Bible Passages I have never heard a sermon on...and will use in future posts

A New Commentary Preview for 2025

“Should we preach from every passage of the Bible,” I asked Walter, my minister father-in-law? I was trying to corner him. I remember, early in our relationship, when he had cornered me. Knowing I was from Texas and his family (including my wife) was from California, he would regularly bring up the many ways, at least in his mind, that California was better than Texas. One day, with my wife in earshot, he asked me if I thought the women from Texas or California were more beautiful. However I responded, I would lose. Being a wise and loving husband, I chose Californians. He claimed victory. Unfortunately he didn’t take the bait with my question. “Should every passage of the Bible be a source of sermons? Yes, he replied with finality.

Sadly, Walter passed away this past year. But in his honor I will accept his challenge. As I work on my book in 2025, I’m going to post some thoughts on passages I have never heard preached to find out what we can learn from them. I have put some examples of such passages below. Please add your own in the comments and I will add them to the list.

In honor of Walter and the joy he took in trying to create “gotcha” moments for me, I will be highlighting some of the best “gotcha” statements of Jesus in his interactions with detractors. I have added a few of these below as well.

Enjoy!

I. Passages I have never heard preached:

• “Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him….” -1 Corinthians 11:14

• “We were with child, we writhed in labour, but we gave birth to wind.” -Isaiah 26:18

• “But Jael, Heber’s wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.” -Judges 4:21

• “Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptised for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptised for them?” -I Corinthians 15:29

• “‘As for any fabric that is spoiled with a defiling mold – any woollen or linen clothing, any woven or knitted material of linen or wool, any leather or anything made of leather – if the affected area in the fabric, the leather, the woven or knitted material, or any leather article, is greenish or reddish, it is a defiling mold and must be shown to the priest. The priest is to examine the affected area and isolate the article for seven days. On the seventh day he is to examine it, and if the mould has spread in the fabric, the woven or knitted material, or the leather, whatever its use, it is a persistent defiling mould; the article is unclean. He must burn the fabric, the woven or knitted material of wool or linen, or any leather article that has been spoiled, because the defiling mould is persistent; the article must be burned.” -Leviticus 13: 47-52

II. Some of Jesus’ best “gotchas":”

• “Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. ‘By what authority are you doing these things?’ they asked. ‘And who gave you this authority?’ Jesus replied, ‘I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism – where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?’ They discussed it among themselves and said, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will ask, “Then why didn’t you believe him?” But if we say, “Of human origin”– we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus, ‘We don’t know.’

  Then he said, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

-Matthew 21:23-27

• “Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the poll-tax to Caesar or not?’ But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, ‘You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax.’ They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, ‘Whose image is this? And whose inscription?’‘Caesar’s,’ they replied. Then he said to them, ‘So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’ When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.” -Matthew 22:15-22

• “Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: ‘A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall round it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. ‘He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, “They will respect my son.” ‘But the tenants said to one another, “This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. ‘What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture: ‘“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes”?’ Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.” -Mark 12:1-12

---