Good Friday
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VI, Cycle A
COMMENTARY ON THE LESSONS
Lesson 1: Isaiah 52:13--53:12 (C, RC, E)
Henry Sloane Coffin said of this passage: "This is the most influential poem in any literature." None of us preachers can have made our way through seminary without becoming lovers of these words by Second Isaiah. They describe in eloquent terms the mission of Israel as seen by the prophet. The poem begins and ends with God's call to his chosen people to a servanthood to be marked by suffering and mistreatment. Their destiny is not deserved. As a people, they are innocent, yet must accept their suffering with grace, understanding that it is through them that the whole of humanity shall be redeemed. In the midst of the poem, we hear the anguish of the called people, but all is consummated in the divine promise: "Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high."
Any thoughtful person must grieve for all Jews. From the beginning of their recorded history to this very moment, they have suffered terribly as a people. This may not mean that every Jewish person leads a life of suffering -- some of my own friends among the Jews are quite successful and as happy as I -- but as a people, there is no argument. The Holocaust comes first to mind, but other examples are many. The question cries out for answer: "As beautiful as the poetry of our text, where is there any evidence that it will ever be fulfilled? Thousands of years have passed, yet humanity seems no nearer to redemption than when Isaiah penned his words. When?"
Is our answer not that Jesus took into his own heart these words, realized that the people of Israel were reborn in him, that henceforth he must live out the destiny of a life of suffering and death, that all might be redeemed? Perhaps it has not been fulfilled in history, not for all nations. But for many. For me. For you. For those to whom we have been called to preach. For those who hear, who accept his Spirit into their own hearts, it has taken place. This divine promise, though not fulfilled, is being fulfilled through Jesus Christ.
Lesson 1: Genesis 22:1-18 (E)
At another time, I should like to deal with this text in greater depth. It contains a profound example of faithfulness, yet of naiveté as we understand our faith today. It is the story of Abraham's belief that he must sacrifice the child he loves, Isaac, to please God. Abraham is faithful to his particular understanding of God, Isaac is spared, and God apparently is pleased. A more routine sacrifice is made.
Lesson 1: Wisdom of Solomon 2:1, 12-24 (E)
There is more to life than this life. The righteous know that. Those who live only for their own pleasure are enemies of the righteous.
Lesson 2: Hebrews 10:16-25 (C); Hebrews 10:1-25 (E)
From that time on we no longer need a long list of rules to memorize; in order to be righteous. The law is written in our minds and hearts. Because Jesus died for us, we are wiped clean of all guilt, are offered a new beginning. We enter the sanctuary of worship knowing ourselves renewed by the sacrifice of Jesus. Our work henceforth is to encourage each other in doing the work of love and good deeds. Our new Priest, Christ, presides, and we are to gather together regularly until "the Day."
Lesson 2: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 (C, RC)
The Hebrew tradition of the priesthood still influences the theology of the author. Jesus, for him, is high priest according to the order of Mel-chiz'e-dek. Through his suffering and submission to God, he has been made perfect and thus is the means by which we too may find eternal salvation. He is able to sympathize with us in our trials and temptations because he is one "who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin."
Gospel: John 18:1--19:42 (C, RC); John (18:1-40) 19:1-37 (E)
Here is John's version of the Passion story. It takes Jesus through his capture, his rejection by friends, his pain and humiliation, and finally his death on the cross. The preacher will study this series with care in preparation for preaching. As with all sermons, a brief passage which focuses attention on the heart of the matter will make for a strong sermon.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "Standing Before The Cross"
Text: Isaiah 53:3b
Theme: We may decide to turn to the Gospel for the sermon, yet there is an important word here in the Old Testament. "As one from whom others hide their faces, he was despised and we held him of no account." That's how other ancient people viewed the people of Israel, and that ignominious fate was lived out briefly in the life of Jesus. It's hard to think so now, given what we know. Yet, in all likelihood, most of us would have stood before the cross, if not with outright rejection, certainly lacking the courage to step forth on his behalf. Perhaps his mother did, but she was a woman (therefore having no power in those days). No man is recorded as having raised his voice in defense of Jesus. With an effort, we can try to imagine what it might be like to realize that even those closest to you, the men with whom you have lived and shared your deepest thoughts and feelings, lacked the commitment to speak on your behalf.
1. The cross is relived each day. The Spirit of Jesus confronts us with a chance to step forth this time. The risk is not nearly so great as that from which Peter and his friends turned. But there is risk. Every time we tell a painful truth, every time we resist a temptation when others cannot, every time we undertake a risky or difficult work which offers little pay or commendation, we step forth.
2. Do we name his name to others? Bearing witness through our deeds is important, but somehow letting it be known that we are what we are because of him helps others know where to turn. Last week, a 49-year-old man driving home in Indianapolis saw a truck involved in an accident. The driver was injured, the door was jammed, the engine was on fire. The man jumped on the running board and tried to get the door open. Failing that, he took a fire extinguisher and smashed the windshield, then climbed in and unhooked the injured man's seat belt. The fire had spread to the cab and others outside called to the man to get out. But he would not. Frantically, and finally, successfully, the passenger door was ripped open and, as the truck cab was nearly exploding with flames, both men came free.
The man who performed that act of heroism was interviewed on television. Commended, he simply said, "No, it was God who made it possible." (That wasn't quite naming Christ, but his church affiliation made that part clear.)
3. He was wounded for our transgressions. Isaiah believed that by turning to "him," we would be forgiven for our sins. Truth? We all have remained silent before the cross too many times. I have. But he will take that sin upon himself if we will one day step forth and affirm him with our lives.
Title: "The Humanity Of Jesus"
Text: Hebrews 4:14-16
Theme: One of the troubling theological questions in Christianity is that of the divinity of Jesus. Those preachers who are conservative may have no difficulty with this question, convinced that Jesus was divine and that is that. On the other hand, many very liberal preachers view Jesus as a splendid example of manhood/womanhood, a practitioner of love unparalleled -- but not divine. The larger number of us waver between those two alternatives. If the conservative point of view is right, then a divine Jesus can't possibly know what life is like for me. Sure, he was tempted like me, but what does that mean? He still didn't do anything wrong. I hardly make it through the day without making some kind of mistake. However, if the extreme liberal point of view is correct -- if Jesus was a wonderful man, but still just a man -- then how can he be more than an exemplary role model for me? How can he save me?
Few of the laity get very worried about this one way or the other. However, for what it's worth, one way to see the matter is this way:
1. Jesus was human. The very word "tempted" suggests this. Perfect people would never be tempted to do something wrong. If Jesus at least gave passing thought to the possibilities open to him by his fame like a lot of people do today, then he understands what it's like for me.
2. Jesus was divine. The New Testament message fails, ultimately, unless this is true. Jesus' fate, painful death, would always be the fate of vulnerable love, unless behind that love was invincible power. C. S. Lewis nailed it when he wrote that Jesus was either crazy or the Son of God. His preaching left no alternative.
3. How could Jesus be totally human, yet totally divine? Paul answered that in his letter to the Philippians, chapter two, when he said Jesus "emptied himself." That is, Jesus was, indeed, divine. He was unique, a one and only, specifically born as a one-time act of God to pursue us with the only power which could attain God's purpose: love. But we could never believe that God could truly understand the problems he faced us with by creating us (in fact, God probably couldn't understand that) unless we could become convinced that he was really like us, knew something about temptation, anxiety, exhaustion, rejection, fear, and all the rest. Anyone who could look into the future and know just how things would turn out could not know how the rest of us feel as death draws near. So Jesus, for a time, set aside divine powers, became like us, faced his fate without any certainty, then returned in full power as Revealer of God. Thus, we can at once believe that Jesus faced his fate as we must, yet has the power to redeem us from our own self-centeredness today.
Title: "Darkness, Then The Dawn"
Text: John 19:16b-18
Theme: J. B. Phillips, writing years ago in a then-popular book, God Our Contemporary, said something we can all well hear. "I believe it to be essential for us to recover the dimension of eternity if we are to value this life properly and live it with sanity and courage ... No thinking Christian today believes in 'Heaven' or 'everlasting life' as a mere extension of time and space existence, however purified and exalted! He (She) believes that after the death of the body there is a release from the time and space predicament, and a timeless sharing of the timeless life of God, in which there are probably various stages of enlightenment and knowledge." Dr. Phillips went on to conclude his book with this: "It is those who know God to be eternal who most satisfactorily prove that God is their contemporary."
This must be our message. Darkness fell upon humanity for those few hours of the torture of Jesus, true. But we know the outcome and need not pretend otherwise. It is precisely because Jesus died on that cross that we have the very hope of eternity, its promise and the happy outlook it provides in the face of death.
1. The crucifixion revealed our ultimate sin. We destroyed love. Let's not pretend we played no part in that event. The characteristics of humanity which motivated the people at the cross are at work in us as well.
2. The crucifixion revealed our ultimate hope. When Jesus asked God to forgive us, we learned then that our unforgivable crime was forgiven.
3. The crucifixion revealed our ultimate fate. Because there is forgiveness for our sins, we can be welcomed into eternity.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
Older preachers know well the name of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. His books were read by every educated clergy person of the sixties and seventies. Bonhoeffer came to America from Germany to escape the growing totalitarianism of Adolf Hitler and began teaching in one of America's fine seminaries. But as the world in Europe grew darker, Bonhoeffer realized he could not live with the knowledge that he had escaped what his countrymen must face. He returned and founded a clandestine seminary. Its purpose was to train courageous clergy to resist the depredations of Hitler and his Nazis. For many years he succeeded, teaching and writing and speaking out against Nazism. But eventually, this courageous enemy of darkness was arrested and placed in the infamous concentration camp at Flossenburg. Prisoners later reported that Bonhoeffer's kindness to his hateful guards began to win them over, and they had to be rotated frequently. Then in April of 1945, just a few days before the war would end, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was taken from his cell into the courtyard and there he was murdered by hanging. Before he left his cell, he turned to a cell mate and said: "When God calls a man, he bids him come and die." Some who stand before the cross do step forth.
____________
I suppose most of us have unhappy memories, recollections of moments in life we wish we could relive, if only to do better. One of mine is the day my father took me to Union Station in Indianapolis, where I was to rejoin my U.S. Army unit following a brief furlough. I had recently completed Infantry training. As a teenager, I was new to the army. We were to leave by train for a port of embarkation, then by ship to Europe. The newspapers were filled with speculation that a "second front" would soon be opened against Germany, an invasion of the European continent. It was April, 1944. We were destined to land on Utah Beach in Normandy. My father, a former company commander in World War I, knew what awaited me.
I'm a father now. I know now what sadness my father felt as the two of us walked into the train station. It was filled with soldiers and sailors, all heading toward foreign destinations. I so vividly remember briefly shaking my father's hand, then hurriedly dashing over to join my new friends from training, though we had plenty of time before our train would leave.
I gave but one backward glance. My dad stood alone across the immense floor of the station. Then, young, excited at the adventure which lay ahead, I joined my friends as we headed for our train. It would be many years before I would understand the unforgivable rejection I imposed on that dear man -- a son who hardly said good-bye, off to a possible death he was too immature to realize. And so, his heart heavy almost beyond bearing, my father turned and trudged home.
One day nearly two years later I returned home. My father embraced me with tears in his eyes. That day at the station was never mentioned. He's gone now, and my one hope that my sin can ever be erased is the hope for eternity -- and reunion. But he had already forgiven me. God does. Now I must.
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 22 (C); Psalm 22:1-21 (E) -- This is the psalm from which Jesus quoted on the cross. He quoted it in Aramaic. It is a lament, but with a note of hopeful triumph at the end.
Prayer Of The Day
God of love, thou who can forgive what we could never forgive, we come to thee in penitence, confessing our failure to be what our faith calls us to be, yet determined to be just that. Add to us, O God, the inner qualities by which we may yet deserve that name we use: Christian.
Lesson 1: Isaiah 52:13--53:12 (C, RC, E)
Henry Sloane Coffin said of this passage: "This is the most influential poem in any literature." None of us preachers can have made our way through seminary without becoming lovers of these words by Second Isaiah. They describe in eloquent terms the mission of Israel as seen by the prophet. The poem begins and ends with God's call to his chosen people to a servanthood to be marked by suffering and mistreatment. Their destiny is not deserved. As a people, they are innocent, yet must accept their suffering with grace, understanding that it is through them that the whole of humanity shall be redeemed. In the midst of the poem, we hear the anguish of the called people, but all is consummated in the divine promise: "Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high."
Any thoughtful person must grieve for all Jews. From the beginning of their recorded history to this very moment, they have suffered terribly as a people. This may not mean that every Jewish person leads a life of suffering -- some of my own friends among the Jews are quite successful and as happy as I -- but as a people, there is no argument. The Holocaust comes first to mind, but other examples are many. The question cries out for answer: "As beautiful as the poetry of our text, where is there any evidence that it will ever be fulfilled? Thousands of years have passed, yet humanity seems no nearer to redemption than when Isaiah penned his words. When?"
Is our answer not that Jesus took into his own heart these words, realized that the people of Israel were reborn in him, that henceforth he must live out the destiny of a life of suffering and death, that all might be redeemed? Perhaps it has not been fulfilled in history, not for all nations. But for many. For me. For you. For those to whom we have been called to preach. For those who hear, who accept his Spirit into their own hearts, it has taken place. This divine promise, though not fulfilled, is being fulfilled through Jesus Christ.
Lesson 1: Genesis 22:1-18 (E)
At another time, I should like to deal with this text in greater depth. It contains a profound example of faithfulness, yet of naiveté as we understand our faith today. It is the story of Abraham's belief that he must sacrifice the child he loves, Isaac, to please God. Abraham is faithful to his particular understanding of God, Isaac is spared, and God apparently is pleased. A more routine sacrifice is made.
Lesson 1: Wisdom of Solomon 2:1, 12-24 (E)
There is more to life than this life. The righteous know that. Those who live only for their own pleasure are enemies of the righteous.
Lesson 2: Hebrews 10:16-25 (C); Hebrews 10:1-25 (E)
From that time on we no longer need a long list of rules to memorize; in order to be righteous. The law is written in our minds and hearts. Because Jesus died for us, we are wiped clean of all guilt, are offered a new beginning. We enter the sanctuary of worship knowing ourselves renewed by the sacrifice of Jesus. Our work henceforth is to encourage each other in doing the work of love and good deeds. Our new Priest, Christ, presides, and we are to gather together regularly until "the Day."
Lesson 2: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 (C, RC)
The Hebrew tradition of the priesthood still influences the theology of the author. Jesus, for him, is high priest according to the order of Mel-chiz'e-dek. Through his suffering and submission to God, he has been made perfect and thus is the means by which we too may find eternal salvation. He is able to sympathize with us in our trials and temptations because he is one "who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin."
Gospel: John 18:1--19:42 (C, RC); John (18:1-40) 19:1-37 (E)
Here is John's version of the Passion story. It takes Jesus through his capture, his rejection by friends, his pain and humiliation, and finally his death on the cross. The preacher will study this series with care in preparation for preaching. As with all sermons, a brief passage which focuses attention on the heart of the matter will make for a strong sermon.
SERMON SUGGESTIONS
Title: "Standing Before The Cross"
Text: Isaiah 53:3b
Theme: We may decide to turn to the Gospel for the sermon, yet there is an important word here in the Old Testament. "As one from whom others hide their faces, he was despised and we held him of no account." That's how other ancient people viewed the people of Israel, and that ignominious fate was lived out briefly in the life of Jesus. It's hard to think so now, given what we know. Yet, in all likelihood, most of us would have stood before the cross, if not with outright rejection, certainly lacking the courage to step forth on his behalf. Perhaps his mother did, but she was a woman (therefore having no power in those days). No man is recorded as having raised his voice in defense of Jesus. With an effort, we can try to imagine what it might be like to realize that even those closest to you, the men with whom you have lived and shared your deepest thoughts and feelings, lacked the commitment to speak on your behalf.
1. The cross is relived each day. The Spirit of Jesus confronts us with a chance to step forth this time. The risk is not nearly so great as that from which Peter and his friends turned. But there is risk. Every time we tell a painful truth, every time we resist a temptation when others cannot, every time we undertake a risky or difficult work which offers little pay or commendation, we step forth.
2. Do we name his name to others? Bearing witness through our deeds is important, but somehow letting it be known that we are what we are because of him helps others know where to turn. Last week, a 49-year-old man driving home in Indianapolis saw a truck involved in an accident. The driver was injured, the door was jammed, the engine was on fire. The man jumped on the running board and tried to get the door open. Failing that, he took a fire extinguisher and smashed the windshield, then climbed in and unhooked the injured man's seat belt. The fire had spread to the cab and others outside called to the man to get out. But he would not. Frantically, and finally, successfully, the passenger door was ripped open and, as the truck cab was nearly exploding with flames, both men came free.
The man who performed that act of heroism was interviewed on television. Commended, he simply said, "No, it was God who made it possible." (That wasn't quite naming Christ, but his church affiliation made that part clear.)
3. He was wounded for our transgressions. Isaiah believed that by turning to "him," we would be forgiven for our sins. Truth? We all have remained silent before the cross too many times. I have. But he will take that sin upon himself if we will one day step forth and affirm him with our lives.
Title: "The Humanity Of Jesus"
Text: Hebrews 4:14-16
Theme: One of the troubling theological questions in Christianity is that of the divinity of Jesus. Those preachers who are conservative may have no difficulty with this question, convinced that Jesus was divine and that is that. On the other hand, many very liberal preachers view Jesus as a splendid example of manhood/womanhood, a practitioner of love unparalleled -- but not divine. The larger number of us waver between those two alternatives. If the conservative point of view is right, then a divine Jesus can't possibly know what life is like for me. Sure, he was tempted like me, but what does that mean? He still didn't do anything wrong. I hardly make it through the day without making some kind of mistake. However, if the extreme liberal point of view is correct -- if Jesus was a wonderful man, but still just a man -- then how can he be more than an exemplary role model for me? How can he save me?
Few of the laity get very worried about this one way or the other. However, for what it's worth, one way to see the matter is this way:
1. Jesus was human. The very word "tempted" suggests this. Perfect people would never be tempted to do something wrong. If Jesus at least gave passing thought to the possibilities open to him by his fame like a lot of people do today, then he understands what it's like for me.
2. Jesus was divine. The New Testament message fails, ultimately, unless this is true. Jesus' fate, painful death, would always be the fate of vulnerable love, unless behind that love was invincible power. C. S. Lewis nailed it when he wrote that Jesus was either crazy or the Son of God. His preaching left no alternative.
3. How could Jesus be totally human, yet totally divine? Paul answered that in his letter to the Philippians, chapter two, when he said Jesus "emptied himself." That is, Jesus was, indeed, divine. He was unique, a one and only, specifically born as a one-time act of God to pursue us with the only power which could attain God's purpose: love. But we could never believe that God could truly understand the problems he faced us with by creating us (in fact, God probably couldn't understand that) unless we could become convinced that he was really like us, knew something about temptation, anxiety, exhaustion, rejection, fear, and all the rest. Anyone who could look into the future and know just how things would turn out could not know how the rest of us feel as death draws near. So Jesus, for a time, set aside divine powers, became like us, faced his fate without any certainty, then returned in full power as Revealer of God. Thus, we can at once believe that Jesus faced his fate as we must, yet has the power to redeem us from our own self-centeredness today.
Title: "Darkness, Then The Dawn"
Text: John 19:16b-18
Theme: J. B. Phillips, writing years ago in a then-popular book, God Our Contemporary, said something we can all well hear. "I believe it to be essential for us to recover the dimension of eternity if we are to value this life properly and live it with sanity and courage ... No thinking Christian today believes in 'Heaven' or 'everlasting life' as a mere extension of time and space existence, however purified and exalted! He (She) believes that after the death of the body there is a release from the time and space predicament, and a timeless sharing of the timeless life of God, in which there are probably various stages of enlightenment and knowledge." Dr. Phillips went on to conclude his book with this: "It is those who know God to be eternal who most satisfactorily prove that God is their contemporary."
This must be our message. Darkness fell upon humanity for those few hours of the torture of Jesus, true. But we know the outcome and need not pretend otherwise. It is precisely because Jesus died on that cross that we have the very hope of eternity, its promise and the happy outlook it provides in the face of death.
1. The crucifixion revealed our ultimate sin. We destroyed love. Let's not pretend we played no part in that event. The characteristics of humanity which motivated the people at the cross are at work in us as well.
2. The crucifixion revealed our ultimate hope. When Jesus asked God to forgive us, we learned then that our unforgivable crime was forgiven.
3. The crucifixion revealed our ultimate fate. Because there is forgiveness for our sins, we can be welcomed into eternity.
ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS
Older preachers know well the name of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. His books were read by every educated clergy person of the sixties and seventies. Bonhoeffer came to America from Germany to escape the growing totalitarianism of Adolf Hitler and began teaching in one of America's fine seminaries. But as the world in Europe grew darker, Bonhoeffer realized he could not live with the knowledge that he had escaped what his countrymen must face. He returned and founded a clandestine seminary. Its purpose was to train courageous clergy to resist the depredations of Hitler and his Nazis. For many years he succeeded, teaching and writing and speaking out against Nazism. But eventually, this courageous enemy of darkness was arrested and placed in the infamous concentration camp at Flossenburg. Prisoners later reported that Bonhoeffer's kindness to his hateful guards began to win them over, and they had to be rotated frequently. Then in April of 1945, just a few days before the war would end, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was taken from his cell into the courtyard and there he was murdered by hanging. Before he left his cell, he turned to a cell mate and said: "When God calls a man, he bids him come and die." Some who stand before the cross do step forth.
____________
I suppose most of us have unhappy memories, recollections of moments in life we wish we could relive, if only to do better. One of mine is the day my father took me to Union Station in Indianapolis, where I was to rejoin my U.S. Army unit following a brief furlough. I had recently completed Infantry training. As a teenager, I was new to the army. We were to leave by train for a port of embarkation, then by ship to Europe. The newspapers were filled with speculation that a "second front" would soon be opened against Germany, an invasion of the European continent. It was April, 1944. We were destined to land on Utah Beach in Normandy. My father, a former company commander in World War I, knew what awaited me.
I'm a father now. I know now what sadness my father felt as the two of us walked into the train station. It was filled with soldiers and sailors, all heading toward foreign destinations. I so vividly remember briefly shaking my father's hand, then hurriedly dashing over to join my new friends from training, though we had plenty of time before our train would leave.
I gave but one backward glance. My dad stood alone across the immense floor of the station. Then, young, excited at the adventure which lay ahead, I joined my friends as we headed for our train. It would be many years before I would understand the unforgivable rejection I imposed on that dear man -- a son who hardly said good-bye, off to a possible death he was too immature to realize. And so, his heart heavy almost beyond bearing, my father turned and trudged home.
One day nearly two years later I returned home. My father embraced me with tears in his eyes. That day at the station was never mentioned. He's gone now, and my one hope that my sin can ever be erased is the hope for eternity -- and reunion. But he had already forgiven me. God does. Now I must.
____________
Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 22 (C); Psalm 22:1-21 (E) -- This is the psalm from which Jesus quoted on the cross. He quoted it in Aramaic. It is a lament, but with a note of hopeful triumph at the end.
Prayer Of The Day
God of love, thou who can forgive what we could never forgive, we come to thee in penitence, confessing our failure to be what our faith calls us to be, yet determined to be just that. Add to us, O God, the inner qualities by which we may yet deserve that name we use: Christian.
