Sermon Illustrations

Henri Nouwen tells the story of a family from Paraguay.

The father spoke out against the military regime and its human rights abuses. The police arrested his teenage son and tortured him to death.

Enraged townsfolk wanted to turn the boy's funeral into a huge protest march, but the doctor chose another means of protest.

At the funeral, the father decided to display his son's body as he had found it in the jail—naked, scarred from electric shocks and cigarette burns, and beatings. As mourners filed past the bloodied corpse on his blood-soaked mattress, the unforgettable scene put sin and corruption on grotesque display.

On the cross, Jesus' bloodied and naked body, exposed the depravity of sin. The cross revealed both the evil of this world and the mercy of God.

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