. Now they will rise and take Jesus into custody, but John makes it clear, only because he let them.
Frank R.
* * *
John 18:1--19:42
Things that are incomplete are troublesome. There are a lot of people who are bothered by not completing something they started. I read about the great artist Michelangelo. Though he is well-known for wonderful works of art (the ceiling at the Sistine Chape for example), what is not as well-known is that he left far more works unfinished. I read about the theologian A.T. Robertson who passed away, in his classroom, on September 23, 1934. On his desk was an unfinished translation of the New Testament. He translated as far as the feeding of the 5000 in Matthew.
Mary Oliver, an American poet who passed away in 2019, once said, “I know the sag of the unfinished poem. And I know the release of the poem that is finished.” There is something right and good about a work that is complete. Of all the words Jesus said on the cross, the last one, one word, may be the most significant. The word was “tetelestai.” It is translated, “It is finished.”
I don’t want to get too grammatical, but this word is in the third person, singular, perfect, passive, indicative tense. What does that mean? A singular act has, once and for all, come to conclusion. It has been brought to completion by the deed Jesus did on the cross. What is this act? God has bridged the gap between himself and fallen man by the work of his son on the cross. The debt is paid in full. As we consider the cross of Christ, may we see the finished work of God. From the echo of the first sin in Eden, God’s plan has led to this. At last, that work is complete. Completed works do matter, especially this one.
Bill T.
* * *
John 18:1--19:42
The horrifying telling of the arrest, scourging, torture, and finally crucifixion and death of Jesus rests so heavily on my spirit and my soul. I cannot read the words without tears in my eyes, without pain in my heart. I can only imagine the pain of God as the acts of humanity unfolded, in direct opposition to how God strove to have us love and live.
And there is a part of me that knows some of this pain. In 1982 (yes, I am that old), I was miraculously pregnant (my husband was not supposed to be able to father children) with twins. We were thrilled beyond measure. Our preparations progressed and my baby shower was held, and I was released from work on November 14 – with a due date in December and the likelihood of an early delivery – everything was ready. We celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary on the 17th On the 19th I went to the doctor for a routine visit. And the horror began. There were no heartbeats. Our twins had perished. They were delivered in the hospital on November 22, and we discovered they were our beloved sons.
I know the pain of not being able to hold living breathing sons in my arms. I know the loss of children and my pain echoes the pain God may have felt – to lose a beloved child is unfathomable pain and sorrow. This is my pain on Good Friday.
Bonnie B.
It’s unclear whether the original prophet is speaking about his own sufferings as a prophet bringing an unwanted word to people who want to believe all is well (and which could have led to severe physical punishment on the part of the authorities), or to the nation as the suffering servant who have suffered under the lash of a foreign oppressor, much as God’s people suffered under the Egyptians. These are legitimate interpretations, and perhaps there’s a bit of truth in all viewpoints.
For a time, Christians solely understood these words as solely referring to Jesus, the suffering servant. No other interpretation was possible except this predictive outlook.
But it’s not a case of either/or, but of both/and. There was an original outlook in which the prophet and the nation were understood to have suffered by taking the place of another, a Christian interpretation that Jesus bore our sins for our benefit.
What this opens up is the possibility of interpreting these words as not only referring to Jesus, but to any of our contemporaries who are suffering in the place of others, suffering unjustly in the courts, bearing the burdens of others at a great personal price, while also challenging us to relieve their sufferings, if only by vindicating them in their innocence.
Frank R.
* * *
Isaiah 52:13--53:12
The Christian music group Mercy Me released a song in 2014 called “Flawless.” I am a fan of Mercy Me, so my opinion is a bit jaded, but I believe that is a powerful and engaging song that speaks of the power of the cross. Of that song, lead singer Bart Millard said, “I think it kind of sums up the message of the album probably better than any other song. If anybody is like me there had to be a point in your life where you were saying ‘there has to be more than me playing by the rules, there has to be more than what religion tells me there is. There’s gotta be more than me being good and then following these three steps to being a better church goer-there’s gotta be more than that.’ And I think the one thing we miss is that grace says, ‘no matter how beat up you are, no matter what you go through in life, no matter how difficult life is, the cross made you flawless.’”
“But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed” (Isa. 53:5). The cross of Jesus Christ brings restoration and wholeness. It brings healing and hope. The ugliness of the cross brings the beauty of redemption.
Christian leader Uchimura Kanzo (1861-1930) coined a new name for Christianity - "Crucifixianity." He said, "The cross is not merely a symbol of Christianity; it is its center, the cornerstone upon which the whole structure rests - indeed, no cross, no Christianity." May we, especially today, realize the cross makes us flawless.
Bill T.
* * *
Hebrews 10:16-25
When I was a child, Lent was a time of giving up, of sacrificing something I liked for the whole of the season. The sacrifices of Lent seemed external, a chore to do, something to accomplish and then let go of, as the season ended. It wasn’t about grace or forgiveness; it was about following the instructions of my parents and the expectations of my Sunday School teachers. There was no indication of the writing of God’s law on my heart.
As I have learned more about God, about my faith, and about the interpretations of scripture, I find myself aching to be more than I am, to actually feel the rating of God’s law love and on my heart. I want to live the life God has given me with grace and hope, with forgiveness and love, with the joy of being a child of God. Good Friday can seem a challenging day to think about God with joy. It is a dark day for humanity – for our humanness and empire brought Jesus to arrest, to Pilate, to the cross and to death. Yet, we know the end of the story is not that darkness and pain. The end of the story is God acting in love.
Bonnie B.
* * *
Hebrews 10:16-25
Commenting on v 20 of the lesson, John Wesley once wrote:
As by rending the veil in the temple, the holy of holies became visible and accessible, so by wounding the Body of Christ, the God of heaven was manifested and the way to heaven opened. (Commentary On the Bible, p.568)
The Cross does indeed expose us directly to God and His love. Martin Luther once nicely reflected on the reference in this text to Christ’s priesthood (v.21). The reformer wrote:
If I regard Him [Christ] as priest, then I know that he does nothing but sit in heaven above as our mercy seat and there intercedes for us before the Father without ceasing pleads on our behalf and says the best for us. This is the greatest comfort that can come to a human being, and no sweeter sermon can be preached to the human heart. (What Luther Says, p.190)
This good news does not ultimately depend on our faith, for it is God’s work on the cross that does it. As John Calvin observed with reference to v.23:
For we hence first learn, that our faith rests on this foundation, that God is true, that is, true to his promise, which his word contains; for that we believe, the voice or Word of God must precede… for except God promises, no one can believe. (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XXII/1, p.238)
Mark E.
* * *
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Regarding the reference to the priesthood of Christ in this text, (4:14), Martin Luther observes:
Therefore the apostle also introduces Christ here more as a priest than as a Lord and judge, in order that he may console those who are frightened. (Luther’s Works, Vol.29, p.167)
Famed modern theologian Karl Barth elaborates further on what Christ’s priestly sacrifice entails, that it has accomplished and fulfilled all we have been imperfectly trying to do for God and for each other. He made the point this way:
There has been brought about [by Christ’s sacrifice] that radically altered human situation to which all human priests and offerings brought by men could only look forward, the reconciliation which lit up their whole reality only as a promise on the horizon, warning and comforting, but only as an indication, not as presence and activity. Now that Jesus Christ has done sacrifice as a priest and sanctified himself, all these things have come, for in him that which God demanded has taken place… (Church Dogmatics, Vol.IV/1, p.282)
Pope Benedict XVI once tried to express how wonderful the Good Friday sacrifice is, how God’s love makes us who we truly are. The pope wrote:
Accordingly, from the point of view of the Christian faith, man comes in the most profound sense to himself, not through what he does, but through what he accepts…And one cannot become wholly man in any other way than by being loved, by letting oneself be loved. That love represents simultaneously both man’s highest possibility and deepest need… (Introduction To Christianity, p.267)
Mark E.
* * *
John 19:1--19:42
Martin Luther well summarizes the significance of the cross:
But Christ takes our place and innocently endures death, terror, and hell, so that through him and in him we escape all this. Through his undeserved and innocent death, he saves us from the rightful death which we deserved, that is, from the sin whereby we merited death and hell. (Complete Sermons, Vol.5, pp.402-403)
John Calvin reminded us that the cross and the resurrection must be held together, lest we get sidetracked from Christ and lose Easter. He wrote:
… the whole accomplishment of our salvation, and all the parts of it, are contained in his [Christ’s] death. We have already stated that his resurrection is not separated from his death, but Christ only intends to keep our faith fixed on himself alone, and not to allow it to turn aside in any direction whatever. The meaning, therefore, is, that everything which contributes to the salvation of men is to be found in Christ… (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVIII/1, pp.235-236)
Medieval nun Catherine of Genoa profoundly describes how the amazing love of God on the Christ can make a difference in our lives. As she once put it:
The soul saw a certain ray of love come forth from the divine spring… In one instant she [the soul] saw and felt a fire of love which had come from that divine source and was all but rapt from herself… busied only with this pure and simple love as God had shewn it her. This sight never more left her mind; evermore she saw this pure love turned on her. (Varieties of Mystic Experience, p.190)
Mark E.
* * *
John 18:1--19:42
When Jesus said to them, “I AM,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. (John 18:6, My Translation)
Now does that nursery rhyme end?
“Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.”
There is nothing humorous about Good Friday – except maybe this. When in response to his question, “Who are you seeking for?” they replied, “Jesus of Nazareth,” Jesus then said, not “I am he,” as it is often translated, but in the Greek, “Ego eimi,” which throughout the Gospel of John is simply I AM. Jesus is identifying himself as the great I AM, the same as the voice speaking out of the burning bush to Moses, the same as the one speaking out of Mount Sinai, “I AM the Lord your God,” the same as the God whose name, YHWH, is carved out from the root for I AM.
And all those who came to arrest him fell down.
All fall down.
And that’s what all the Roman soldiers and the palace guards and the betrayer did, with their lamps and torches and lanterns and swords and clubs.
All fall down.
All your worldly power, all your bluff and bluster, cannot stand up to the King of kings and Lord of lords.
In the Book of Revelation, Jesus will be truly revealed for who he is. Everyone will know him. All fall down. At the name of Jesus, every knee will bow, we are assured by the apostle. It will be automatic. But those of us who knelt down ahead of all this, who recognize in the suffering servant, God on the cross, the power and glory of Jesus in the garden, well, we’ll kneel down too, but we knew it from the start.
What we’re seeing is a sneak peak of the Revelation of Jesus Christ – everyone is going to know when Jesus is here, and everyone is going to fall all over themselves and each other – all the powerful, all the pompous, ,all the…
Okay. We had this moment. Now they will rise and take Jesus into custody, but John makes it clear, only because he let them.
Frank R.
* * *
John 18:1--19:42
Things that are incomplete are troublesome. There are a lot of people who are bothered by not completing something they started. I read about the great artist Michelangelo. Though he is well-known for wonderful works of art (the ceiling at the Sistine Chape for example), what is not as well-known is that he left far more works unfinished. I read about the theologian A.T. Robertson who passed away, in his classroom, on September 23, 1934. On his desk was an unfinished translation of the New Testament. He translated as far as the feeding of the 5000 in Matthew.
Mary Oliver, an American poet who passed away in 2019, once said, “I know the sag of the unfinished poem. And I know the release of the poem that is finished.” There is something right and good about a work that is complete. Of all the words Jesus said on the cross, the last one, one word, may be the most significant. The word was “tetelestai.” It is translated, “It is finished.”
I don’t want to get too grammatical, but this word is in the third person, singular, perfect, passive, indicative tense. What does that mean? A singular act has, once and for all, come to conclusion. It has been brought to completion by the deed Jesus did on the cross. What is this act? God has bridged the gap between himself and fallen man by the work of his son on the cross. The debt is paid in full. As we consider the cross of Christ, may we see the finished work of God. From the echo of the first sin in Eden, God’s plan has led to this. At last, that work is complete. Completed works do matter, especially this one.
Bill T.
* * *
John 18:1--19:42
The horrifying telling of the arrest, scourging, torture, and finally crucifixion and death of Jesus rests so heavily on my spirit and my soul. I cannot read the words without tears in my eyes, without pain in my heart. I can only imagine the pain of God as the acts of humanity unfolded, in direct opposition to how God strove to have us love and live.
And there is a part of me that knows some of this pain. In 1982 (yes, I am that old), I was miraculously pregnant (my husband was not supposed to be able to father children) with twins. We were thrilled beyond measure. Our preparations progressed and my baby shower was held, and I was released from work on November 14 – with a due date in December and the likelihood of an early delivery – everything was ready. We celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary on the 17th On the 19th I went to the doctor for a routine visit. And the horror began. There were no heartbeats. Our twins had perished. They were delivered in the hospital on November 22, and we discovered they were our beloved sons.
I know the pain of not being able to hold living breathing sons in my arms. I know the loss of children and my pain echoes the pain God may have felt – to lose a beloved child is unfathomable pain and sorrow. This is my pain on Good Friday.
Bonnie B.
