We have gotten carried away with sermon illustrations.
One Sunday morning I turned on the television to discover that Woodlands, Texas, pastor Kerry Shook had had truckload after truckload of dirt hauled into his church and piled on the stage. Stage left bore a thirty-foot mound of dirt and stage right bore a thirty-foot mound of dirt and center stage was a valley between the two. The pastor was riding his 250 cc dirt bike up and down the two peaks, apparently proving some deep spiritual truth with his motorcycle. What was the point of this elaborate illustration? I have no idea.
Then there was the time Ed Young, Jr., drove onto the stage in a Rolls Royce, then a second time in a Ferrari, to illustrate that God’s children are the Ferraris of creation. Another time, Ed and his wife spent 24 hours in a bed on the church roof, while being live-streamed talking about sex and promoting their brand-new book on the topic. Can anyone take such a man seriously[1]? Does his life display the wisdom you want to bring to your marriage and home (not to mention your automobile budget)? You may agree or disagree, but you can’t blame me for asking the questions. Scandalous behavior invites scandalous questions.
A New Testament preacher is a man of letters. He traffics in words, reading and writing sophisticated arguments meant to help congregations better understand the most important—and most challenging—work of literature ever written, the Bible. When you are confused by the talking heads on television, or when a college professor challenges your faith, it is the preacher to whom you look for guidance. He ought to be a man of learning and thoughtful reflection, capable of offering well-reasoned responses to the skeptics of our day. The man ought to be a writer and thinker, an orator, perhaps, but not the ringmaster of a circus.
In contrast to New Testament preachers, God once chose an Old Testament priest to live out elaborate dramas. Suddenly Ezekiel’s life became a series of painful sermon illustrations.
Here is a partial list: God feeds Ezekiel a scroll, which he eats. He builds a model of Jerusalem and lays next to it for over a year. He loses his voice. He cuts his hair with a sword and divides the cut hair in symbolic ways. He eats a tiny bit of bread each day to warn of the famine to come. His wife dies and he is not allowed to engage in the usual rituals of mourning.
Did Ezekiel want to do these things? No. He specifically complained when God asked him to eat food that would make him unclean. Ezekiel—unlike some of today’s preachers—had no desire to debase or humiliate himself to entertain a crowd or increase the offering revenue. But he obeyed the voice of the Lord. Why did God choose to have Ezekiel act out these sidewalk dramas? To warn an unbelieving nation of what was to come, Ezekiel 2:7.
Church congregations, by contrast, are not unbelievers. They believe and have come to church hoping to be taught the word in plain language. They will learn a lot more if we do not waste time and resources on over-the-top illustrations. Street theater works best with street audiences.
I read an interesting statement the other day: “In America, there is so much focus on the illustration, on the modern application, compared to that boring, stiff British Anglicanism with its constant emphasis on the scripture itself.”[2] That struck me as quite an indictment—I know my own style as both a teacher and writer is exactly what they said: heavy on illustration and application.
Don’t misunderstand: a good illustration has merit. For example, there is the short “frog in the pot” story that most of us remember. But we can take illustrations too far. We should never lose sight of God’s Word. We are serving God and in a sermon or a Sunday school lesson we should remember: these people did not get out of bed this morning to hear your funny stories or political opinions or to watch you ride a motorcycle or a Rolls Royce in church.
When the Body of Christ comes together to hear the word preached, let’s be sure we give it to them.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” 2 Timothy 2:15.
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[1] In 2009, Ed Young, Jr., received a “Bum Steer” award from TEXAS MONTHLY after bringing a king size bed on stage and preaching that married couples should have sex every day for a week “because sex is like Super Glue.” On the subject of Ferraris, Ed sounds like a prosperity preacher: “God gave me a Ferrari because I am a Ferrari. You’re a Ferrari too. God has given you a Ferrari.” https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/bum-steer-grapevine-pastor-ed-young-plans-24-hour-bed-in-on-roof-of-church/
[2] Timothy Alberta, THE KINGDOM, THE POWER, AND THE GLORY: AMERICAN EVANGELICALS IN AN AGE OF EXTREMISM, quoting Australian Anglican pastor John Dickson, Ph.D., now with Wheaton College.
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